M.E. Bridge beam parts?

[Rico]

Can anyone id the parts (on the sprue) that come with the bridge beams in Micro Engineering's HO 50’ plate girder kit 80-166?
A friend is using them for a bridge project and there's surprisingly little info out there.
I suspect they may be top rails. Thanx!

 

[Selector]

I think that they may be the parts you bend if you want the hipped (rounded) ends of the through girder type bridge. You radius, carefully, the end of the girders that will be over the abutments, and then match the flanges to the web, curved. However, when I made this bridge, you were to cut off the flange (maybe they provided extra flanging...it has been 15 years), and then heated and bent the flange down over the sculpted web, gluing it with MEK.

 

[wheeler1963]

Rick, I just built this kit for a flat car load. They go on the top and bottom of the girders.

 

[bob]

Rick, I just built this kit for a flat car load. They go on the top and bottom of the girders. View attachment 47268

That was my thought too, just based on looking at them, but in that case, I’m confused on why they’re not full length, same as the girders?

I have seen some bridges that have a second plate part of the way, as reinforcements? I don’t know if that is anything related to this?

 

[Alcomotive]

They are simply called "sill plates" used as added reinforcements in the center of the structure to help deflect any sway or sag.

 

[flyboy2610]

Rick, I just built this kit for a flat car load. They go on the top and bottom of the girders. View attachment 47268

I like that idea!

 

[Rico]

Thanx guys that’s pretty much what I’m thinking!
Hard to figure without actually seeing them in person.
And James yes sill plate was the term, not top plate, thanx!
Oh and cool load Jerome!

 

[twforeman]

I used those same girders for my bridge. I ignored those parts because I didn't know what they were.

 

[dennis461]

You do not bend anything.
You have sides which can splice together. Then the narrow parts go over the joint.
You need to kitbash or scratch build the deck and gussets.
I actually cut some plastic strips to go under the narrow pieces to make the splice longer

 

[kjd]

Dennis, it's true you don't have to bend anything but Crandell was talking about a particular style of bridge. On some plate girder bridges the corners are rounded, I guess to keep shifted loads or maybe derailed cars from directly impacting the end of the bridge. Maybe the curve will deflect an impact upward and limit damage to the bridge. Crandell modeled this in his photo of the plate girder bridge. Deck Girder bridges like in Jerome's photo will have square ends.

 

[bob]

You do not bend anything.
You have sides which can splice together. Then the narrow parts go over the joint.
You need to kitbash or scratch build the deck and gussets.
I actually cut some plastic strips to go under the narrow pieces to make the splice longer
View attachment 47330View attachment 47331

The kits can be used in more than one manner. You've used the additional parts as reinforcements, which is correct and prototypically accurate.

However, should you wish to model this span, you can cut a radius and then curve them to match. In fact, if you look closely, it shows both applications, your additional plates (top and bottom) and his radiused corner.

 

[dennis461]

Darn, I did not think of that: will that plastic bend without heat?
I was modeling one near me...

 

[Selector]

The bridge that I show is the "150 foot combination bridge" that ME sells. I built this almost 15 years ago, so the details are fuzzy, but I seem to recall that the instructions said to cut off the end of the top flange, round the top corner of the web, and then to heat and bend-to-radius one of those strips, which are flange elements, or can be used as such.

Thanks for those images above, they really help to show how complicated a girder bridge really is.

Here is a better image, rather severely cropped to get up close, of that bridge on my original layout:

 

[kjd]

Darn, I did not think of that: will that plastic bend without heat?
I was modeling one near me...
View attachment 47335
View attachment 47334

I doubt it will bend without heat. It doesn't take much, styrene starts to soften around 150F. A few seconds in boiling water will be plenty. Wear something heat resistant on you fingers though. A test on an extra piece is always a good idea. Too hot and it will not stay flat, the edges will start to curl.