Ron Heggs

Cheers !!!!

They will be, if all goes well - definitely Ron

You certainly can - can can Ron

- Beers in - Test done - and all's well - no warping, deflection or damage Test bed - using temporary support piers So how many cans ? Yes, 24 cans @ 330ml = 8 litres / 8kg (17.6 lbs) Could have increased the load, but the stacks were getting a bit unstable - couldn't risk damage to the dining table Definitely a very strong structure, even in plastic - back to the build, with maybe one can ... to be continued >>>>>

Hi, Nile and Colin Have just done a hands on pressure test, and I get the feeling that this section alone will take a few dozen cans - only have 7 cans in the cooler, so it looks like another trip to the supermarket tomorrow to stock up - oh, well it could be a wet weekend Cheers Ron

Have just finished the small deck/span section, after fixing the two span beams N3 & S3 to the deck, to make a complete span section of the viaduct Underside of deck with span beam S3 attached Close-up of deck beam attachment to span beam Close-up of deck beam attachment to span beam from outside - rightside up Detail showing deck upstand (containment for track ballast, etc.) Further shot of detail Deck beams ready for attachment to span beam N3 Span beam S3 attached Outside rightside up view of span beam N3 attached to deck View along track bed - Westwards View along track bed - Eastwards The deck beams protruding from the near end will be attached to the next deck section, which runs at 4.62 deg to this section (this means that the longitudinal and deck beams will be in slightly differing positions at this point) - NO there will be no bodge job to make it work - and finally a close-up of the attachment of N3 to the deck - now back to completing the bottom flange strips to the first deck section, and constructing the overhead bracing beams for both sections ... to be continued >>>>>

Hi, Ian 'Genius & Insanity are opposite sides of the same coin' Thanks for your continuing viewing of this thread Ron

Hi, Colin Thanks for your comments - It's going to be a 'bit at a time' assembly, to show the viaduct build grow Cheers Ron

Hi, Pete No shares, but I could have the largest Plastikard stock in Spain Cheers Ron

Continuing with the small deck section between N3 & S3 span beams - Cut the deck beam web for the longest (176mm) of the seven beams - The remainder are incremental reductions down to 172mm in length Beam in place - The left-hand part of the beam will be removed when offered up to the support pier at this point Longitudinal beam flanges pieces fixed and the top flange strip wrapped around the curved deck beam end Bottom flange fixed to deck beam This procedure will be repeated for the remaining seven deck beams ... to be continued >>>>>

Testing the new process on the next deck build - Longitudinal beam top flange strips fixed and a few cut out ready for the deck beam top flanges Deck beam top flanges in place Longitudinal beam webs fixed - next step is to fix the deck beams (in this case each one is a different length) ... to be continued >>>>>

Finally managed to get a bit of a run at the deck again - - still have the bottom flanges of the longitudinal beams to fit Whilst cutting the flanges and webs for the longitudinal beams, I have come up with another time saving idea on future deck constructions Revised process - The top flanges of the longitudinal beams will be fitted first in long strips directly on the deck plating, then the top flanges of the deck beams, also in long strips - cutting away the underlying strips to enable both sets of flanges to seat flat against the deck plating - then the longitudinal beams, fixed in place in long strips, followed by the deck beams - and finally the bottom flanges to the longitudinal beams (these will be the only bits to require individual cutting and fixing) The next deck section is a lot shorter - between N3 (275mm) & S3 (179mm) span beams So the revised process will be tested here ... to be continued >>>>>

Hi, It's the choice of plasticard thicknesses and solvent/adhesives, and the build method Always start with the thickest pieces and allow to dry completely, ensure there are sufficient strengthening pieces included to reduce any subsequent warping Speed of build is always going to be a problem, as each joint should be given chance to harden before fixing the next piece to the assembly One way to speed up a build, is to build it in small modules first, then join the modules together Ron

The deck build is finally coming together - the first deck section is 890mm long and includes the skew over the MSJ&AR railway - and lies between spans N1, S1 & S2A Changed the build procedure - fixing the deck beams under the deck plating first and will then fit the 27mm long longitudinal beams next - this will ensure the deck beams are precisely fitted at 28mm centres A few pictures showing the latest progress (which is very slow at present due to excessive heat) Underside uppermost - the slight kink visible on the left about 2/3rds towards the far end, is due to the slight angular change of the deck beams where spans S1 & S2A will abut Deck plating (40 thou) with side upstands (20 thou) Now the slow fitting of the longitudinal beams - 6 between each pair of deck beams ... to be continued >>>>>

- after linishing (definitely the best way) - there was a lot of melted swarf and dust - the discolouration is steel dust White plastic - Filthy job - Cleaned up and separated - 21 blanks (not 23 - must have mis-counted ) All ready for the next deck structure - after the completion of the present one ... to be continued >>>>>

- Finally got round to unpacking the pillar drill and setting it up in the workshop The result - A 23 pack of deck blanks drilled and clamped ready for the file and saw (maybe even try the linisher) - there's going to be a lot of plastic dust/swarf around this weekend - in the workshop of course, not the modelling workstation Oh well, back to building the deck sub-structure - 150+ 27mm long x 6mm deep beams, etc. - I'll be glad when it's time to load test ... to be continued >>>>>

As indiicated in post 602 above, the deck beams vary in length for each span section, the longest being 188.5mm, 13.5mm longer than the first beams So a test build to check the lengthening method was required - it is not efficient to make a set of templates for each beam length The resulting test build of the longest deck beam 188.5mm - 13.5mm longer than the first deck beams - This is how I lengthened the standard 175mm deck beam - Cut 10mm off each end Insert a 40 thou piece 6.75mm long x 6mm high Fix in position - leaving this as the 'fix' would not be strong enough to carry the expected deck loading Cover the end 18.75mm with 5 thou sheet - this is the strengthening 'fix' and finally fix 20 thou x 4mm wide deck beam flanges and vertical strengtheners Can you see the 'fix'? ... to be continued >>>>>

Hi, Jim Have re-designed the handrails/supports in brass and enabled them to pivot outwards if accidentally hit by loco or hand A bit of trial & error test build required to check if that will work OK Cheers Ron

Hi, Jim Don't have any problems with the bridges, having dropped one onto the ceramic tiled floor, and survived completely intact The turntable is another matter. Examining the structure, if the handrails were to be made out of brass, the fixing points would still be vulnerable, unless - ... If the fixing points were designed as a push fit arrangement, then the handrail would probably remain intact so could be refixed without any other damage Will have another look at the handrail arrangements, and come up with a viable re-design Cheers Ron

Hi, There will be room for a camera, hand-held or webcam, to take a complete photo shoot of all the layout's nooks & crannies I wouldn't like to feel I'm modelling all this detail just for it not to be seen, however difficult it may turn out to be - I think Jim has the upper hand on his experience of layout construction, and it shows in the atmospheric trackwork photos The summer heat , and my work on the villa to accommodate immediate family moves, all cuts down on the time for modelling Cheers Ron

Still building the first 27 deck beams, the original way Have now finished cutting and grinding the two steel templates to enable all the remaining +100 deck beam blanks to be made identically ... and I have a cunning way to enable the beams to be lengthened to meet the required different lengths - to be shown later in the thread Photos of completed template assembly - Maximum capacity is 23 - 40thou blanks, each blank is 174mm x 14.5mm, which will be drilled and clamped, then all filed to conform to the template The six slots will enable cuts to be made to accept 20thou x 6mm strip for the longitudinal beams ... to be continued >>>>>

Hi, Jim Presume you are referring to the turntable deck handrails The supports maybe plastic, but the handrails will be brass wire. Neither of which would stand up to a derailed loco, as you point out They should be easily repaired if the worst happens, although there shouldn't be any slow speed mishaps Cheers Ron

Hi, Thanks for the opening calls Will try and keep things flowing again Ron

Restarted deck beams build last night - a couple of pictures to show a little progress The longitudinal beams are 27mm long, just fitting between the 40thou deck beams spaced at 28mm centres A little warping is apparent, so will resort to boat/plane construction methods i.e. frame and spars This will mean notching the deck beams (6mm x 20thou), and using continuous 20thou x 6mm strip for the longitudinal beams, then cutting and fixing the 3mm x 23mm long top & 3mm x 27mm long bottom flanges It will also mean construction will be more accurate and quicker, and the assembly stronger with greatly reduced warping Have been examining the CAD drawing of the decking, and found that the deck width varies from span to span (presumably because of the corded curvature of the viaduct) Good job I have only cut the first 27 deck beams The beam & deck widths, with number required - Will cut & use metal templates, to cut and notch the multiple deck beams for each of the varying beam widths - next post will show these templates and their use ... to be continued >>>>>

Hi, Everybody Thanks for your concerns Have been unavoidably involved with urgent family matters Will probably be back on early next week Cheers Ron