Great Chesterford Junction Part Two

Thanks Guys,

And thanks Gary for the history....

Yes I`m not absolutely sure about the fate of the loco yet, but there`s no hurry so probably best to put it aside and ponder that for a while.....

The lady in the shop told me that they had another one similar which was sold this morning for $20.

I have no idea what it was, but she said the bloke was pretty happy to have it........good luck to him......pity I wasn`t there earlier.......Oh well.!!!

It`s just a matter of being in the right place at the right time and I`ve done pretty well today anyway......

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Edit.......Just thought I`d have a look on the bay to see if any of the same loco are for sale. There`s one in the same condition.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/hornby-r317-vr-diesel-locomotive-/272324736830?hash=item3f67d1b73e:g:rJ0AAOSwtnpXnDvX

 

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G`day Folks,

Today I`ve started the earthworks, if you like, for the road bridge that will span GCJ station platforms.

First thing to do was to check heights and clearances and levels.



The bridge has a slight angle to the edge of the baseboard but sits squarely above the platforms at 90 degrees to them. The process below was mainly concerned with the heights of the end piers. When they were sorted, the center piers could be measured against a straight edge laid across the top of the outer piers.



Once the alignment was worked out, the excavation areas were marked out ready to be dealt with.



This little hill has a plaster skin so I used the Dremel to cut through the plaster first. It helps to keep a cleaner edge when excavating the polystyrene underneath.



The area now excavated and cleaned out ready to accept the test fit for the piers.



These three pieces of timber form the basis for the pier. They will be glued and clamped to form a solid block. then a 3mm piece of ply will be glued to each end. The ply will rise up above the pier and become the brick wall at the end of the bridge. A second smaller strip of ply will be glued inside the outer strip and will sit on top of the pier. That will bring the thickness of the wall out to 6mm.





The other end of the bridge only needed a fairly straight forward excavation as no scenery has reached this area yet. I may have to grind down those screw heads though.???



At this stage I could now fit the outer piers and get a true measurement for the internal piers. They were cut to suit and then it was time to try the road bed.

All of the piers will be covered in brick paper and suitable strips will be added here and there to suggest reinforcing where appropriate

This bridge will not have custom made plate girders. I got some good second hand Peco`s at a model railway exhibition and I have also supplemented them with some new ones just recently.



The black and white test to see if I`m on the right track.



The girders will have to be cut to suit the gaps they sit in, making allowances for expansion gaps etc. There will be brick pier joiners in between the ends of each girder joint.



I have also cut thin strips of ply to enable me to create girders underneath the bridge that will support the road bed. The strips will be edged with cereal box card to give the " I " profile.



I am also in the process of altering the background pic on the wall to the right of Downton Abbey. I have re-designed it so that it rises up quite a lot higher than it does at the moment. This was necessary because to the right of the bridge will be a raised road sitting above a grass embankment and retaining wall.........I think?????.....

Anyway that`s where we are at the moment and I doubt that it will be too far advanced before we leave for our trip. With that in mind the strip wood parts are all stored so that they won`t bend or buckle whilst I`m away.

I am glad that I decided to go with the bridge finally. It just proves I was right when I first considered it way back in the early days of the build.

More as it happens

http://www.clickGormo

 

Thanks Toto,

They`re not really brave moves......everything can be patched up fairly easily, but the less destruction the better...........lick of paint here.....lick of paint there and she`ll be as good as new.!!!

http://www.clickGormo

 

G`day folks,

Work has commenced on assembling the bridge although we are right at the very beginning at the moment.

So what we are looking at here is the end piers at the back ( 3 piece sandwich ) and the middle piers towards the front and center. The middle piers sit on the platforms and they also have their ply ends glued on. The bottom right is a stack of ply sides for the end piers.



A close up of a middle pier.



An end pier sandwich waiting for the glue to dry.



The sides for the end piers.



And finally, the end pier sides now glued on.



All of these piers will be wrapped in brick paper and I`ve also designed some relief panels to go over the brick paper and they are also will be covered in brick paper. The panels will be printed out and then glued to cereal box card. I think it will look better than just plain brick walls.??

I`m still contemplating whether to make the bridge removable or not. It`s a bit more tricky than the previous one I built over the cutting, however logic seems to tell me that I should make it removable.???. There are some points directly under it, and guess what`s going to happen if the bridge is not removable..????......Murphy`s Law......." if anything can go wrong, it will go wrong "

So there we are folks........more as it happens.!!

Just a note.!!!....this little bridge, by virtue of its design, and especially the materials used, when complete, will be able to take the weight of an adult person. My mate I. K. Brunel would love that.!!!

http://www.clickGormo

 

Just for the sake of it!!!

One doctored phone pic........A British Standard Tank engine coming through the cutting.



Goodnight all

http://www.clickGormo

 

Thanks Ed & Toto....

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Pete

http://www.clickGormo

 

Yes Gary,

You sure can suggest that, however the pic above is purely a loose fit of parts to see roughly how it will look.

This is the current situation and unlikely to change for a good while yet. Then ends have been added to the piers which in turn will decide the lengths of the girders eventually.



There is an attempt to space the girders evenly but purely for show at this point. Just proving it all will work.



As you can see in this pic below. Girders are just sitting there.

You will notice I have a pic of a roadway going off into the distance. This road can create an optical illusion. Notice in this pic it appears to go straight ahead.



Now if I move to the left of the bridge the road appears to veer to the right



If I move to the middle of the bridge, the road goes straight ahead.



If I move to the right of the bridge, the road veers to the left.



Very interesting indeed and actually more pronounced with the naked eye.!!!!

I guess it`s all done with smoke and mirrors, but a good little bonus effect there.!!!!

Anyway folks.....no more work on GCJ until I get back home. I`m off to visit Platform 1 MRC HQ very shortly for my yearly assessment. I hope to achieve a 10% rise in salary based on my performance this year, although 10% of zero doesn`t equate to very much?????

I in turn will be doing an accreditation check of Toto`s shed as I am an authorized inspector for the International Model Railway Standards Association based in Geneva. The association has requested that Gormo Engineering Dept. Australia undertake an inspection of said shed as Toto wishes to have accreditation in order to rise through the ranks of railway modellers. I have my list of criteria,my notebook and pencil,and my metric callipers. .....it`s all work, work, work but I will try to see some tourist attractions along the way!!!

Cheers Chaps.......see you soon.

Gormo