Building the Walthers Double Track Swing Bridge

[TLOC]

I did get more done yesterday. The plan was to ignore the assembly sequence but after reading the instructions a few more times, I will follow the sequence suggested. I was avoiding adding the track work and just adding the top bracing. My friend found his bridge track but needs to get it here. So after working on the parts yesterday I am going to prime the bridge today while waiting for the track

Cross support pieces

Support pieces combined with a decorative finish piece

Dry fitting the cross pieces

So today is my prime day (not like Amazon’s day). The plan is to lightly prime the dark green bridge parts with enough to kill the dark color but turn the dark color into shadowing by blending. My friend still has not decided on the base bridge color ( gray, silver or white) so the primer will be a light ghost gray mixed from Tamiya Arcylics (think a dirty Casper the Friendly Ghost coloring). If I get this the way my mind sees it I think I can get him to approve the bridge for some heavier weathering than he thinks he wants now

Ready to spray


Be well

 

[ctclibby]

More bridge weathering possibilities as you wished! Not in any order.

I did not send 'bridge1750-9d.jpg again...
Hope this helps.

L8r

 

[ctclibby]

Got to thinking about it ... There are swing bridges just North of Everett. Google Maps was able to see parts so YMMV. Off of SR526

L8r

 

[TLOC]

Got to thinking about it ... There are swing bridges just North of Everett. Google Maps was able to see parts so YMMV. Off of SR526
View attachment 244236

View attachment 244237

L8r

Thank you Todd, these will help me convince him to go beyond a base paint and add some rust

 

[Bruette]

This is a remarkably interesting thread, thank you for sharing your work.

 

[TLOC]

This is a remarkably interesting thread, thank you for sharing your work.

Thanks Louis I was wondering how it would be received. I’m telling it as I’m progressing

 

[TLOC]

It’s lunchtime which normally is 4 hours after breakfast. But today I was up too early at 4:45am and ate at 6:15. Should have had lunch or a snack at 10:15 but instead I was mixing and spraying, mixing and spraying! Wow crazy. I weather models, I’m not a painter. I haven’t done a structure this large in a few years and totally miscalculated the amount of primer I needed. I’m still not done

Just a few pictures

the victim, I mean model

My paint booth is too small to handle this bridge. In the past I have set up on horses and sprayed in the open (Tamiya and Vallejo Arcylics with little smell) on a board with a back stop. My notes say I used this setup last in September 2022 for a commissioned paper mill. It slides nicely under the layout

I’m still futzing with the bridge tender’s shack, no picture of it put together, sorry

Here is the bridge back on the temporary setup next to my workbench. This is just a a primer coat with the idea to let the molded in green color showing as shadowing. I also hope with the colors I added to the mix that this can be the base coat. The owner though finally has totally dismissed painting the bridge an off white or a dirty muted silver.

I have a ways to go before this primer/base coat is finished. Lots of missed spots but have I added 3 lights on my valance over the layout pointing towards my center of the floor setup. I didn’t think the light was that bad but it obviously was. The yellow tape is to protect the gluing surfaces

CTCLibby (Todd) posted additional reference bridge photos ( see his post above) this morning and I texted those to my friend. Those pictures convinced him that white is out. Thanks again Todd

Finally, a Facebook friend asked how I was going to paint the pivot mechanism for the bridge and I replied I hadn’t thought about it. He sent me this from the Library of Congress. When I tried to go there the system was down with a note about the shutdown and that it maybe down for awhile

A movie at the theater this afternoon and dinner out after so if not later today, definitely back tomorrow

 

[TLOC]

More pictures

I’m dry fitting again but also ready to glue the upper support pieces. Glue and clamps are position

the tape protecting the glue edges has been removed

The support pieces are glued in position and have been curing for a few hours when this picture was taken. The bridge track has arrived from the bridge’s owner. He was very happy with the progress and as I was hoping approved this color as the base color for the bridge

Just another angle of the track for the bridge, just loosely fitted. I am now mixing paint again to give the bridge another spray

Thespias in blue and laying face down on the right of the bridge has just fainted when he asked, “where the he double hockey sticks are we putting this bridge?” He went down when he was told at the end of the paper mill lead, over Bull Junior Creek

Here are a couple pictures of Bull Junior Creek just south of the paper mill

Some people are so gullible!

 

[TLOC]

Hi, no time in the train room or at the bench so far today. Life got in the way.

Basically the bridge is completed minus paint and weathering of the base that will sit in the water and the abutments. If my friend decides he does want the bridge weathered there might be 3 hours left. Yes I track my build times at the bench. I have done so since I started 1st commission painting of steam in the 70’s. I then branched out into commission building kits. I still track my work time on diesel and freight car weathering commissions. So it’s no big deal for me to note the time when I sit down and get up from the bench. This build has 17.25 hours so far. Most of it enjoyable modeling time with a few timeouts to vent about poorly written instructions

The bridge track was delivered by my friend. These 2 pieces are from Walthers and IMO look great

Final top pieces are glued in

A final spray then drying and then a couple paint touch ups. Now that it’s dried about 30 hours my friend is deciding if I weather or not. I vote yes but it is not my decision

These are the walk way pieces that go on the outside ties of each track on the bridge. The space between the tracks will be open to the water. They are base painted and will be weathered to match the approach tracks on the mainline

The bridge will sit in this scene. The plywood will be sealed and will become the river and log pond for the paper mill that sits right of that concrete pillar. The pillar will be covered as it will become the scratch built coal powered power plant for the paper mill. I’m really looking forward to that build

I will be at a layout build session on Friday and then dinner with the grandson before he and I go on campus for Volleyball. Saturday I have a OPS sessions almost 2 hours from home. So it’s doubtful I will get anything done before Sunday

Enjoy the evening

 

[TLOC]

Good morning to Swing Bridge viewers. Yesterday I went to a great Ops Session and had a fantastic time. Session #144 on a layout built in 1999 and my first time. One thing I notice at OP’s sessions is while you operate a train you really don’t see the layout beyond your focus. So before a session I walk the layout to give me a slight familiarity but also it allows me to see beyond the track. This layout was featured in a RMC magazine article in I think 2020. The article name on the cover was Al Lesky’s Milwaukee Road. A beautiful layout that operated nicely with a good scheme. But

He has a swing bridge on his layout. While it’s only single track everything else is identical to the double track one I am working on

Enjoy your day

 

[TLOC]

It’s Monday, let’s finish this. Here we go!

I am doing the concrete barriers that are in the water that protect the swing mechanism in the middle of the bridge. I will also do 2 of the abutments and in a last moment decision I will show weathering of the ties and rail because I have those colors out. I also forgot I had to weather the rails and ties prior to installing on the bridge

Tools: various brushes of your choice, hair dryer, “wet” water and paints. I AM NOT USING THE AIRBRUSH because not all have one or like to use it

1st up are the paints

For the metal ring that is the swing mechanism, applied in layers after drying. I seemed not to have taken a picture of the ring but I will later

For the concrete, not shown is the Model Color sky grey

Here it is on the left

The abutments

Wet them down and brush the Sky Grey. The water is wet as I added a couple drops of Isopropyl Alcohol or you can add dish soap. Breaks the surface tension. No need to be careful

Lets hurry the drying time along, just a cheapo blow dryer

After drying I added color #2. It is USAF Light Gray. I dampened the surface and brushed it on. Not all that neatly as we have more colors coming to be blended in. It’s concrete and it will have many shades of colors

I am also doing the bridge base. It’s much harder to see and photograph the colors on the bridge base than the abutments but I am doing them the same way.

While I was letting the pieces dry I had the USAF Light Grey out so I grabbed the bridge tracks. I first lighten the ties by normally spraying a light grey color when the track is in position. Here though it’s a no air brush day. So I brushed water on the segment of track and brushed the Light Grey while the segment was still wet

It’s not much and while it looks there are ties skipped, it’s fine. A couple more colors to get to something the owner will like

I am going to take a break to let the segments and parts dry. I am going to store the outdoor furniture and the few remain large yard ornaments. Then a quick nibble for lunch and back at it

Be well

 

[TLOC]

Interesting tidbit! Sitting here reviewing the world news via the internet the door bell rang. Go to the door and there are 2 packages there from Amazon and the USPS. I had quoted a couple good weathering clients and a couple guys fishing for cheap pricing last week to build them a Swing Bridge. The 2 weathering clients came through. I let them know the kits are here and told them to send the deposits and I will start building in a few days after the deposit is received

I already have a list of things I would do differently if I was to build another bridge. Now I have 2 more. The main thing is to have painted the bridge base before attaching it to the bridge. After building this one though the only assembly thing I would do differently is not attach and glue the pivot ring in place. I cannot remove the bridge from the swing mechanism base because the directions say to glue and attach when I did

Back to my sandwich

 

[westtexjohn]

Very nice work Tom. Thanks for posting the pictures and sharing the info.

John

 

[TLOC]

Very nice work Tom. Thanks for posting the pictures and sharing the info.

John

Thanks John for stopping by

 

[TLOC]

If you are sensing a bit of frustration in my writing you are not wrong. I am still very excited about this project but sometimes feel handcuffed as to what I can do. Commission work is one thing. Get the model, maybe build it, weather it and return it. While I take extreme pride with my work, it's gone when I get it to the post office. This is a project I am invested in. I'm helping build a layout and a scene that I will see and operate on for hopefully a longtime. But I also have to follow along and not march off to my own drum! I'm finding that a touch frustrating. The owner is a great guy but is very methodical and calculates everything. Nothing wrong with that but I like quicker decisions

So, no pictures today because I really didn’t get any farther then what I showed yesterday. The main base and swing bridge mechanism is aged but not weathered and it’s OK in my book. The abutments are aged and I’m not sure I like them. But in both cases the pictures sent to the owner were ok’ed as both being excellent a word not usually used by John! The 2 abutments need to be positioned and I will weather them in place after the water and scenery is in place. That changed from “go ahead and weather them.”

When I took the bridge outside yesterday the bridge color has a slight greenish hue to it. Not the silverish hue showing up under my lights. So instead of weathering one side of the bridge I left it alone. It needs to be reviewed under his lights. This is the major scene you see when entering the train room. If the color is wrong it’s easy to change but getting the color he wants is most important

The owner spent the last couple days calculating the space, the heights and who knows what else in the scene. Last night he sends a picture that he’s adjusted the framework and wiring allowing for a better approach, a good thing. Maybe more open girder bridges though are needed!

So Terry and I are going to the movies at 12:30, then a pharmacy stop. When we get home I will take the bridge over to the layout. Take some measurements and pick up the open girder bridges. He will have the swing bridge maybe 10 days and then it will come back to my bench. We are still hoping the bridge and the approaches will be completed by Thanksgiving. I would still like to complete the new bigger scene by the New Year.

This scene and project have definitely taken on a life of its own

As I mentioned yesterday I received 2 commissions yesterday for swing bridges. I opened the boxes last night to a surprise. Instead of double track swing bridges both are single track. I quoted double track bridges in my mind but in reviewing the quote I never mentioned single or double track, just the words Swing Bridge. Since I am working and will be working on this scene, his power plant next and then his paper mill my work space is filled. I will be building the next 2 swing bridges at our daughter’s workshop. My old paint booth is there and I have plenty of space to do these kits. I will allocate my time to drive over and work on them there. I can do both at once as the space is configured in a “L” shape giving me 2 good amounts of space to shift back and forth

Hopefully I have some pictures to post from the layout tonight

 

[TLOC]

The bridge was placed in its scene today. Positioned it so we could determine the approach bridges, but 1st some pictures.

Just placed it roughly into the scene, approaching from the East

An overhead shot. Trying to determine if the bridge tender shack should be nearest the layout edge or where it is here, on the far side. Unfortunately as I post this I have no pictures of the shack on the aisle side of this scene

With the lights on in this scene the bridge definitely has the green hue I saw yesterday when I had it in the sunlight. The owner will keep the bridge while he determines the approach bridges placement

Here you can see the spaces where the approach bridges will go. When I get the bridge back to my bench I will give it a touch of gray hopefully over powering the green hue. Then it’s definitely getting weathered. Not heavily but a light to medium. The spot over the river he is modeling the bridge was built around 1948 making the bridge in 1965 17 years old but not rusting or in need of a repaint yet

Up next are the approach bridges. Originally I was going to build the single ME 50’ girder deck bridges into a double track bridge. Turns out when I opened the sealed yellow and white ME boxes in the above picture one of them had 30’ girders in it. Looks like someone switched out the girders and artfully retaped the box like new. But I came home with other single track bridges that were going else where on the layout and for kit bashing. But we need these here!

I’m kit mingling single track bridges into a double track one. The story for that is posted on Facebook on my Wisconsin Interstate page. Why? Well the swing bridge isn’t 100% yet so there is more to the Swing Bridge story coming sometime next week

Thanks for following

 

[traiNscale]

hey tomO great update.
What about the step by step weathering of the bridge feets?
Not continuing?

i always like those step by step progress builds. you also can learn a lot from those
keep us posted!

Cheers
Marco

 

[TLOC]

hey tomO great update.
What about the step by step weathering of the bridge feets?
Not continuing?

i always like those step by step progress builds. you also can learn a lot from those
keep us posted!

Cheers
Marco

Thanks Marco

I’ll continue to show photos here on the Swing bridge build project. There is going to be a dark shade added to the bridge as the color is slightly off. The entire bridge it has been decided will now get weathered. The abutments on the swing bridge do not receive “bridge shoes” but the piers in the river where the girder bridges rest do. I’ll consider those piers as part of the Swing Bridge build and those will appear here. I’m not to the piers yet but I’m deciding on 2 ways of creating the piers. Using styrofoam or styrene. The abutments and support piers will be matched in color. The weathering of those will be shown.

Finally when I start creating the scene I will be shooting my normal pictures but one of the guys said we should do a video. As long as my face is not shown if he wants to do a video I’m ok with that. That would be preparing the surface, adding the shoreline that right know is sketched out as a combination of stone wall, a corrugated wall and rip rap. Showing the water which has 3 current choices, the Woodland Scenics water kit, combining the pastes, crackles and gloss medium or the toilet paper method. The TP method has intrigued me over the years but I have never tried it as I didn’t have a large enough surface

Finally, the pillar to the back right and the backdrop need to be covered. The owner is handling the backdrop. The pillar is part of the paper mill that extends another 29 feet to the right. The pillar will be cladded with what will be the power plant, that is the 1st building in the paper mill project. I will be building left to right as I build the facades (false fronts or backdrop buildings) with finishing details down the road. I have to change the current drawings as the base of the pillar is now exposed to the water surface by 9” because the owner needed to create room for the approach bridges. So this thread will be busy yet for another 6 months on and off but it will not show the approach bridge builds or the paper mill buildings. I will consider a thread on those but sometimes I think I spent almost as much time taking photos, notes and then posting than I do building. I could never do a YouTube Tube series of content with the taking of the videos and the editing involved

 

[ctclibby]

Thanks Marco

I’ll continue to show photos here on the Swing bridge build project. There is going to be a dark shade added to the bridge as the color is slightly off. The entire bridge it has been decided will now get weathered. The abutments on the swing bridge do not receive “bridge shoes” but the piers in the river where the girder bridges rest do. I’ll consider those piers as part of the Swing Bridge build and those will appear here. I’m not to the piers yet but I’m deciding on 2 ways of creating the piers. Using styrofoam or styrene. The abutments and support piers will be matched in color. The weathering of those will be shown.

Finally when I start creating the scene I will be shooting my normal pictures but one of the guys said we should do a video. As long as my face is not shown if he wants to do a video I’m ok with that. That would be preparing the surface, adding the shoreline that right know is sketched out as a combination of stone wall, a corrugated wall and rip rap. Showing the water which has 3 current choices, the Woodland Scenics water kit, combining the pastes, crackles and gloss medium or the toilet paper method. The TP method has intrigued me over the years but I have never tried it as I didn’t have a large enough surface
View attachment 245153
Finally, the pillar to the back right and the backdrop need to be covered. The owner is handling the backdrop. The pillar is part of the paper mill that extends another 29 feet to the right. The pillar will be cladded with what will be the power plant, that is the 1st building in the paper mill project. I will be building left to right as I build the facades (false fronts or backdrop buildings) with finishing details down the road. I have to change the current drawings as the base of the pillar is now exposed to the water surface by 9” because the owner needed to create room for the approach bridges. So this thread will be busy yet for another 6 months on and off but it will not show the approach bridge builds or the paper mill buildings. I will consider a thread on those but sometimes I think I spent almost as much time taking photos, notes and then posting than I do building. I could never do a YouTube Tube series of content with the taking of the videos and the editing involved

Great build Tom! You did that in pretty much short order too. Ya, know it is not finished yet ... but.

I don't know if it is the camera, ambient lighting or what - color seems a tad bland/off. Could be that there is not any scenery around it: bare wood, no backdrop or even my old eyes. Jury is out on that until you get done with the weathering and it is all nailed down....

To pick a nit, planning on navigational lighting? Know there should be a red light at the tip top, yellow/green at the base. You wouldn't want any HO people loosing their heads would ya? I suppose that adding LED's this late in the game is a no-go, so maybe small jewels might work?

As to the time it takes for pix/posting - no job is finished till the paper work gets done! Keep on posting your excellent work for others to see!

L8r

 

[TLOC]

Great build Tom! You did that in pretty much short order too. Ya, know it is not finished yet ... but.

I don't know if it is the camera, ambient lighting or what - color seems a tad bland/off. Could be that there is not any scenery around it: bare wood, no backdrop or even my old eyes. Jury is out on that until you get done with the weathering and it is all nailed down....

To pick a nit, planning on navigational lighting? Know there should be a red light at the tip top, yellow/green at the base. You wouldn't want any HO people loosing their heads would ya? I suppose that adding LED's this late in the game is a no-go, so maybe small jewels might work?

As to the time it takes for pix/posting - no job is finished till the paper work gets done! Keep on posting your excellent work for others to see!

L8r

Yep the colors are off. It has a gray/green hue to it under natural light outside and in my friend’s trainroom. As for lighting the bridge, I’m not doing it. I have drilled a few holes in the girders to allow for conduit pipes. One of the work session guys says he’ll add the LED’s to the bridge and the shack but we shall see if that ever happens

I’d love to do a video but the time to write up plan, video it and then edit it is beyond anything I’ve done in the past. Plus I only have the iPhone which takes good video but not YouTube content good