Good things come in narrow packages

[ocalicreek]

Nice mock-ups, Steve! Glad to see progress, as usual.

Don't forget - when it comes time to build that awesome freight house, pull out your NMRA standards gauge to check the clearance along the dock.

:hey: Also, if you DO use that bridge, put some SHOES under it!

As much as I hate to admit it, Gerry Leone has put mirrors to good use extending rivers into the backdrop. If there's hypothetically a road running behind WB, then a single bridge railing with minimal footings representing the road bridge could 'frame' the mirror easily. If it's shallow enough you can bend the mirror 'rule' that mirrors should never be placed on a layout where you can see your (or a moving train's) reflection, as only the river and not the edge of the layout will be seen. A slight curve in the river allowing the mirror to be placed at a slight angle to the backdrop could also eliminate that trouble.

In the meantime, have fun running back and forth! You'll be craving a roundy-roundy plan before long (mwah hah hah haaa )!

Galen

[Steve]

Thank you guys!

Galen...I'll see if I can curve the river a bit....space is very limited, obviously , but it would help a lot.

Not wanting to use my old girder bridge, I started looking for something else. Seeing that the "river" is so narrow, a small wooden trestle seemed to make sense. I looked at hundreds of pics, but my mind always seemed to go back to a pic I have seen many times on the home page of this great website:

http://www.wwvrailway.com/index.htm

What sets that little trestle apart are the pointed wooden piers (I haven't found any other trestles like it, although I'm sure that there are).
My river/stream is much narrower than the prototype, so I will be having only one pier (and abutments of course). One challenge is that the trestle will be supporting a turnout and not just straight track, so it will have an irregular shape.

Here is what I have done so far. It still needs a lot of weathering, a couple of splice plates, abutments, and the shape of the river and banks need to be defined and shaped.













I think that the pointed wooden pier gives it a little character. Now I have to shape the river and banks.

Take care

[LynnB]

Nice to see you progessing Steve, I'm interested to see how you work the bridge and river area.

[doctorwayne]

Your "pointy" pier looks good Steve. Most solid bridge piers in moving water were pointed on the upstream side of the bridge - this was to lessen the chances of debris catching on them. Of course, I neglected to model this on my own bridges. :oops:
Your bridge would look even better if you used a piece of Micro Engineering bridge track on it - the more closely-spaced ties replicate prototype practice, and there are guard timbers included (to install at the ends of the ties) and provision for guard rails between the running rails.
[album]654[/album]

Wayne

[Trucklover]

Steve thats looking GREAT!! your right, the point on the pier does give it alot of character and makes it stand out!! Im really looking forward to some more progress on this section and seeing that river take shape, keep up the awesome work buddy

[Steve]

Lynn...hopefully I will get the shaping done this week.  

Your bridge would look even better if you used a piece of Micro Engineering bridge track on it - the more closely-spaced ties replicate prototype practice, and there are guard timbers included (to install at the ends of the ties) and provision for guard rails between the running rails.

Wayne...I agree with you 100%   (I used it on my old M.E. steel viaduct).


Unfortunately, as I said my trestle has a turnout on top of it so I can't use the bridge track. I may have room at the end of the ties for guard timbers. That may help a little. Beautiful pic Wayne!        

Thanks Josh!  

[Steamtrains]

Steve...That'c coming along nicely...!!! Good to see you back "in harness". Can't wait to see you start on some of that fabulous scenery you can do...

[Bigsteel]

great work steve,that is an interesting bridge too.ill look forward to more progress --josh

[LiveSteamer]

Looking Good Steve.

[Steve]

Gus, my friend....Thank you for the complement on my "scenic ability". Since you are so good at it, it means all the more
Josh...Thank you!  
Matthew...I appreciate it!

Small update:

As you can see in the pic, I am really going to be tight on space at the river. I think that we can all agree that curving it just wasn't feasible. I went with my original idea of keeping it wider in the front and narrow towards the back. Hopefully this will help give it an illusion of distance........we shall see. I widened it a little more up front and will use sculptamold to give it its final shape and also to slope the banks:



I will soon be turning towards my favorite part of the hobby.............Ballasting!.............oh joy!

[Steamtrains]

Steve...That forced perspective really does the trick...!! Good job..!!
And that little bride is gonna look really sweet fording that river...!!
Keep'em coming..!!!

[doctorwayne]

Steve, you could probably add another bridge right at the backdrop for a road crossing the river. I'd suggest a through girder bridge to help draw the viewer's eye away from the river's end at the wall. The bridge could be greatly compressed (narrower than scale - perhaps a half-lane wide), and when viewed at eye-level should look more than acceptable.

Wayne

[Steve]

Thanks Gus!
Wayne...I was actually thinking of a bridge there .....do you think it would be possible to have one N scale for forced perspective...or would that be a little too small (obvious)? Maybe scratch one half-way between HO and N?

[Steamtrains]

Steve...That should have been "bridge" instead of "bride"....

Don't talk to me about ballasting......I have about 50 feet that COULD be ballasted....Not gonna happen any time soon....

[tetters]

If I may, I don't think you'd want to force the perspective too much, otherwise, it might ruin the illusion. I like Wayne's idea to disguise the wall area...except maybe instead of another train bridge maybe a bridge for motor vehicles. I would think it would help give the illusion of distance you are looking for as the vehicle bridge by default is already smaller. Possibly connect to the road you have roughed in on the left there.

Did that make any sense?