Juneco 75 foot deck Bridge
#16
Thanks everyone.  As I said before this was my first bridge and I found I liked the challenge.
I spent the day fitting the bridge into the layout. But first I had to add a small piece of benchwork.

   

I cut a piece of plywood 3X11" and fitted it into the gap below. I temporarily screwed it to these two supports from the top before I secured it from below to make sure it would be flush with the rest of the top deck. 

   

Then I laid the bridge back in and lined up where I would cut the flex track.

   

The bridge is now fitted. The rail joiners on both sides are loose so I can remove the bridge so I can fit the piers and abutments, but you get the idea.

   

   

Now I can measure and scratchbuild the piers and abutments. I'm figuring on a pair of joined trestle bents under the bridge 'feet' and a taller bent against a retaining wall at each end.
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#17
here's another photo that might help with abutments . 
   
Jim
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#18
Thanks Jim. I figured out the piers for the bridge:

   

As I mentioned I decided to build two bents and join them together with cross bracing  and lateral beams. I looked at a few pictures and photographs and this looked the most convincing to me.


   

And with the bridge supported.


   

And on the layout. One pier is snug against the bridge and the ground, the other needs just a bit of shimming for a tight fit.
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#19
here's a photo of a prototype using then same type of support , bridge looks great . 
   
Jim
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#20
Thanks Jim. Photos like that and a few old Model railroader articles have been a big help.
I finish the project this morning, building the trestle bents that will support the approaches. 

   

It took longer to design the bent than to build it. I also had to build one slightly longer than the other so each was a custom fit.

     

I also made some retaining walls to go behind the bents using some scribed siding. I had just enough of the Micro-mark stain to complete everything.

     

And with everything in place. Scenery to follow later.

   

   
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#21
As an epilog I was looking at the howe truss bridge that my father built for me and realized that he hadn't actually finished it.

   

The bridge was complete but for some reason, the decking was never built. So that was my next project. 

   

I was lucky enough that I had a section of built decking that fit the bill. Another modeller gave this to me years ago for some reason so I decided it was better to re-use it than to scratchbuild a whole new one. I did have to shorten it and relay the track and guard rails.


   

My only other snag was I had added some temporary bridge abutments that now had to be removed so the bridge would sit in it's proper place. 

   

   
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#22
another good looking bridge and another proto pic.
   
Jim
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