Ron Heggs

Hello Ron,

 

There is a phrase in one of your posts a page or two back where you say "I'm no bridge engineer". Well - I beg to differ. This reminds me of all those time I used to try and build impressive bridges and the like with Mecanno, the trouble was I was unsuccessful - but you on the other hand seem to have it just about right. This is absolutely brilliant stuff, I'm only left wondering where on earth you will park this construction.

 

All the best,

Chris.

Hi, Chris

Thanks for the accolade, but to be strictly accurate I am a Model Bridge Builder rather than a Bridge Engineer

It will be 'parked' in its rightful place on the layout along with all my other builds past, present and future. I am only waiting for the building licence approval so I can get the villa underbuild opened up, then I can truly start to build the layout (a 4mm scale of Manchester Central Station and its environs, in the 1950's & 60's)

Cheers

Ron

As with many other members I truly love visiting this thread to see updates on the progress that has been made. Truly amazing modelling and inspirational.

Absolutely love it.

 

You really do have patience with the repetition involved!

Hi,

Your comments are much appreciated

Repetition is a relatively easy task once you get into your stride, the difficult part is ensuring accuracy across all the similar components and setting up a build routine which makes for consistency of construction

Patience does help a little

Cheers

Ron

... a few photos showing the first bridge span in more detail (including the odd hair and remnants of the paper template, all to be cleaned off before painting)

... tomorrow it's laying down the lattice work for the shorter bridge span

... so no more pictures of the build (only a shorter repeat of this build) until the two span beams are ready

... to be continued >>>>>

Oh my giddy aunt ! Truly amazing. It seems as if almost every superalative has been espoused in this thread. Brilliant workmanship Ron. Shame it isn't in 7mm though ;-)

Keep up the great work.

 

Ian

Hi, Ian

Much appreciated comments

I was originally going to build the whole layout in 7mm, until I determined that there was no way I could ever find a room or shed big enough to house it

Pity really as I could have really detail these builds

Cheers

Ron

I'm surprised you don't do what our club did. I found a chemical supplier on the web and 3 of us each bought a 5 litre container of 1 Butanone (otherwise known as MEK), we split the carriage costs and it worked out a £17 each. With all the C&LO sleepers to stick down on Green Ayre we have gone through quite a lot.

 

Jamie

Hi, Jamie

I use MEK, which is quite cheap in Spain, for all my C&L track building, as it works just great with ABS

I have found that with styrene it tends to be slow to make a joint, and it also seems to cause fracturing of the thin plastic strips that I tend to use

I can get the large cans of Plastic Weld direct from EMA, but have to have it delivered within the UK, and then wait for one of my daughters who travel to Spain by car to bring it over (just once a year), but of cause that still runs out pretty quick - may have to resort to buying four or more cans this year's December trip

Cheers

Ron

I can't add anything to all the "me too" posts,excellent craftmanship, but I suspect Ron, that you are not a modeller at all, you're just addicted to solvent fumes

Your comments are much appreciated

... down to the last few drops of solvent of the second bottle in 3 weeks, and I keep them in the fridge to reduce evaporation (along with the beer), as it is now 28 deg C this week, was 38 deg on Saturday

... can't tell the difference between solvent fumes and alcohol in this heat

Cheers

Ron

With all the painstaking detail that's going in, you'd never have thought that this is the work of a man in a hurry (comparatively-speaking). It seems to progress in less time than most people take to build a single loco.

 

Completely amazing. B) - this is one of those builds where you just "sit back and enjoy the ride".

 

... me in a hurry, not on your life B) .. it just seems like it, I can push on a bit especially when there is a lot of repetitive construction

Hope you really enjoy the ride

Ron

Stunning, that is that I can say about your work Ron

 

Colin

Hi, Colin

Thanks for your comments

Cheers

Ron

.. the latest images of the bridge with all the overhead bracing beams in place -

I'm going to have to move some of these model structures before management starts dusting them with the yard brush

... to be continued >>>>>

Hi Ron

 

work looks fantastic, huge amount of work.

 

can I ask why you chose brick paper over brick plasticard?

 

Hi, Michael

Thanks for your comments

I have always produced my own brickwork card, to ensure that the brick bonds and colouring reflect the prototype as far as possible. The mortar thickness and colour is also easier to control

Any mistakes are easier and cheaper to correct. The smooth plain white card is 240gsm and takes ink without too much absorption and gives a better and repetitive colour reproduction

The first print of the day is always a test and enables re-use of the other face, to ensure the print heads are working efficiently and correctly

Cheers

Ron

I can't wait to see it, Ron! I was over in Manchester two weeks back, and dragged my long suffering girlfriend over to Castlefields just to go stand outside the old Hacienda and take a look round Deansgate and Central! And I was so busy gawping at the structure, I forgot to take some pictures of the area... Only a photographer would do that, eh?

 

This is one of them projects I'm keeping my eye on with interest, as even though I'd love to do something 'large' like this, I just wouldn't have the space for it, sadly...

Hi, Sean

Thanks for your comments

Hope I can continue to hold your interest

Ron

Hi Ron,

 

OOOh forgive me for some reason, I thought this was 7mm! durrrrr

 

Etches I like.....

My idea was to use this sort of on the round using the trams as way of a view blocker cameo sort of scene so I could model the formation of Castliefields Junction. More for operational interest than a scale replica of the area if that makes sense!

 

I should have got it from the size of the beer cans!

 

Ian

These three drawings give a taster for the railings etches -

Basic outline drawing of one railing panel

Each panel is 33.2mm wide

Two etching drawings - 6 panel sections

Typical three level lamination

The brass would be 8 thou thick (0.20mm) and two etches would be laminated to make up the detail of the original cast iron railings

Hope this helps in your venture

.. now for the overhead span bracings - using 20 thou plasticard with 10 thou x 30 thou strip for cross-bracings

Step by step -

Marking-out the end plates - 9mm x 10mm trapeziums

End plates fixed to the bottom plates - 8mm x 11mm

Vertical end plates are next - 9mm x 11mm

Join two end-plate assemblies with top flange - 3mm x 115mm

Connecting plates - 4mm x 6mm

Connecting plates and vertical flange (2mm strip) fixed in position

Overall view

Cross-bracing framing - 1mm strip

First side with vertical strips in place

Second side strips fixed

Cross-bracing frame fixed in position between end-plate assemblies

Close-up detail of end fixing

End strips in place

Close-up detail of end fixings

Bottom flange fixed in position

First side of first cross-bracings fixed

Second side of first cross-bracings

Close-up detail

Detail showing front-back spacing between cross-bracings

Complete first face of cross-bracings

Cross-bracings completed

Close-up showing vertical T flange - 20 thou x 10 thou

View along bridge - Overhead bracing beam in place (temporary)

Overhead view - Overhead bracing beam in place (temporary)

... 9 more beams required

... to be continued >>>>>

I fancied this bridge as a view blocker come end of sort scenic break for my model of Oxford Road, seeing this model in such detial has made me have doubts it would be acheiveable in 4mm and to the level of detail you have so wonderfully acheived!

 

How long do you think it would take to make a smaller one??

 

Ian

Hi, Ian

This model is in 4mm scale

The time taken to build so far has been about 7 weeks with approx another 4-5 weeks to complete this double span bridge - approx. 150 hours in total

The time to build a shorter bridge would depend on the level of detail you want to show - say 50 -100 hours .... it is relative to the total number pieces of plastic to cut and fix

Let me know if you decide to go ahead and build it - I would be interested in your interpretation to suit your layout

Are you going to build the bridges on the MSJ&R line ? - I have just finished detailing the etch for the bridge railings, if you interested

Cheers

Ron

I've been reading through this thread the last couple of days, and all I can say is... I've a bruised chin from every time the jaw has gaped open and smacked the desk!

 

That is some impressive bit of modelling, and I can't wait to see what this will look like when it's finished as I can't remember what Central and Castlefields looked like before it changed.

Hope the injury doesn't become permanent, as there is still quite a bit to model yet

I see you are just a few hundred kilometres north of here as well

Best of Spanish luck

Ron

Ron,

 

what would that load of 13 tinnies equate to in full size? Do you know?

 

Fantastic modeling.

 

OzzyO.

Hi,

Well, mass is directly related to volume, and volume is the cube of the linear dimension - at a scale of 1:76 the scale mass is 1: 438976. That makes the weight of 13 cans which is 4.29 kg equivalent to 1883.2 metric tons

This bridge section could in reality have carried four steam locos plus two coaches simultaneously (two passing double-headed trains), which would have been say 700 tons. On the basis that a working weight tolerance of 100% was built into the design loading, then approx. 1400 tons could have been the likely design loading - I am no bridge engineer

It is unlikely that the Midland Railways CE weight limit is still available

Ron

Brilliant work Ron. This Is one of the threads I check regularly hoping for an update I can't wait to see all the bits coming together.

Hi, Steve

Hope my updates are interesting enough for you

My modelling does tend to be a bit stop/go at times in terms of generating enough progress to post meaningfully

Cheers

Ron

Not only does it look superb, but it does the job just like the real thing too!

 

 

There is another thread on here asking for your inspirational layouts. Well, this is inspirational for me, and I now want to build something similar.

All I need to do now is improve my skills, knowledge and patience!

 

Thanks Ron,

 

Mike

Hi, Mike

Thanks for your comments, much appreciated

Cheers

Ron

Ron - this gets better and better B)

Hi, Ian

Thanks for your continuing interest and comments

Cheers

Ron

Wow, if only my off licences' bags were as strong! Amazing.

But there not meant to carry locomotives, etc.

Well the stress/loading test has been completed ...

13 cans in total - 4.29 kg (9.438 lbs) .... could have put 14 on the bridge, but the last one would be sitting on the bridge support

.. there was slight bending outwards at the top of the span beams, when the overhead bracing beams are fitted this will correct it

There was a 2mm deflection in the centre of the bridge, and note the rippling of the unbraced lattice bracings - all of which has disappeared now the load has been removed B)

... successful test with no permanent damage

... and 13 wasn't a unlucky number

My daily dose of oooh and aaah!!!! Thanks Ron!

 

How much of this will be seen once this bridge is placed into the model?

I am planning for the layout track level (open grid structured baseboard) to about 1 to 1.2 metres, which means that the canal water level will be 240 - 250mm below

The viaducts will be positioned from front of baseboard -

MSJ&R Viaduct approx 200mm

Cornbrook Viaduct approx 400mm

Castlefield Viaduct approx 600mm

The rear of the baseboard at this point will be almost tight to the rear of the Castlefield Viaduct

So viewing of the structures will be as open/restricted as the prototype - allbeit I can't shrink myself to 24mm to get the full access views

Cheers

Ron

... after busy day in the garden and workshop, building half arched framing for climbing plants from Reunion Island, I have just managed to complete the deck beams and fit the deck. The stress/loading test will now have to wait until Tuesday afternoon

Underside of deck

View of deck beams and their position on the span beams

Overhead view of deck

Side view of span and deck beams, and deck

The overhead span bracing beams are next on the build agenda ... then the smaller spans/deck etc.

... to be continued >>>>>

Looking like a ten can load will do the stress test then!!!!

 

If this layout doesn't get into all the magazines when it is finished, it will be a real shame. This deserves to be seen by modellers everywhere.

Well it's down to Masymas or Mercadona tomorrow, to get me a 12 pack or two - There has to be a degree of overload available for the stress test

Just got to finish the deck beams then it's Anchors Aweigh

STOP PRESS - Management has given me notice to quit - using the temporary support structure (glass vase)

so I have now started yet another task - constructing the castellated brick and sandstone decorative columns at the juncture of the brick viaduct and the bridge structure

Recent photo. of western bridge span with the decorative support

At this end of the bridge there is only one decorative support

The adjacent Castlefield Viaduct is too close to this bridge to allow the building of a decorative support between the two bridges/viaducts

However there are two decorative supports at the eastern end of the bridge

The bridge in the foreground is one of many on the MSJ&AR Viaduct

Some of the card components - Printed brick card and two layers of mount card

Upper decorative supports

Top Sandstone (Plastic strip) detail

Lower Sandstone (Plastic strip) detailing added

The sloping sandstone castellation cappings (plastic strip) require adding

All the plastic detailing to be painted sandstone & weathered

... well the card base is built now to add the brickwork, etc.

Upper part of support fixed to base, and card support strips added

Lower support shaped (long edges are all bevel cut) and ready to fix in position

Completed support ready for brickwork card

Complete printed brickwork card shaped

Underside of printed brickwork card, showing scored fold marks

Completed brickwork

... to complete structure sandstone detailing required above and below brickwork

A couple of pics of the bridge without the deck in position - looks OK if must say myself

... to be continued >>>>>