Carriage as footbridge

[009 micro modeller]

While looking for something the other day I came across this unusual bridge in Georgia: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Railway_carriage_as_pedestrian_bridge_in_Akhalkalaki.jpg

 

It turns out there’s also another one in Slovakia: http://www.gymzv.sk/~valovcan/most_cez_rieku_slatina.html

 

This got me thinking because I have a scrap Jouef/Playcraft coach which was bought for its bogies, now removed and awaiting use for another project.

 

 

The interior lifts out so I should be able to get going.

 

Edited March 30, 2020 by 009 micro modeller

[009 micro modeller]

More photos of the Georgian coach here, including the inside: https://www.messynessychic.com/2013/09/04/the-treachurous-train-bridge/

 

Obviously the Jouef coach isn’t actually a very good model of the intended prototype, so the plan now is to keep it freelance but also take some cues from the Georgian prototype. So far I’ve removed the doors and gangway end doors as well as the underfloor tanks. The buffers were removed using a knife as they were too well glued, so the headstocks remain.

 

Copying the Slovakian one, with the end completely removed is less likely to work and the gangway end will be more interesting for what will later become a weathering exercise.

[009 micro modeller]

I’ve now sorted out the interior, rebuilding it as a saloon with central doors in the vestibule partitions. These are still present on the prototype although obviously there are no seats in it.

 

I’ve also added some styrene rod to represent steel ribs on the sides. This is slightly inspired by the Georgian coach but is mainly to create some relief detail, which should work better than smooth sides when it gets to the weathering and painting stage.

 

I thought about rebuilding the moulded steps in a more detailed way with plastruct section but I’m not sure cutting it about any more is a good idea and the steps may not be seen that easily on the finished diorama anyway.

[marc smith]

Hmmm, this is an unusual project
Looking forward to seeing it develop, and to see what situation you place it in....
Nice  

[009 micro modeller]

15 minutes ago, marc smith said:

Hmmm, this is an unusual project
Looking forward to seeing it develop, and to see what situation you place it in....
Nice  

Thanks, I’m a bit busy this week but hopefully will have more time soon to start creating the diorama itself. I think I was a bit unprepared for just how big it will have to be (relatively, considering that I’m used to 009 and it’s only a static diorama). Despite the fact that the Jouef coach is much shorter than the SNCF prototype’s scale length it’s already over 20cm long. I’m not sure whether to try and feature some other railway items on the diorama, I suppose it isn’t really a model railway otherwise but for me the thing that makes it particularly strange and interesting is that it’s isolated with no railway anywhere near it (for the Georgian one at least).

[marc smith]

I was thinking, unlike those prototype coach / bridges - it would be nice to see another railway feature or two in your model.
Up to you, of course - it's your diorama. But it set me thinking about what such a diorama might feature

[009 micro modeller]

38 minutes ago, marc smith said:

I was thinking, unlike those prototype coach / bridges - it would be nice to see another railway feature or two in your model.
Up to you, of course - it's your diorama. But it set me thinking about what such a diorama might feature

I’ll have a think. Initially I thought it should in some way be a working layout because of the amount of space taken up but I’m not sure that will work - for instance, I don’t really want a parallel rail bridge over the river because then a more likely pedestrian river crossing would make use of/extend the rail bridge in some way rather than the odd solution seen in the photos (also it would dominate the scene too much). One or two ideas do suggest themselves however which would not look out of place or  make the scene too cluttered.

[009 micro modeller]

On 30/03/2020 at 11:53, marc smith said:

I was thinking, unlike those prototype coach / bridges - it would be nice to see another railway feature or two in your model.
Up to you, of course - it's your diorama. But it set me thinking about what such a diorama might feature

What did you have in mind?

[marc smith]

I was picturing the coach bridge being over a river...
And alongside the river, runs a narrow gauge line
Perhaps disused, but certainly with steep steps leading down to track level
Maybe a very small platform - perhaps a workers halt?

[009 micro modeller]

1 hour ago, marc smith said:

I was picturing the coach bridge being over a river...
And alongside the river, runs a narrow gauge line
Perhaps disused, but certainly with steep steps leading down to track level
Maybe a very small platform - perhaps a workers halt?

Amazingly I was thinking a similar thing; I was going to use some Auhagen H0f stuff I have around to create a small mine railway along the riverbank. An alternative thought is that the prototype has a road on one side and there could be a car or some walkers. I don’t particularly want to spoil the sense of remoteness and desolation though.

[6990WitherslackHall]

On 04/04/2020 at 07:43, col.stephens said:

Is this going to be the basis of a diorama or built into a larger layout?

 

I was thinking the exact same thing...