Good things come in narrow packages

[Bigsteel]

looks great steve ,it kinda reminds me of the big green monster at fenway .--josh

[Steve]

Question: What did you use for the roofing material...??? Looks great..!!

Gus, see what lousy lighting can do for you, I haven't gotten to the roof yet, that is thin cardboard And believe it or not I already dirtied up the trim pretty good but it is not showing up in pics. That is not to say that it won't need more after I get further along.

Josh...thank you. Being a Yankees fan, I will overlook your reference to that other "team"

[Steamtrains]

Steve.....And I thought you were faultless.....Yankee fan, indeed....

No wonder I couldn't see any texture on that roof..... :oops:

[Steve]

Gus...let me tell you about my Yankee fandom. Growing up in N.E. New Jersey, you were either a Met fan or a Yankees fan. When I was a little kid, the Yankees were pitiful (late 60's). All of my friends were Mets fans because they had Tom Seaver and were on their way to the World Series. I came to like the Yankees because (believe it or not) they were the under dogs and nobody around me paid any attention to them. Well obviously, all that changed. For the record, I know that George Steinbrenner has done a great deal of harm to baseball and I wish that the television revenue was shared like the NFL. But I loved the Yankees as a kid when they stunk and I can't stop loving that team, but I am embarrassed by The ownership and the gross amounts of money he wastes on fielding a glorified "rotisserie team". Unfortunately, this idea of "buying a winner" runs in his family, so I don't see an end to it any time soon. I have to tell you though, I don't watch professional sports like I used to. I am really put off by all the ...........................fill in the blank.

[Steve]

Back to trains......or should I say trestle.

I really was hoping to get some painting done on a certain item ( The Crane   ) but I paint outside and it started to rain as I was about to get started

So, I worked on the trestle instead.

First I drew the deck out on my work surface and then started cutting, fitting, and gluing:



The two center-most beams are the stringers that will be directly below the rails:



A quick test fit of the track:



Here I have removed the center portions of about every other tie:



Start of the weathering process (ink wash and a little chalk):


The next step is to start cutting the planking for the walkways on either side of the rails. This will be board by board again....oh joy!

Take care

[Bigsteel]

looks like a great start on the trestle steve .cant wait to see the rest --josh

[McGillicutty]

Why did you remove "the center portions of about every other tie?"

[Steve]

Thank you Josh!

Why did you remove "the center portions of about every other tie?"

McGillicutty...creating these openings would allow the coal to more easily pass through the tracks and into the bins below.
This model trestle shows the openings pretty clearly:

http://www.laserkit.com/images/179.jpg

I hope that helps

[Sumpter250]

Gus...let me tell you about my Yankee fandom. Growing up in N.E. New Jersey, you were either a Met fan or a Yankees fan.

If I had grown up in that era, I might have become a Yankee fan. I grew up, however, on the south shore of Long Island, and was a Brooklyn Dodger (Bums) fan (now a Cubs fan), and I like any team that beats the yankees.....nothing personal. :|

Your coal house is coming along really nicely!
I vaguely remember seeing almost no ties between rails in an overhead dump facility similar to this. track gauge was maintained by using threaded tiebars through the rails, with washers and nuts on the outsides of the rails.

[Steve]

Pete...thank you about the coal house...not The Yankees    

I got started on the walkways. It took 360 boards......ouch!







The square "holes" that the columns will fit into were made by first drilling a small hole and then using a square file for the final shape. I did that before gluing those particular boards:





That was a lot of work........I mean fun

[doctorwayne]

That was a lot of work........I mean fun

Well worth the effort (or fun), though, 'cause it looks great.
Personally, I would've framed it so that the planks for the walkway could have been placed parallel to the track - same amount of lumber, but fewer pieces.

Wayne

[Steve]

Thank you Wayne
I thought about running the planking parallel to the tracks, but having the boards overhang the front and be seen as individual boards,like the prototype, seemed to be a good Idea at the time. My natural inclination when modeling is to take the easy way out :oops: , so in this instance I was trying to go the extra mile. I really don't know if it will even be noticeable.....we shall see.

[Sumpter250]

I really don't know if it will even be noticeable.....we shall see.

Looks "noticeable" to me, and good too!
The decking, as you modeled it, could be lighter boards, more easily replaced, and needing less (two stringers, parallel, to the tracks for each walkway) support. Parallel decking would have to be heavier, longer timber. Full width ties could provide support, about every fourth to sixth tie.
Personal preference?....I like the way you chose.

[Bigsteel]

your choice looks great steve .it definatley shows you went the extra mile --josh

[Steamtrains]

Extra mile..?? Looks more like a full-fledged marathon...!! :o
Fantastic...!!! Can't wait to see it weathered..