Large Scale Central

Rsignation Bridge V2

Track and Trestles
#1

This spring, after the ECLSTS I started the rehab of my railroad. It was overgrown, but I was making good progress in clearing, re leveling and re ballasting the track.

 

 

Then I discovered that deer had trampled Resignation Bridge.

 

 

Also my oil well derrick had been snapped off and broken. Since the 2 HO groups I belong too were doing a joint train show in July, I concentrated on getting my HO modules and trains ready for the show, postponing the building of a replacement bridge and finishing the rehabilitation of my outdoor railroad. After the show, I had some health issues that postponed the construction of a replacement bridge until after my vacation in August.

#2

I started by taking an off cut piece from a cedar fence board, and ripping it into 1/2 by 1/8th strip-wood.

 

 

The boards that I would use for the vertical uprights I cut to 7 ½ inches long, and I cut spacer boards to 6 ½ inches long. Then I started assembling one side of the bridge in pieces of aluminum angle stock. By assembling the beams in pieces of angle stock, the beams ends up being straight and true. I learned a lesson the last time I used this technique, and I put a layer of wax paper between the aluminum angle stock and the wood beams that I was assembling. That way the beams didn’t end up glued to the aluminum.

 

 

 

 

To keep my 90 degree angles, 90 degrees, I used my corner clamps.

 

The beams are 3 layers thick, an outer layer, a middle layer using the vertical and spacer boards, and an inner layer using 6 15/16 inch long boards on the lower beam, this places a space in the center of the vertical uprights for the horizontal beams that run between the lower main beams of the bridge. By doing this type of construction, I am not counting on simple butt joint glue joints to hold things together. The top beam inner layer is just pieces of strip-wood butted end to end, since there are no horizontal beams running from side to side on the top.

 

At the ends, I added some diagonal uprights to give the bridge a finished look, and to extend its length to 40 inches, the length I needed. The Upper beams were trimmed to match the angle of these uprights.

 

#3

Once the sides were assembled, I started with the crosswise horizontal beams the hold the 2 sides together. I used more ½ by 1/8 strip-wood, 6 ¾ inches long, inserted into the gaps that I left between the boards on the lower main beams.

 

 

I then laminated 6 ½ inch long strip-wood onto the sided of those crosswise beams. This gives me a final inside width of 6 ½ inches for the bridge. Wide enough for all of my locomotives and rolling stock to pass through safely, but narrow enough so as to not leave too much space between the bridge sides and my railroad equipment.

 

 

To help pull the 2 sides together while the glue dried, I tied the assembly together with a shoelace, inserting scraps of wood into it to tighten it up.

 

#4

Once the basic assembly was done, I added another layer of strip wood to the inner face of the vertical supports, 6 ½ inches long. Then I started adding ¼ inch square wood diagonal supports on the sides and the bottom of the bridge.

 

 

To make the diagonal supports properly, I cut the end to 2 45 degree angles, to make 90 degree point.

 

 

At a point where the other end of the diagonal boards would butt against the structure, I drew a center line on the boards, held them in place, centering the center line in the corner where the boards go, and traced the corner onto the boards. Then I cut them a bit long, making cuts parallel to the lines that I had drawn. Then I sanded them to the proper length, test fitting them as I went.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the center pane on the sides, I used 1/8 th by ¼ boards, overlapping them. Then I laminated 1/8 by ¼ boards to them to make an x brace ¼ inch square.

 

#5

 

On the bottom of the bridge I laid out a straight edge, 1 inch from the center-line of the bridge and marked all the cross pieces on the bottom of the bridge. These two marks are were I will line up the rail support beams. Then I started adding in ¼ inch square strip-wood to make those beams. I also built up the beans and diagonal braces, so that I would end up with ½ by ¼ beams when I was done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#6

While working on the center part of the bridge, I placed one end on the coffee table, and one end on the end table, so I could clamp the parts in place.

To work on the underside of the bridge, I simply placed the bridge upside down on the table.

Here I am finishing the building up of the side panel X bracing.

On the ends, I used 2 scrap pieces of ½ by 1/8 strip-wood to extend the rail support beams to the end of the bridge.

#7

Once the bridge was assembled, I went back and trimmed off the glue blobs. Since I use polyurethane glue for my outdoor projects, I can't simply wipe off the excess glue with a damp rag during assembly. Trimming off the excess glue was tedious, and in the end, I see that I had missed a few spots.

 

 

In keeping with tradition, The final photographs were taken with the bridge sitting on the charcoal grill. That is how I photographed Resignation Bridge Version 1.

 

 

I “painted” the bridge with used motor oil that I had drained out of my lawn mower.

 

 

 

Since the deer are still lounging around in and around my railroad, despite my using deer deterrent sprays, installation of the bridge will wait till next year, after I install deer fencing around my backyard.

#8

Nice bridge.

#9

David Maynard said:

Since the deer are still lounging around in and around my railroad, despite my using deer deterrent sprays, installation of the bridge will wait till next year, after I install deer fencing around my backyard.

Interesting preservative “paint”. And yes, given the deer damage that sounds the wisest course of action.

#10

Thanks Ron

Forrest, I “borrowed” the motor oil idea from someone, I forget who. It made my oil derrick look good when I used the oil on the derrick, so I decided to use it on the bridge.

#11

I’m curious, the other bridge is the “plastic wood” you built last year, why did you do this one wood,? just for variety? either way you are very good at bridge building ! Nice job and the tip for using angle aluminum is a great one for keeping things straight.

#12

Good looking bridge, yea I use a mixture of used motor oil and diesel on all my wood bridges, trestles, cribbings, etc.

I put on a fresh coat every year, some of them have been out for years and still look good and undamaged.

#13

Rick Marty said:

Good looking bridge, yea I use a mixture of used motor oil and diesel on all my wood bridges, trestles, cribbings, etc.

I put on a fresh coat every year, some of them have been out for years and still look good and undamaged.

And it helps with keeping the weeds in check around them, too…(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

#14

Nice technique for building up those complicated angles, creating notches by laminating. And I loved the step by step treatment. It helps (me at least) a lot to understand your methods. Very cool…

#15

Linseed oil works very well also

#16

Dave,

i miss something. the footpath for hobos.

does the dirty oil cover the spots, where the glue blobs were?

#17

Pete Lassen said:

I’m curious, the other bridge is the “plastic wood” you built last year, why did you do this one wood,? just for variety? either way you are very good at bridge building ! Nice job and the tip for using angle aluminum is a great one for keeping things straight.

I would have built the other bridge out of wood, but I wanted to try something different. And it fits better with my narrative about the railroad getting an influx of money from an unknown investor, that keeps it going past the actual date it ceased operation…as a steam railroad.

#18

Great job and nice technique laminating it together, I kind of did the same thing for the table I built in the garage to do my work in , laminating the hole while don got sandwich style construction. Thanks for showing it David!

#19

David,

This was really awesome! I really appreciated the step-by-step guide, too, as it illuminated not just techniques but tools, which all helps in evaluating how, or if, I can adopt or adapt your techniques for my own list of projects!

Very much appreciated!

Eric

#20

Bridge looks good. I really like the integrated diagonals and rail beams on the deck. Interesting technique to do that - and it worked great!