K&T Southern - Shortline in HO Scale

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drew1125 said:
I actually did some work on this trestle last night!

<pic deleted to save space>

I’m making it from a piece of ME flex track, & styrene strips…I’m building it upside-down at the workbench…

(btw…that tallest bent is about 45’ tall - HO scale)
Click to expand...

Very nice!
 
Thanks BB!

Well, I just discovered a disadvantage to taking a year off from working on the layout...
This bottle of CA that I paid $11.00 for, is now a solid block of dried-up...ugh...CA!
The cap was on it...I guess it didn't seal good...
Now I gotta go out in the 16-degree weather to get a #$%^ bottle of glue! :mad::p

bbbrrrrrrrrrrrr:eek::rolleyes:
 
Drew, I've never found a way to make CA last once it's opened either. I read an article that said to keep it in the freezer when it wasn't in use. I then ended up with a really cold bottle of solid CA. :) I've had a little better luck by using a touch of vaseline around the threads but it won't last forever no matter what you do. The trestle looks like a great job so far.
 


Well, I got some more CA (bought a smaller bottle this time Jim! ;) )
We've got anout 6" of snow, & it's !@#$ COLD out there, so it's lookin' like I might finish this bridge this weekend!

I'll post some pics when I get a "round-tuit" :D
 
Well, I’ve been working on the trestle, but I may have been overly optimistic about getting it done this weekend…

ktstrestle2.jpg


I finished the bents, now I’m adding more bracing & some cribbing at each end…
 
Thanks WV!

Started to put some paint on the trestle this morning…

ktstrestle3.jpg


More painting & weathering to do, then I got to get it in place on the layout…:eek:
 
Either that or the second set of bents is off to the right. There seems to be an unnatural gap between the two. Also, a trestle that tall would usually have some diagonal bracing between the bents. Other than that, nice looking job on the trestle.
 


Thanks for pointing that out guys!
I have to admit - it's a pretty shoddy outfit that's building this RR! :eek::o:D

I think I can straighten it some when I put it on the layout...let's just say I'll jump off that bridge when I come to it! :D
 
Here’s where I’m at with the trestle today…

ktstrestle5.jpg


I put the boxcar there for visual reference to show the size of the bridge…
 
Sweet, I've been cutting plywood and laying roadbed to the Junction all day. Also trying to find the software to my ex's digital camera which she so nicely left behind. :D

It's an old Polaroid Digital 320, but it still works.
 
Drew, looks good. Everything appears to be reasonably plumb, and the added diagonal reinforcement helps make the trestle look more massive, in keeping with its size.
 
Thanks for the nice comments, guys! :)

UP2CSX said:
...the added diagonal reinforcement....
Click to expand...

I hate to tell you Jim, but I didn't add anything since the last photo, except some weathering...
I shot the last picture at more of an angle, so you can better see the x-bracing on the bents...
That one bent is still...well...bent :rolleyes::D, but I'm pretty sure I can straighten it some when I attach it to the scenery...
if it still looks bad, I'll have to come up with some way ro disguise it...so much of model railroading for me, is constantly having to come up with ways to hide all my mistakes! :o :D
 
Drew, I only pointed out the bent because I am concerned that it may cause a problem with the weight of trains crossing it, not that it was a mistake. Like real bridges, our model bridges have to support weight a certain way or stress gets placed where it shouldn't be and collapse follows. I don't want to see you lose a prized model over it. The diagonal and longitudinal bracing are important as well to prevent swaying. Bridges are one place where real-world math/engineering cross over into our scale world.

WVMM
 
West Virginia Midland Man said:
Drew, I only pointed out the bent because I am concerned that it may cause a problem with the weight of trains crossing it, not that it was a mistake. Like real bridges, our model bridges have to support weight a certain way or stress gets placed where it shouldn't be and collapse follows. I don't want to see you lose a prized model over it. The diagonal and longitudinal bracing are important as well to prevent swaying. Bridges are one place where real-world math/engineering cross over into our scale world.

WVMM
Click to expand...

Hey no problem WV!
It was a mistake, & I'm glad you guys pointed it out...that's a big reason I post these things online...I like the feedback, & good constructive critisism is a valuable part of that!
The bridge may not be that pretty to look at, but it is quite sturdy...& the way I build bridges is to kind of hang them in the air, & then build up the scenery under them...so in that way, it's not much like the 1:1 kind...but once the scenery, track, & bridge are in place, everything is rock-solid...I've built quite a few over the years...I've never considered any of them "prize models", but I've never had one collapse on me either! :D
I do make a lot of mistakes...but what I've learned is, that they
often lead me to solutions & ideas that I wouldn't have arrived at otherwise!
So if I ever built something without making any mistakes...I wouldn't learn a %^&* thing! :D
So keep those comments comin'! :cool:
 
Drew, I wondered if you added anything or if it was just the angle. Now, if was me, I would add those same "X" braces to the side as well. On a real bridge, the engineers would have to brace it so there was no lateral movement when a train passed over it. The braces on the insides of the bents take care of that, but having no braces on the ouside of the bents allows the bridge to move laterally to the weakest point, and that would be the side. Not something you'd want to happen. Take a look at how the trestle is built in the model at http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/200-751. This is the typical bracing you'd see on a trestle the size of yours. I think yours looks fine as is but I'm kind of a bridge fan, so I would notice the missing braces and it would drive me nuts. If you're good with what you have, don't worry about it. It's plenty stong enough to support an HO train. :)
 
Thanks Jim! I appreciate the tips & the info...
That is a much nicer model than mine! :o

I guess I should/ve pointed out somewhere in this thread that a huge part of my modeling inspiration over the last few years has come from a book I have called Ghost RR's of Kentucky (copyright 1967 - IU Press)
As a lifelong KY resident, I have done a lot of exploring & am very familiar eith so many of the names & places!
Since this is copyrighted material, I can't show yout the photos online, but if you happened to have access to a copy, you could see photos of trstles that look every bit as rickety as the one I built! Three of these photos in particular are on pages 91-92...(I must also concede there are quite a few photos in this book of wrecked trains...go figure... ;):D )
Anyway, I may still take the cue from you, & add some more side-bracing of some description...
 


Track-laying progress...

hiddentrack1.jpg


I'm putting re-railers in the areas where the track is hidden...
The lower track here will be under a mountain & a coal mine...
The "mountain" will actually be a removable hatch for access...
 
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