Ok, stop chuckling… I know this request is about 5 years late.
If anyone has or knows of new or used GMM Catwalks, I need about 20’.
Willing to trade Aristo SD45 High Hood.
Thank you
Mike
So 2’ will get me what? A Power truck?
Sorry, when I heard they stopped production, I grabbed what was on the shelf… if you get the other 18’, make me an offer.(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
I’d rather keep them, than give you mine and hope you get the rest…
Brand new in Original boxes… if you get that far…
John
John Caughey said:
So 2’ will get me what? A Power truck?
Sorry, when I heard they stopped production, I grabbed what was on the shelf… if you get the other 18’, make me an offer.(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
I’d rather keep them, than give you mine and hope you get the rest…
Brand new in Original boxes… if you get that far…
John
Paul Burch and I bought about the last of the catwalks that were offered on eBay by the owner of Garden Metal Models. This was about five years or more ago. I have at least 100 feet of them, brand new in the cases. I know Paul bought quite a few then also. I would love to sell them to you, but I still need them for my bridge complex on my layout. 
Good luck on the venture and welcome Michael
Yep, thanks for the good laugh Michael. Only hopes are probably estate sale from someone that never built an intended project.
Greg
I wonder who has the moulds for those bridge ties…or why they discontinued producing them. There is a market for them, as there are people building bridges who don’t want to hand lay rail. Even using those bridge ties, you can still apply guard rails, rather easily, and give that finish to the bridge you are putting so much effort into.
Fred Mills
Fred Mills said:
I wonder who has the moulds for those bridge ties.
Fred Mills
Andy Clarke …My dad!
Are the catwalks the same as the bridge ties? confused… picture?
Greg
Greg;
The "Bridge ties"are wide enough that there is room to have a walkway on both sides, as is the case on most bridges in real life.
The Garden Metal bridge ties came with stanchions, and rods to give you the option of having a railing on both sides, or just one, or none at all.
Most modern railroads, abide by safety standards, which demand a railing on at least one side, for the safety of train crews that might have to walk beside a train on a bridge. In the past, few bridges or trestles had railings, but did use bridge ties which were much longer than normal railroad ties. They usually had “Escapes” at intervals, equipped with water barrels. These escapes were used in case railroad employees or even trespassers were caught on a structure with a train approaching. The water barrels were there in the case of wooden bridges, to be used to put out any fires on the structure. MOW crews were supposed to keep the barrels full, as part of their regular duties.
The “Escapes” were usually built using extra long bridge ties, extending out to form a small decked platform to hold the water barrel, and space for a person.
There are model railroad books, with pictures and drawings of all sorts of RR structures, and they can easily be found on line, where all of this information is provided…all one has to do is search…In railroad terms; I’m not so sure that “Catwalk” was ever the term used. I have heard it called a “Walkway”, around here in Eastern Canada.
Fred Mills
Just wondering, and you cleared it up.
Yep, old wooden bridge near where I grew up, and the water barrel was gone, but the extended platform/ties was still there in the 70’s.
Greg
The Garden Metal Bridge line was produced in the original China manufacturing plant that Aristo Craft started with. The owner of Garden Metal was the person who did all the drawings for the Aristo Craft manuals and Lewis got his product produced. After that factory was bought out, if you remember, they dropped all the small company’s, thus they stopped making any of his product. I use to be one of his dealers and purchased a lot of goods, but its all gone now.
So when you talk about who might have the molds. I’m sure their still someplace in China. To bad because I could use several of the bridge tie sections to replace the broken ones on my layout.
Chuck Inlow said:
So when you talk about who might have the molds. I’m sure their still someplace in China.
Doubt it
Just for the sake of conversation Rooster, why do you doubt it? Chuck’s narrative would seem to support a strong case if they were LAST produced in China, then that’s where the molds are.
BUT, you see I capitalized “LAST”… any evidence they were last produced somewhere else?
Greg
Don’t hold me to this, just going from old memory. When the factory stopped producing the bridges I believe there was an attempt to get the molds so the bridges could be produced elsewhere, but it was unsuccessful. Too bad.
Well Gents, if I can procure a 6" section, I will be looking at having a 3D print shop that can redraw and produce them.
Or… take on the unenviable task of making them from scratch with Micro Engineering plates/nails and make uprights from code 215 track
Glad to amuse you in such dire times for model railroading.
Best regards,
Mike
@Michael F. Thou not currently being produced or sold, They are still under copyright protection, and reverse engineering a copyrighted item is a violation of that copyright.
Making your own from scratch, would be the best approach.
$.02
Dave
Dave,
Who is left to enforce that copyright?
Curious that after all this time the GMM website is still up and running. Even the e-mail appears good.
A simple phone call could answer many questions. The number is on the site.
Greg
This was on GMM WEB SITE UNDER NEWS
March 1, 2013 We have sold all remaining stock consisting of 24" and 46" Deck Girder Bridges to Bridge Masters of Placentia, California. They will be your source until, if and when we ever get our missing tooling back from Kador in China. Below is contact information for Bridge Masters. They are a first class act and a pleasure to deal with.
Bridge Masters
1077 Promenade Ave.
Placentia, CA 92870
714-985-9007 www.bridge-masters.com