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Delph - Bridge takes shape

Dave Holt

Entry posted by Dave Holt

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Following on from my last entry, I've started work on the over-bridge which forms part of the scenic break between the station and the fiddle yard.

The bridge is based on Bridge No. 4 which was (is) actually located in Dobcross, a mile or so along the branch from Delph, but which, together with the nearby group of cottages, forms an effective scenic break. A photo of the real thing appears on page 23 of Larry Goddard's excellent Delph book. The bridge - at about 81 feet long, more a short tunnel - carries Mount Lane over the railway. Mount Lane actually leads off Wall Hill Lane, but in my version it connects directly to Delph (Holt) New Road, which runs along the front of the layout past the coal drops and up to the station.

I had formed the base for Mount Lane as part of the base-board structure but found that I hadn't made it high enough to cross the railway with sufficient clearance, so additional packing pieces have been added and similar levels incorporated into the bridge structure. This latter is made from plastic sheet, with a basic core clad in embossed sheet to represent the different types of stone used in the bridge wing walls and parapet.

The photos show work in progress. I'm currently waiting for further supplies of plastic card and some additional tools to help finish the bridge.

The final road surface will be 2 mm higher than the supports, but as yet, I haven't decided on the best material for this or for the ground in-fill between the (quite narrow) road and the widely spaced parapets.

 

First a view through the bridge, looking towards the station:

 

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Now a view from roughly the same view-point as the photo in Larry's book:

 

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Finally, the station side of the bridge. Judging by photos I took some years ago, the stonework of the wing walls on this side of the bridge is quite different from the random style used on the other side. Strictly, none of the embossed card is exactly right, but these are somewhere near. The proper way would be individually engraved stones cut into plain card - as per Geoff Kent's lovely bridges recently illustrated in his MRJ article - but perhaps I'm not that dedicated!:

 

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coachmann

It's coming along nicely Dave. It never ceases to amaze and thrill me the interesting architecture that stonemasons put into structures around railways, Replicating them in model form is something else! More pics soon I hope.

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Dave Holt

Thanks all for the kind comments and encouragement.

 

Robin,

No, the mdf roadway finishes either side of the track, so the whole bridge structure can be lifted out/dropped in during construction. Once the plastic card structure is complete, track painted and ballasted, the bridge will be glued in position (it's located by several screws through the base plates) and the top surface, incliuding the road surface completed.

As mentioned, I've allowed a 2 mm thickness for this surfacing, but at present I'm not sure of the best method/materials to use. The options appear to be card - either as a single 2 mm thick layer or two 1 mm layers or plastic sheet in the same thicknesses. I did wonder about closed cell foam sheet, which wouls easily allow impression of the gutters, but it might be a bit too vulnerable to damage/marking during subsequent handling/scenic work.

Any thoughts/suggestions would be most welcome.

In terms of the road way, I was wondering whether to represent the cambering. I note that Jim Smith-Wright has opted against this for New Street because it makes any vehicles placed on the road lean over and look rather odd. I suppose a flat surface is easier to do, if not strictly accurate.

 

Dave.

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Steve Taylor

I suppose real road transport has suspension to absorb the slight camber of the average road surface and failing that there's always "lardy" drivers to balance things out seeing as sitting on the right they are on the high side of the camber over here - i know springs are supposed to be handed but you look at how many coil/leaf sprung vehicles sag.

Can I ask how you cut the arch profile out of thick plasticard? I've an elliptical arch profile to do and have ground to a halt while working this out.

 

Cheers and thanks for the updates.

Steve

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