wagonbasher

Work session on board 6 (the tunnel board) last night. Track bed of the skew bridge that carries the industrial line over the main line was cut away to enable the new abutments to be properly offered up. Managed to pick up some girders today to make the cross beams of the deck. We glued down the templot plan ready for track laying, just waiting some componants from Exactoscale. Offered up the plan of the tunnel mouth and considered how it would have been adusted on the one wing wall where it potentially clashes with the earthworks that would have changed upon the construction of the industrial line. Andy

A few fiddly hours to clad the first bridge abutment in plasticard brick. I have had a go at the wing wall but I think it needs to be shallower / higher. I will leave the cladding off the wing wall until the current bridge deck has gone and I can compare it in situ. At the moment we are not planning on the other side of the abutment having a wing wall since the angles may render it un necessary. The photo's below swhow the bridge to date siting on top of the current track bed which will need removing. Note the approach abutments of the planned road bridge in the foreground On Wednesday this week the plan is to mark out the main line exactly so that we can lay some track before these bridges are completed and ballasting becomes tricky. A

With some RMweb contributors help and research from a number of the group we all now understand waybeam bridges enough to produce the carcass for the industrial lines slewed bridge abutments in time for Wednesday nights meeting. On the night we were able to firm up the key dimensions and the following shows progress to date. The design called on a number of prototypes including the slew bridge at Heath Town where the Midland Railway crossed the Wyrley and Essington canal which in itself is above Heath Town Tunnel. All that is left here is the abutments. Details of bridge construction can be seen just 1/4 of a mile away (photo below) where the same Midland line drops down towards Wolverhampton. As if for my benefit half of the bridge is 'Skeletal' and shows just the steel work whilst the other half is decked. The overall dimensions were adjusted to suite the loading and span in line with the learnings detailed earlier in this thread. The angle was confirmed on the actual model. The abutments are now ready for brick work. There had been some discussion about materials to be used for the deck and it was agreed that plastic would be sufficient - our brass works department is busy with other things at the moment. To ensure the structures strength I chose to encapsulate a piece of brass inside the main side beams. There is a need for some wing walls, I need to asses the requirements against the layouts embankments.

It is scratch built, but it will need further work to get it to the standards you are expecting Andy

Chris, I pointed out recently that the Janus is about 50 tonnes on three axles and you could imagin that the axle of a wagon might squeeze onto the bridge at the same time. But, The biggest weight is from some of the bogie blosters which could be 90 tonnes and at any one time 4 axles (from two different wagons) could be on the bridge so a full 90 tonnes. Hope that helps A

Are the Waybeams timber ?

I would say after. we need to cut away some of the lower ply and poly to get point motors and droppers in place so they will be on their sides a bit. So, better later to avoid scratches - do we all agree A

Only a very big horse chesnut (other trees are available) A

Looking at the shots, I am changing my mind, the bridge is very high (due to the need to cross the railway) - unlike the Ryders green 8 locks pub where the bridge is just after a lock therefore a short shallow slope is all that is needed to get up to the road. Any equestrian trade our landlord wants to do will have to be 'Off board' Andy

Chris, Just a thought.. The 8 locks pub at Ryders Green has a horse sized ramp up from the towpath on the other side of the road - have a look on google earth. The Bush had a similar ramp. I am confident these were access for horse stabling at the pubs - canal pubs often provided more than just beer. Can we fit one in ? A

Chris that looks really good. I like the relationship between the canal and the bridge - canals did try to approach roads at 90 degrees (the road was there first) to reduce the span and that would not have been the case with the first plan. The pub hides the railway exit very nicely. We need some shots of the 8 locks pub in the 1970's before it was covered in baggies branding. Anyone got one ? I am hoping it was a Banks's pub !! A

Chris I have the Gringos drawings of the canal bridge that passes under the sidings. Is anyone going East on Wednesday night. I don't think I can. I could post it, drop it off at Damians, leave it at your folkes or just keep it. The package also includes a drawing of the tunnel. A

I welcome withdrawals like this..... Chris can 'not' work on my layouts as often as he likes !!! A

After last nights meeting, the Bilston bridge was the strongest contender. There was some discussion about the deck so we do need to know a bit more.. We managed to get some cork down even in failing light (There is no light in my garage extension yet - I need to fix that) The answer to the question you really want to know ........ We went for a North staffs theme - No, not Wrights pies, but oatcakes with cheese and bacon A

This has more charactor than the one prevuiosly discussed. I agree with your thoughts on site. Nice to have that connection to the real thing. A

Mark Steel train on the licky! what are the bolsters. You mentioned that the Bachmann GW design bogie bolster (ex mailnline) would work well for the mid 70's but they seam to have sold through in most places. Nervouse about bidding on the odd one in ebay in case your bidding !!! A

Great shots, it is nice to see some period shots that are new to the public eye.

That is a great response Arthur , many thanks. Our pool of stock is growing in a number of directions but partly that is down to the need for through trains as well as specific steel stock. Being fictitios we can get away with a few things but we are looking for something that is feasable, plausable and do-able. Our stock at the moment is the BBA and BAA's for inbound and then bogie bolsters, and 4 wheel plates.. I quite like the idea that the loads are light in section and understand your point that the biggest intergrated mills would have been producing the biggest sections. Does anyone have any pictures of rod, bar, angles loaded on wagons from the 70's period Arthur, No idea if we would be BSC or not - what would the diffence be ? Andy

OK ... Big ask from steel minded and the Black county boys.... Scenario: The 'industry' is off the layout, accessed by the industrial line. We imagine a steel rolling mill. Avonside 1563 is modelling some 'Cambrian' AAB's and along with some ABB's we imagine they will be bringing ingots / billits / blooms call them what you want but slabs of steel that get heated and rolled into steel products. Now as for outbound goods we know that even in the 70's rolling mills produced: Plate (On the change to a rolled plate industry) Angle Girders Rail Rod Strip The question is how many different loads can we sensible dispatch on bolsters. Did mills specialise or produce a wide mix of finished product:??? What could our mill produce????

awsome photo's, just hope we can do it justice in 5 metres of 4mm. that scene at Tipton is almost unrecognisable today. I was there on Tuesday and the overheads and the steel work on that roving bridge are about the only unchanged thing in that view - except the vegitation is so developed you wouldn't even know you were next to the railway. Andy York was moaning about the excess vegitation in the modern day, when considering the backscene - may have to take a bow saw with us. Andy

You could photograph a dense section of winter trees to form a forground that has no scale (if that makes sense). You could drop in these wooded areas wherever you need to hide an object or just chear up a dull bit.

The bottle and glass pub is superb. I love the look on the bar staffs face when someone asks for a lager. They just stare at each other and ask what's a lager. The cheese and onion cobs are great, of a bit pricey.

I take it back. It is clearly not pink.... more of a pale lilac now I would have thought.

amazing stuff, just look at that detail. Lots of things that are still there today that I thought would be big enough to see are just lost in a mush of buildings and trees. I will draw a triangle on a map and from BB to w'ton and the clent hills then suggest things that we might have been able to see then. Then we can decide if they could have been seen. Andy

A 5 arch suppository ?