Great Chesterford Junction Part Two

Thanks Toto & Chris,
Well folks I`ve been running some trains and dealing with some family matters as well and not really being very productive in the shed.
I`ve taken a leap into some more building though and a bit of experimentation.
The first experiment involved the corrugated aluminium foil I had been using on my footbridge. One day I want to build some Nissen huts, so I wanted to see if the corrugated material would allow itself to be rolled and curved.
I selected a 32mm cardboard roll to attempt rolling the corrugations. The rolling was successful on this relatively small water tank sized diameter, therefore shaping the material to a Nissen hut (90mm) sized diameter will be a piece of cake!!!. The material springs back to about 40mm when using the 32mm roll, however you can factor in these properties when scratch building a model.
So this is how it looks.







Anyway......proved it will work so that one is parked in the grey matter for a future project.
After that I`ve gone back to the railway cutting and bridge at the other end of the layout. I`ve lined one of the cutting walls with 3mm MDF covered with brick paper. Abutments have been drawn up in my drawing program and a test run is sitting under the bridge.





I`m jumping from one thing to another trying ideas and so far so good, it`s all working. The other thing, as you can see from the photograph, is the plate girder bridge, which is a scratch build. It`s a work in progress and designing on the go. The basic girder was drawn up once again and printed out as a guide for the build. The design is stuck to 3mm MDF.
The plate strengtheners are strips of cereal packet card with aluminium foil butted up to the edges to simulate the rivet connections to the plate.



I`ve made myself a special tool for mass production rivet strips because in the past I have created them one at a time with a pointy tool. That method is painstaking and time consuming, so I had to come up with a better way to do it. I can now create a line of rivets, spaced at 1mm, and approx. 100mm long, in about 2 seconds.



I am considering doing a Gormo`s Shed on the creation of the tool and the method which most likely will arrive this coming Friday.



I think once the model is airbrushed the deception will be complete, however that`s a little way off yet.
More as it happens
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Thanks Paul & Kimbo,

OK Ed.....hang on mate....here we go.!!!!

The bridge is not based on any particular prototype, but rather is a compilation of bridges I have seen. I have taken the view of what would I design to suit this site if I were a bridge engineer.

Right or wrong doesn`t matter.....Rule 1 is invoked......artistic license is employed and building has commenced.

The first side plate is ready for fitting but first needs the footpath glued into place. The bridge will have only one footpath. The top plate for the girder will be fitted once the plate is secured to the edge of the bridge.



Rivet strips also fitted to the back of the plate. Strengtheners on the other side of the plate and girders underneath ensure the integrity of the bridge.





My universal test dummy to give it some scale.



And some traffic





And finally the plate glued into position





The plan is to build brick walls, at either end of the bridge, that will butt up to the tapered ends of the bridge plates. The footpath will be covered in a paving paper. The roadway will be made from Wet & Dry paper. The underneath of the bridge will have a series of girders matching the depth of the outer, lower girder you can see in the pic above.

I feel enough detail can be added to confuse the eye into believing this is a model of a prototype.

We`ll see...??????

More as it happens.

http://www.clickGormo

 

Thanks Toto & Gary,
Yes Gary the plates will be topped off. The plan is to add a strip of cereal box card first and then overlay that with a strip of aluminium foil which will have about four parallel rows of rivets along it`s length.
I`ve added girders under the bridge today and got the underneath painted up. Mind you, it can barely be seen so why bother, but I suppose it will look good from a drivers eye view.
The second plate is next on the agenda and then airbrush the top part of the bridge.
More as it happens
http://www.clickGormo

 

OK Guys......well I guess you`re right.....it is worth the effort especially when we get to the drivers eye view.
Mind you, the underneath of the bridge will just flash past, but I guess ones mind will register the girders underneath the bridge and confirm " Ah yes....that looks right "
http://www.clickGormo

 

It`s pretty basic under there Paul,
Just some MDF with card attached to simulate I beams.....no rivet detail.....in fact...a deception!!
http://www.clickGormo

 

Gormo Returns,
Coming soon to a theatre near you!!!!!
Anyhow I`m back in Sydney and trying to get my head around normal life and model railways once more. I have been away in Queensland holidaying on North Stradbroke Island. The island is accessed via a 45 min. trip on a vehicular ferry and consequently seems isolated from the worries and the woes of normal life.
Island life is quiet, beautiful and serene. There are no traffic lights, only one policeman and the views from most areas are stunning. Our days consisted of sitting on the front verandah, of the house, with binoculars, a beer, dressed for comfort, not to impress, whilst watching whales spouting and breaching off the coast on their annual migration. We`ve had Kookaburras land on the front railing whilst we sat there, not two feet from us, and they were not phased by out presence. On occasion there were Kangaroos grazing on the front lawn of the house opposite us across the street.
We`ve stood on a deserted beach at night and witnessed the full clarity of the night sky whilst below us there were little phosphorescent creatures in the sand......simply magical.
Days spent wandering the pristine beaches and a bit of fishing too.....no luck.!!
I could go on and on singing the praises of this magical place, however it`s time to come back down to Earth and settle into the grind once more, although at this stage it`s difficult.
http://www.clickGormo