What is it about Bridges and Tunnels?
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KriegslokBR52
Well-Known Member
Honestly i have no clue
D&J RailRoad
Professor of HO
Strength of structures.
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santafewillie
Same Ol' Buzzard
I have no tunnels, but I have three bridges because they look cool.
It seams that no model railroad layout appears complete without a bridge and/or a tunnel. Why is it that we modelers appear obsessed with these features?
... or is it just me?
I'm modeling a five mile section of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad (1877-1900). In that 5 mile section a traveler back in the day would pass two towns/villages, two saw mills, cross two wood trestles (one curved, one straight), cross three bridges (one wood and two steel), go through one tunnel, and see creeks and towering redwoods. It's always cool to see a train leave the earth to cross a bridge or trestle.
Snowman
Well-Known Member
https://www.picfair.com/pics/08207041-red-cliff-bridge-colorado
Sometimes modelers get all "model railroady" and stack one bridge vertically over another for drama...and almost over a third bridge too. Just because.
Of course that ^^^ photo above is not a model, but real. The arch bridge--Red Cliff Bridge--was built in 1947. Until then the highway on the right rounded the sharp corner underneath the overhanging rock lower right edge, and dropped down through the town of Red Cliff about a mile off the bottom right corner of the photo. Then back west and over the curved steel truss underneath the arch and climbed back up out of the little valley off to the left behind the hill.
What ISN'T so obvious is the third (RR) bridge which, technically speaking is not under the other two, but which lies a bit further west (that photo ^^^ looks toward the northwest). Just above the arch and just to the right of the green roofed building you can see where the third bridge, originally a double track through girder crosses the Eagle River. By the time this photo was taken, the railroad was completely abandoned, but it was single track for many years--the second track was removed when the traffic volume dropped again after WWII.
Here's another, looking south from the highway up above:
The (D&RGW standard gauge) railroad is still active in this pic, and you can pick out the same through girder bridge where it crosses the Eagle River directly below the building. Moving right is moving west in this pic.
Sometimes modelers get all "model railroady" and stack one bridge vertically over another for drama...and almost over a third bridge too. Just because.
Of course that ^^^ photo above is not a model, but real. The arch bridge--Red Cliff Bridge--was built in 1947. Until then the highway on the right rounded the sharp corner underneath the overhanging rock lower right edge, and dropped down through the town of Red Cliff about a mile off the bottom right corner of the photo. Then back west and over the curved steel truss underneath the arch and climbed back up out of the little valley off to the left behind the hill.
What ISN'T so obvious is the third (RR) bridge which, technically speaking is not under the other two, but which lies a bit further west (that photo ^^^ looks toward the northwest). Just above the arch and just to the right of the green roofed building you can see where the third bridge, originally a double track through girder crosses the Eagle River. By the time this photo was taken, the railroad was completely abandoned, but it was single track for many years--the second track was removed when the traffic volume dropped again after WWII.
Here's another, looking south from the highway up above:
The (D&RGW standard gauge) railroad is still active in this pic, and you can pick out the same through girder bridge where it crosses the Eagle River directly below the building. Moving right is moving west in this pic.
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Snowman
Well-Known Member
Of course there are model railroaders and real railroaders...and those who are both (you know who you are).
But we are all in the minor leagues compared to the Swiss:
Selector
Well-Known Member
It's definitely at least three things, but there must be more reasons individually. Universally, or darned close to it:
a. The Gee Whiz Factor;
b. To add items of interest to break up what on the prototype is pretty monotonous mile-after-mile of nothing but trees and tracks; and
c. Many of us like to have grades, and since most of us have small spaces, we have to use a loop that folds over itself, and that means a tunnel,
a bridge, or both.
a. The Gee Whiz Factor;
b. To add items of interest to break up what on the prototype is pretty monotonous mile-after-mile of nothing but trees and tracks; and
c. Many of us like to have grades, and since most of us have small spaces, we have to use a loop that folds over itself, and that means a tunnel,
a bridge, or both.
Snowman
Well-Known Member
And then there are the Chinese, who seem to have a fondness for stringing strands of spaghetti...er...noodles, sorry...through mid-air.
[Warning! No airborne railroad tracks involved at all (as best I can tell), but there could be a ground-hugging rail line near the left edge. So avert your eyes if you are at all squeamish]
Of course you can always overdo things too:
I'll need triple martooni...er...martini after this. No, I mean I'll need a second triple mar.........tini after this.
==========
Fun thread.
[Warning! No airborne railroad tracks involved at all (as best I can tell), but there could be a ground-hugging rail line near the left edge. So avert your eyes if you are at all squeamish]
Of course you can always overdo things too:
I'll need triple martooni...er...martini after this. No, I mean I'll need a second triple mar.........tini after this.
==========
Fun thread.
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Snowman
Well-Known Member
Canyon Diablo I think? And did you build it out of brass too?
Very, very impressive, however you did it.
Snowman
Well-Known Member
http://bridgehunter.com/
For those in the US ^. I find that site pretty useful.
For those in China I can only offer Valium...and Imodium.
For those in the US ^. I find that site pretty useful.
For those in China I can only offer Valium...and Imodium.
D&J RailRoad
Professor of HO
Yep, Canyon Diablo bridge. I built it with Plastruct material.
I posted my progress in a thread on this forum several years ago.
Building the Canyon Diablo Bridge
I am starting this thread as I suspect there will be a lot of activity in the construction I am undertaking. I have a section of my empire that was designed to have a bridge installed. At the time of construction, I didn't have any idea of what kind of bridge I was going to put there. The...
modelrailroadforums.com
CambriaArea51
Well-Known Member
Bottom line.... less to ballast.
Snowman
Well-Known Member
I might have only a little bit to add to your effort, and I'll bet you already know about both. [But I won't quite yet]Yep, Canyon Diablo bridge. I built it with Plastruct material.
I posted my progress in a thread on this forum several years ago.
Building the Canyon Diablo Bridge
I am starting this thread as I suspect there will be a lot of activity in the construction I am undertaking. I have a section of my empire that was designed to have a bridge installed. At the time of construction, I didn't have any idea of what kind of bridge I was going to put there. The...
As to your constructive analysis and subsequent plans, I can only stand up and applaud. Brilliant stuff, that!!!
I'm currently involved in a similar (but much smaller) endeavor as regards an eight panel pin deck truss over the Eagle river. I've been using GIMP and it's measuring tools (which show both distance and angle) on a photo of this particular bridge, and it's been a fun project...or is so far anyway. What I came up with was a longest bridge span of 144', and I later found that bridgehunter.com posted it as 146'. I will go with my own analysis, as I suspect the BH.com measurement was made by a guy who was rolling a measuring wheel tool along the length of the bridge.
That you have done your own is something I can really appreciate.
