One section of track which will cross the west canyon on my layout comes close to the upper level pathway and could get bumped from time to time. So I want a bridge that will be extremely solid and sturdy. I decided on a cast, reinforced concrete bridge with four arches. About half of it is curved, with a slight curve in the opposite direction at the other end. Total length is four and a half feet.
I considered casting the bridge in place, just like the “real thing”, but quickly decided that would be much more trouble than it’s worth.
I’ve spent the past several days building the wooden form. Didn’t have any directions to go by, just followed what seemed a logical method. Tomorrow’s the big day – pouring the concrete into the form! A rough calculation indicates I’ll need about 1.75 cubic feet of cement. I plan to use a 50/50 mix of high-strength mortar and vinyl patching cement.
So, we’ll soon see whether it turns out as planned!