Trestle Design & Construction on the V&T

[Cliff_Jennings]

Yesterday morning I worked on shimming and positioning the trestle, trying to find the sweet spot where most of the bents were centered on their piers, with the rails lining up. It’s as bad as I feared; but nothing a load of gravel can’t cover.

There’s a 1/2" thick base block for each pier, and yesterday I thought I’d be diving into sanding them to deal with the vertical tolerances of the pier concrete. What I didn’t expect to see was that all the end piers were like 1/4" to 5/16" too high, making me think there were flaws in the plywood spine used to set the heights for those.

Regardless of the cause, and long story short, I didn’t want to have 3/16" cedar as the base for bents, so I lasered a bunch of little boxes out of acrylic, and cut a bunch of varying-thickness styrene sheet for shims to be placed in them.

These boxes took the place of the intended 1/2" thick base blocks for 4 end bents where the piers were too high.

For both ends of the bottom sill if these bents I fiddled with the shims until the bent was solidly rested. Then I took the boxes loose shims out, glued the shims into the box, applied cement to the bottom of the box, and slid the box under the bent’s lower sill. Here’s two of the nicer outcomes.

All the in-between bents were within range for Plan A. For each of these, I sanded the base block if needed, sometimes several times, until all of the bents were seated firmly on their piers.

I removed those base blocks and stained them. They (and eventually the bottom sills of the other bents) will get a coat of marine epoxy. They’ll be locked laterally onto their piers with little plex L pieces.

I’m waiting on marine epoxy and more acrylic cement. And there’s rain tomorrow, so I’ll pick up during the week or next weekend.

After all this is done, it’s a (hopefully!) only matter of tying in of the rails, and placing a couple anchors. But it’s been cold out (just above freezing this morning). So I’ve decided to push certain related cosmetic issues until the spring or later, and call this project done once I get the rails connected and make a video of a loco running across the thang.

Cheers,
Cliff

[Neil_Wiggins]

It’s been a huge effort in design and construction you’ve put in Cliff. To have it land and fit as well as it did - I take my hat off to you Sir…

Well done!

Cheers
N

[Cliff_Jennings]

Over the week, when the weather was ok, I finished coating the bottoms of the end bents with marine epoxy (thanks Jerry B. for the tip). Basically blocked the whole thing up, brushed on poxy and lowered it onto plastic cling wrap.

Also gave a few coats of the same to the base blocks of the main bents.

With all that dry, and the snow starting to melt, I went out this morning to hopefully get things finished.

After peeling off the cling wrap, the main thing was sliding the blocks in, sometimes with a bit more sanding, and then cementing down their corner holder thingies.

All that’s done, yay. Next was cutting and tying in the rail, which went smoothly.

Lots of aesthetic finishing up, but that’s for the spring. So I’m calling this done. And to put a fork in it, here’s its maiden voyage, starring Bruce’s shay and Frothingslosh car.

https://youtube.com/shorts/v8O5VPsxwEc?feature=share

Cheers,
Cliff

[Korm (Korm Kormsen)]

@Cliff_Jennings

ignoring the bridge - i like, how natural the partial snowcover upon these mountains looks.

[Cliff_Jennings]

@Korm

ignoring the bridge - i like, how natural the partial snowcover upon these mountains looks.

Thanks Korm, I worked hard on that.

But yeah, it’s fun to see. And unlike the HO / indoor guys, it’s real!

[Hines (Bill)]

@Cliff_Jennings

That’s Revell’s HMS Victory.

Cliff, I’ve been thinking that 42 years is a long time for this amazing ship to be left in dry dock. So, now that you’ve pretty much wrapped up the trestle build, you truely possess all the necessary skills to tackle the next obvious project: the construction of the much anticipated pier in the port of Virginia City.

All we need now is to unearth a plausible backstory about the pivotal role the HMS Victory played in the Battle of the High Sierras¹. Surely there are enough Bovofaecologists² lurking on this thread who can contribute their “expert knowledge” to assist you in this aspect of the project.

I’m particularly confident Vic can fill us in on the ill fated HMS Victory/Sasquatch encounter, especially after he enticed all of us (me) to stream Sasquatch Sunset. I also suspect when the movie rights are sold, Bruce and Todd will both be itching to lend a giant hand in developing the GHA protocol for high winds and stormy seas. Don’t forget just mentioning David Marconi’s involvement will certainly add a bit of Hollywood flair.

The more I think about it, the more I think you could receive a grant to make this an official ShedOps-2026 project. (Probably from Linda who just wants her craft room back.)

Footnotes:
❶ Battle of the High Sierras A skirmish that began when rival bands of prospectors—the Carson City Gold Irregulars and the Sutro Silver Volunteers—argued over whether a shiny rock was gold, silver, or simply a very angry piece of quartz, and ultimately leading to the totally unbelievable saga of how the HMS Victory became the pride of the Virginia & Truckee Railway.
❷ bovofaecologist bo·vo·fae·col·o·gist • noun — A bullshit artist
Plausible Etymology: From Porcine-Latin bovō (“cow”) + faex, faec- (“dregs, sediment, waste; the root of faeces”) + -logos (“study of”).

HMS Victory - The Pride of the V&T R.R.
On loan from the Jennings Institute of Improbable History

[Cliff_Jennings]

Bill, that’s hilarious! Love the drawing. And I love your new term, Bovofaecologist. You definitely put the art into that field of study!

[Dave_Meashey (David Meashey)]

Uh, gosh Bill;

Despite the age the sailing ship, I’d think its gross tonnage would squash a flatcar, and the locomotive would fit inside the hold rather than pull the ship. I remember reading that the earliest locomotives used by west coast states (USA) were brought by sailing ships (minus the benefit of a Panama Canel) to ports within those states. That illustration makes my Middle Earth fancies look more plausible!

Have fun anyway, David Meashey

[Cliff_Jennings]

David, speaking as a charter member and assistant secretary of the Jennings Institute of Improbable History…

@Dave_Meashey

That illustration makes my Middle Earth fancies look more plausible!

Indeed; and even more so, with the levitating steam locomotive! Which plants the story firmly in the historical sci fi realm, era, and factuality of Jules Verne. So while I agree with several of your points David, if time travel worked back then, surely shrinking and re-expanding matter (e.g., the Victory) wouldn’t be a very big deal.

Bill, thank you again for bringing that drawing up, it’s been ages since I’ve seen it. I’ve really enjoyed the 1-truck (not two axle, not four-wheel, just 1-truck) tender. Kind of like a Forney having second thoughts.

[Hines (Bill)]

Yeah Cliff,

Like you, I was absolutely delighted that Dave Meashey was the first one on board. As any seasoned bovofaecologist would tell you, the dwarves famously hoarded their gold—while simultaneously denying all rumours that certain dwarves from Erebor made secret trips to Reno to bet that same gold on red.

Until recently, legend had it that these discreet excursions required a complicated transfer from the Brandywine & Gondor Railway to the V&T, somewhere near the old Sutro Mine.¹

Naturally, once I mentioned at a Tolkien conclave that Dave had taken an interest in the Battle of the High Sierras, every lore-keeper, page-turner, chicken-legged pipe-smoker, and amateur Tolkien archivist jumped head-first into “researching” Tolkien’s unpublished works—a collection that seems to grow by the hour around here. Look what turned up!

Prelude to War — The Battle of the High Sierras
On loan from the Tolkien Institute, Meashey Archives Division.

Footnote:

1. Dwarves, while excellent miners, craftsmen, drinkers, and arguers, were notoriously poor gamblers. What they lacked in wagering sense, however, they made up for in group enthusiasm—giving rise to the ancient term Karma Sutro, roughly translated as “the love of making bad decisions together.”

[Turbo4whl (Wayne Powell)]

@Hines

Erebor made secret trips to Reno to bet that same gold on red.

Middle Earth?

[Hines (Bill)]

Thank god you’re here, Wayne!

I’m glad you’re on board with this too!

~And apologies for the long winded answer, but as Mr. Meashey always says, “take a wrong turn and expect to find yourself on an unexpected journey”.

Yes Wayne! It is middle earth!

The Archivists confirmed the landmark is officially known as the Eye of Sauron. Apparently it’s one of Mordor’s main transport hubs—basically their version of a busy interchange, but with more lava and fewer helpful signs.

Fun fact: this is what it looks like from the other side.

Reportedly this is how you get to the V&T from the UK— but only if you obey the sacred laws of the London Underground & Middle-earth Crossover Transit Authority (LUMECTA).

Here’s how it works:

1. Start at Covent Garden
   Descend the lifts, mutter an apology to the crowds, and catch the Piccadilly line westbound.
2. Change at Earl’s Court
   This is where the normal Tube map ends and the Mordor Extension Lines begin. Most Londoners won’t talk about this. (So don’t ask.)
3. At Platform 2½
   Look for a suspiciously warm breeze and a faint smell of volcanic brimstone and croissants. Congratulations — you’ve found the Barad-dûr International Platform.
4. Take the Eye-Line (Southbound)
   The roundel looks like an Eye of Sauron that’s had a nice weekend in Kent.
   Trains run every 10 minutes, unless the Ringwraiths are on strike.
5. Next stop: France
   Technically it’s “France,” but on LUMECTA maps it’s labelled Le Shire-sur-Mer. Great pastries, fewer orcs, only slightly more bureaucracy.

So yes — Covent Garden → Earl’s Court → France → Mordor → Sutro → (via The Trestle) → Virginia City is a totally valid way to see the HMS Victory (Pride of the V&T)… as long as you don’t mind travelling via Mordor and the occasional Nazgûl checking tickets.

There is, understandingly, a bit of nervousness from travellers about using this route. Their tourism department still hasn’t nailed the tone. Their latest poster just says:

“Who Dares Enter Mordor?”

Honestly, anyone who’s survived Oxford Circus at rush hour could walk straight in without flinching.

Wayne, I really should be working on my own railway. But hey, this is really Dave Meashey’s fault! He’s been a bit circumspect on how he got to Gondor in the first place. Now I’m dithering if I should re-read the Lord of the Rings for confirmation.

Oh and of course it’s all Cliffs fault for putting the pride of the V&T, the HMS Victory, in dry dock for 42 years, and letting us find out about it on a trestle build thread.

[Korm (Korm Kormsen)]

@Hines

Now I’m dithering if I should re-read the Lord of the Rings for confirmation.

No.
better try the Silmarillion - that contains more background checking.

[Dave_Meashey (David Meashey)]

Ah well, It seems that everyone has been imbibing on huge goblets of Loughbrau Trollish Punch!

Time to sober up, David Meashey

[Turbo4whl (Wayne Powell)]

@Dave_Meashey

Ah well, It seems that everyone has been imbibing on huge goblets of Loughbrau Trollish Punch!

Can I get some of that punch to go?

[Cliff_Jennings]

Bill, a bit of update. Referring to your (fairly amazing) response to my photo of “the Victory on the trestle”…

I’m afraid to report that the entire setting is being systematically cleared for a basement makeover.

No trestle, and HMS will travel to a port yet TBD.

However, the trestle is doing fine on its own, enjoying the nice warm jacket aquired this morning.

[Hines (Bill)]

Cliff,

Exciting news. The HMS Victory to set sail! I would postulate a crowd will assemble to admire her when she makes port!

Can’t imagine what diorama you will come up with to display and celebrate your HMS Victory build…

Oh wait…

[Cliff_Jennings]

Another spectacular work, Mr. Hines!!