Pete, thanks. I have to let the VISA-dust settle, then I am going to re-attack this project. Lowe’s is convenient to my commute and gives a veterans discount, so that’ll do!
Eric
Pete Lassen said:
Eric, on getting stuff to fit in your Focus, my Lowes has cedar fence boards and they are only 6’ long, might be easier to squeeze some in the caar. Also I would bet they (Lowes) will cut longer material down to 4’ , at least the ones here on the mainland have a cutting service in the back corner . They might charge a small fee per cut.
Yea, a few years back Lowe’s advertised ceder fence boards for cheep. My local Lowe’s only had the pressure treated ones, and they were more expensive then the advertised price on the ceder ones that they didn’t have. Sounded like a bait and switch to me.
Dave,
Sorry for my belated reply. We were on the road, which gave me some time to think through this project in terms of material, tools, and skillset. I also had the opportunity to view other folks’ railroads, which was really, really helpful. Seeing - and riding - the 1:1 things was also a benefit.
In short, I think I am going to use what I have to make a frame. I have used this composite elsewhere on the RR, and it holds up well to the weather. Usually, we score it to the width of an LGB track tie, and those dimensions seem to be within the capabilities of the saw and its handler. That should provide adequate cross pieces. For decking, I can use my go-to: craft-sticks. We have some that have held up pretty well, and, as they are neither load bearing nor expensive, seem an appropriate expedient. I have plenty of material from my botched cuts to make a single, crude bent for the middle of this endeavor. with some bracing going out diagonally. I have a photo of a plantation RR with a very extensive trestle but no consistency in how it braced individual bents, so this is at least correct in spirit.
Now to get that brad-nailer, VISA permitting!
Eric
All,
As promised, we forged ahead. Yesterday, I deployed my secret weapon, Oldest Daughter, to see if we could make use of a proud former fence picket. She took the stringers I had, taped them down, then warped the center stringers to the rails of some track to ensure proper alignment:
We used the cross members I had and carefully made sure they would slip through the ties, resulting in the following:
You’ll note the one on the left does not look straight. This would come back to haunt me later, as I did not notice it at the time. I should note that I found some small nails and reinforced the glue joints. In a couple places, this composite gave way. Good thing I had cut extras!
Today was supposed to be “Little People on the Railroad Day,” but, with 30% chance of showers, Oldest Son and I turned-to on the bridge, starting with a test fit. Remember that out of kilter cross-piece? This is when I discovered it:
After demonstrating to Oldest Son why we cut away from ourselves, he proceeded to pull and / or shape cross-pieces using the blooded X-acto and a putty knife as I searched for a band-aid:
We got the bridge to fit, and I started converting craft sticks into decking. Oldest Son returned later to finish the job with me. The Triple O’s work crew poses on the new bridge deck below (Yes, the loco is Little Thomas, still awaiting a means to power it. I put him out there to keep the pressure on myself. I have an idea I’ll float elsewhere…).
I have found the hard way craft sticks swell, hence the gaps (the ones not attributed to half-measure measuring, anyway). We’ll see if stripped fiberon swells, too, I guess.
I do think this looks a bit unsupported. and I will probably proceed with a single bet in the middle of this bridge, trenching out beneath it, securng the bent to the bridge, then backfilling under it. As I mentioned in the start of this thread, the canyon is a bit fragile, being concrete over dirt. I am loathe to dig too close to the canyon walls less I creat a chance to practice my landscaping techniques. You will note that both abutments need some serious work, too:
The bridge currently rests on my attempts at cribbing and shims for the now-retired truss. For stability and aesthetics, I want something a bit more permanent. I will probably also add some sort of handrail system, tough whether I go “full tiki” with my tried and true shiskabob skewer and twin method or do something more reasonable like cotter pins and jewelry chain I’ve yet to determine. It is a ways off, though, as I want to finish the abutments, approach, and other support before I dicker with details like that.
At this point, though, I am going to put this bridge into service. It is already more level and more stable than its predecessor, and it has no top or sides to catch passing cars and locos. We’ll see if my material choice works. I will restrict this composite to projects like my retaining walls and bridge portals in the future, as it really didn’t seem to like being ripped into smaller parts.
More to follow as this bridge moves from funtional to finished!
Aloha,
Eric
Aloha,
Good progress over the course of the week! First, Kid-zilla and I laid out my botched “timbers” upon the highly sophisticated calibrated picnic bench to get a nice shape. The photo below shows the bents after glue had dried and we drove in a couple nails:
We waited, flipped these things, and added another cross-piece on the opposite sides. I thought I’d be clever and staple the top piece to the legs. This broke the glue bonds and, though the staple held, it failed to pass my rather “does this look right check?” More botched cuttings served as shims, TiteBond III flowed, and the results are below:
The legs are 2"-3" below surface level, which required a fair amount of trenching yesterday. You may recall trenching was something I wanted to avoid as I was not sure how the landscape would hold up. For once, I got lucky:
Next, my plan to simply hang the bents from the deck and fill in around them went absolutely awry. The clamps I have wouldn’t grip. There was no way to nail the deck to the bents. The rubber bands worked… sort of… with the result that quaint Bavarian sayings rose in rolling crescendos from my backyard in what I am sure the tourists in the illegal vacation rental behind us found a marvelous cross-cultural experience. Between bouts of gratis cross-cultural educational experiences, the level, the tape measure, and carefully calibrated chuck of concrete did their thing, and I ended up with a relatively level and relatively plausible proximation of a bridge. I backfilled the canyon then turned the dirt to mud to let it fill every lass interstice of space. I had considered concrete, but I did that to my father-in-law’s trestle “downstream” and fiddling with the track over the years left the bridge and mainline out of alignment (though only if you look from the top! That’s another project…later…). I repurposed the cribbing and approach-like-substances of the old truss, and the results are below:
The evening freight ran just fine. The beverage ran down equally fine. I’ll offer some closing thoughts on this project tomorrow!
Have a great week!
Eric
Eric,
In the end your bridge looks fine. 
came out good, nice job
@Joe and Bill, Thanks to you both!
I am declaring this project “pau” (finished). Diesel Dan sacrificed his last handrail to remind me that now is not the time for details like that on a bridge! The bridge is stable, looks good, and does not snag passing cabooses, locomotives, or passengers. The stability has also made the electron flow less erratic, which was an added benefit. The salvaged cribbing and approaches work for now, though minor tweaks may come later.
A few closing thoughts:
- Flexibility. This was my first try at making something from plans cutting parts from larger lumber according to a plan. Even with a good plan, I had to flex to fit my tools, material choice, and railroad to make it work.
- Tool. I wanted to see what I could do with this saw. Short cuts were OK. Long cuts…Hmmmm….I think it was a combination of inexperience (my cuts got better), tool choice (a short table made longer strips more difficult), and my material choice. More practice, more planning, and better material-to-project matching will go a long way to making better projects! I did learn a bad cut made the project more difficult as I tried to bond bits and parts together.
- Material. This “fiberon” has served me well for tunnel portals, where I could cut large chunks, scribe them, and glue them in place. It takes washes well, and it has held up to our environment. TiteBond III worked in tests, but it did not work when I had to reinforce joints with nails and staples. The material lost its strength when ripped smaller than 3/4" or so in thickness in an given dimension. The next project will be cedar as recommended elsewhere.
Next up, of course, is marrying that LGB 2075 shell to my e-Bay purchased STAINZ chassis to hone (develop) some 'bashing skills and put that thread to rest. But, as I like three projects - one in progress (the 'bash), one as a back-up (a repair to another battery powered LGB 2075), and one in planning (an adaptation of the Iwilei engine service rack) - I have a feeling these personal lessons learned will not stay on the shelf long!
Thanks to all for the help and guidance along the way!
Eric
Eric, your bridge came out very nice and looks great. Every thing we do on our railroads is a learning experience. It looks like your bridge was a great one for you. Keep up the good work. One of the things that has impressed me most about you and this build is the involvement of your children. Most kids these days and many adults are only into electronic devices. In my opinion if more people and children would start doing things (again) with their hands it would be a better world. Many times when we go to a restaurant the families at the other tables all with their phones out and no one talking to each other. (I will get off my soap box now,)
Anyway, Eric, I just wanted to say your bridge looks great. Keep up the good work.
Ditto from me as well your attention to your children is to be admired and applauded!
@Colin and Bill: I could wax eloquent about kids, parents, and electronic devices, but I shall spare you! I will say, though, that while I have “failed” to make garden railroading any of the kids’ primary hobby, we have at least exposed them to the joy of creating, which is a goal CINCHOUSE and I were after.
Eric
I agree in that the bridge came out great, and the one question I have is did you learn more or did the kids learn more ? (https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)
