Mucky Duck Posted May 24, 2010 Share Posted May 24, 2010 Hello all, For a while I was set on using my Wills vari-girder bridge kit for my layout but the span required was borderline. In any case, I much preferred the look of taller, more substantial bridges such as Woodlands Road bridge on the Manc-Bury line but being unable to find an affordable kit for that type, I decided to scratch build my own. I found a photo of the bridge in question, plus a few pics of similar bridges (but, significantly, with no detail close-ups). The Wills kit served as a rough guide to various parts. Stashed away was a small collection of plastic materials; sheets of various gauges, 'riveted' sheets, Slaters assorted microstrip and 'H' section lengths. I was not in the position to buy any more in a hurry so made do with what I had. The double-skinned bridge sides and floors were cut from the thicker sheet and individual 'panels' created by painstakingly cutting out strips from the riveted sheet, gluing them down in pairs divided by vertical microstrip. As Barborough My link is kind of a testbed for the real thing, so to speak, sometime in the future, I've tended to trundle along by trial and error but when impatience has got the better of me, I've dived in head-first and thought of the consequences later. Thus, once all the bridge panels were done I realise only then that I should have left them until later as I made a right sow's ear of attaching the ends of the guesstimated riveted strip 'struts' to the top and bottom plates, snapping many in the process and having to re-attached bits here and there… not pretty! These should have been brass anyway, as their gauge also looks too heavy. The bridge skins sandwiched a plywood filling which was a mistake due to the wood warping! Also, the fact that I hadn't planned the task properly by incorporating lugs and slots or even screws made gluing perpendicular surfaces, clamping them and getting them square pretty frustrating! Eventually, with a lot of huffing, it came together and it only took a weekend. The warping has settled and I'm hoping that some brutal weathering will disguise the poor workmanship. Well, you have master craftsmen and bodgers and I'm definitely the latter – but, I've got an approximation of the bridge I wanted. For my first attempt at completing anything structural, it looks reasonably acceptable to my eyes from a distance – and now I know exactly how I would tackle the next one much more efficiently and with better results. Wills kit showing borderline length required Riveted sheet did not have ideal combination of rivets – the rows of my ideally spaced rivets were far too close together so had to cut from ends of rows Individual 'panels' made from riveted strip/microstrip combinations One face complete with yet to be trimmed riveted 'struts' – Note the struts' over-thickness, instrumental (along with scoring) in their preference to break than bend Beneath the bridge. Basic… with 'H' girders. Well, as Iain Rice would say, 'Don't model what you can't see' – and I certainly won't be zooming in under here Two halves of a 'banana' sandwich… where the trouble began! Both sets with top and bottom plates help to disguise broken 'struts' Now for inner decorative panels, a bit of wet 'n' dry and primer Plonked and standing way too proud… but you get the picture Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arpleymodeller Posted May 24, 2010 Share Posted May 24, 2010 Thats some excellent modelling you've done there! B) Well done, Regards Lewis Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cromptonnut Posted May 24, 2010 Share Posted May 24, 2010 I think there's a picture or two missing somewhere. You refer to "poor workmanship" and I can't see any. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mucky Duck Posted May 24, 2010 Author Share Posted May 24, 2010 Thanks guys, I really appreciate the praise, but this is what the earlier pics didn't show too well… The supposed 'struts' at the top of each panel divide are all different and some are missing, not to mention the huge gaps above the horizontal riveted strips at the top! But from reasonable viewing distances I can cope with it for now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimleygrid Posted May 25, 2010 Share Posted May 25, 2010 Superb modelling Mucky Duck, looks much better than the Wills kit well worth the time and effort. Once painted and weathered that will look just the job. Look forward to seeing more progress. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jim s-w Posted May 25, 2010 Share Posted May 25, 2010 Excellent keep at it Jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted May 25, 2010 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 25, 2010 Those bits that are 'missing' are surely where the bridge has had to be 'repaired' at a later date; just add some 'welded' bits of spare plasticard, suitably weathered. But a brilliant piece of modelling, I like the way you've created the riveted ribs !! Stu Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium chris-shay Posted May 25, 2010 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 25, 2010 A very nice piece of modelling indeed and looks just the part. As a matter of interest, who makes the 'rivet sheets' - it's not something I have ever come across before. Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mucky Duck Posted May 25, 2010 Author Share Posted May 25, 2010 Flippin'eck I'm choked! Thanks for the positive comments… really. Saturday night I was cursing, I can tell you! Those bits that are 'missing' are surely where the bridge has had to be 'repaired' at a later date; just add some 'welded' bits of spare plasticard, suitably weathered. Stu Brilliant, why didn't I think of that before? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mucky Duck Posted May 25, 2010 Author Share Posted May 25, 2010 A very nice piece of modelling indeed and looks just the part. As a matter of interest, who makes the 'rivet sheets' - it's not something I have ever come across before. Chris Erm… good question Chris. I wouldn't like to say for sure because they were loose sheets – but I got them from Eileen's Emporium at the last Scaleforum in Leatherhead. There was a fair bit of Slaters material there (the microstrip, for one), so maybe the rivet sheet is Slaters too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mucky Duck Posted May 25, 2010 Author Share Posted May 25, 2010 …and just to add that the Wills kit shown above is incomplete so the pic definitely doesn't do it justice. It's certainly not a bad kit at all but not the type of bridge I wanted, so I've bashed it to use on other parts of the layout. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Ramblin Rich Posted May 26, 2010 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 26, 2010 That's a nice, substantial bridge. Agree that the Wills looks too insubstantial for that span - unless it was as a footbridge Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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