Hi, I'm new to the Train Board. I have modeled in On30, HO, and N gauges. I like Electric Traction and Trolleys. I am also a member of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. My vocation in the Auxiliary is Navigation Systems. I want to scratch build a bridge in either HO or O gauge. It can be a vehicle or RR bridge. I will add LED's for pier lights and pilings, whales, and dolphins to the structure. These are part of the fender protection system on a bridge that crosses a body of water. This will be purely for training purposes. Does anybody have plans or a web site that could steer me in the right direction? I have purchased a scale ruler. I would like to use styrene and balsa or bass wood. I have been searching and I find that there is not a lot of information out there. I already went through most of the links on www.tadlane.com but nothing there. I know there is an old issue of Train Shed Cyclopidia #54 Bridges and Trestles that could probably help me but they are extinct. Thanks, John
My file opf published bridge references, some are scale drawings, many just photos, some are construction articles... BRIDGES BRIDGES, GENERAL bridge basics by Tony Koester Model Railroader Oct06 p.50 -------------------- ABUTMENTS Plaster Mod RRer Nov87 p.120 Mod RRer Oct88 P.102 ARCH Arch ABCs Mod RRer Nov88 p.96 Arch bridges NMRA Data Sheets D6d. Canyon Diablo bridge.ATSF. photos, scale drawings & construction article Bridges & Buildings for Model RRers (Kalmbach) p.32 Canyon Diablo 1947 Warbonnet 4Q 2004 p.3 concrete arch- Marsh Rainbow Arch Bridge, triple thru-arch Riverton KS blt 1922 Mod RRerp.82 concrete arch, KCS over Hwy 50 near KCMO. Mod RRer Jan2001 p.38 concrete arch viaduct modeled in blue styrofoam ModRRer Dec03 p. 92 Masonry arch bridge, scale elevation & proto pix under construction w falsework Mod RRer Apr48 p.253 Santa Ana River multiple arch bridge, near Riverside, pix w Metrolink train 1998. _Trains_ June99 p.64 Steel arch truss bridge, similar to ATSF Canyon Diablo, Mod RRer Jan51 p.18 Steel arch similar to Stony Creek, HO plans & templates Mod RRer Apr91 p.86 steel arch thru truss: HellGate in N _N Scale_ MarApr 2001 p.61 Stone arch. _RMC_ Dec82 p.71 Stone arch bridge, curved, modification of "Mountains in Minutes" cast foam kit. Mod RRer Aug93 p.66 stone arch bridge over one lane road, on GC&SF near Somerville TX kla b&w photo Dallas trip 1981 set stone viaduct model w expanding foam ModRRer Oct02 p.82 BASCULE BRIDGE B&M bascule draw at Gloucester, Mass, pix, plans Mod RRer Nov80 p.80 B&OCT bascule drawbridge, pix, plans Mod RRer Dec73 p.58 Bascule bridge _NMRA Data Sheets_ D6e.07 Beaumont SP bascule Mod RRer Oct88 p.106 BEAM bridges Mod RRer Aug88 p.68 CANITLEVER ATSF bridge at Topock AZ on Colorado River blt 1890, replaced 1945, view w EB freight 1909 Warbonnet 3Q-2008 p.6 CAUSEWAY Lake Champlain causeway trestle, HO Rutland Great Model Railroads 2010 p.94 Nueces Bay causeway, concrete arch 1912, earlier timber trestle. in Corpus Christi: a picture postcard history pic.87,88,89,144 CAUSEWAY, GALVESTON Galveston causeway bascule bridge, prize HO model by Gil Freitag, _RMC_ Nov70 p.36 Texas Chief Galveston connection on Galveston causeway at Virginia Point 1966 _Santa Fe in the Lone Star State_ vol.1 p.80 GALVESTON CAUSEWAY Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record original 28 concrete arches & steel draw span 79 additional concrete arches built 1917-1922 original 2455’ viaduct, 8219’9” concrete faced embankments more than 2 miles long 70’ span, 9’ rise drawbridge 120’ long, longest in world when built, replaced 1988. 66’ wide balustrade on roadway side only prototype Atlas viaduct actual Atlas viaduct N scale Atlas viaduct N scale width of viaduct 66’ 1 13.33 Ht of rail above water 16 - 17’ 1.25 16.66 “rise” of arch 9’ .875 11.66 span of arch 70’ 1.625 21.66 +pier between spans 15’ .5 6.66 span + pier 85’ 2.125 28.32 number of arches 107 24 Clearance: horizontal 100' vertical 7' per _Gulf Intracoastal Waterway_ chart, Army Corps of Engineers,1965 17’ above water per therealgalveston.com 16’ above mean low tide per 1910 postcard "GREATER GALVESTON CAUSEWAY. Commenced September 21, 1909, to be completed December 1910. Cost, $1,500,000.00. Total length, 10,642 feet; height, 16 feet above mean low tide; Road way portion width, 154 feet; Arch Bridge width, 66 feet; will consist of 28 Arches with a 70 foot span, a length of 2,358 feet. total 107 arches x 85’ = 9095’ There will be three railroad tracks and two Interurban tracks and County Driveway. Rolling Lift Bridge will give clear waterway of 100 feet. Foundations for Arches will go from 11 to 16 feet below bottom of Bay." COMBINATION SPAN BRIDGES UP (ex-SP, ex-HE&WT) at Trinity River, 19 miles south of Livington; combination thru pony truss + 2 deck girders + thru box truss + thru girder + wood trestle approaches Mod RRer Feb02 p.43 CONCRETE HIGHWAY BRIDGES on Cat Mtn Mod RRer Aug89 p.64 steel-beam supported concrete w steel lattice rails, early 1920s Route 66, the Mother Road p.9 CONCRETE TRESTLE BRIDGES Cajon Wash above Devore, low trestle w concrete piers, 1951 Warbonnet 3Q 03 p.3 Concrete trestle _NMRA Data Sheets_ D6b.3 concrete trestle bents, how to build in wood or… Model Railroader Jan09. p.39 Levee- concrete flyover on a levee, modeling ModRRer Jan04 p.115 Texas State RR concete trestle _TexHwys_ June86 cover, p.4 UP (ex-CRIP) bridge over new channel of Cottonwood River, blending bents with bottom of harbor to prevent gap. Model Railroader Feb09. p.35 CULVERTS concrete culvert, installation Model Railroader Sept 07 p.38 Culvert ABCs Mod RRer Dec88 p.99 bridge made of multiple pipe culverts (on SP RR?) at Hayward Cal. _Business Week_ Apr21 1956 p.87 Culvert design _NMRA Data Sheets_ D6a. DECK Bridge, high steel, N kitbash, _RMC_ Jan76 p.44 Deck girder 60' E72 rating, scale drawing Mod RRer Oct88 p.100 Deck girder, concrete on N scale BN project layout Mod RRer June90 p.92 Deck girder,concrete pre-cast, used since mid-1960s on ATSF. article & photos _Santa Fe Modeler_ MayJun78 p.12 DECK Plate Girder Bridge deck girder OKC North Canadian River under construction Nov31 Warbonnet 1Q-2007 p.12 Scratchbuilding _RMC_ Apr77 p.55; pt 2 May p.37; pt 3 June p.36 Through deck-girder Plate girder, Micro Engineering model 40' review Mod RRer Feb89 p.68 deck girder from MicroEngineering for __Allegheny Midland Coal Fork extension. _ModRRer_ Oct98 p.78 ballasted deck girder Ojita Arroyo near Myers NMex ATSF _RMC_ Mar2001 p.89 Greens Bayou bridge, deck girder _Houston North Shore_ p. 74 Santa Fe deck girder, approx 10' above water, w concrete piers Warbonnet 3Q02 p.3 deck girder on concrete piers/ train Golden Gate crossing Stanslaus River near Riverbank, Cal 1950 Warbonnet1stQ 05 p.1 plate girder deck on tall steel piers, N scale -MicroEngineering Model Railroader Feb06 p.50 deck plate girder, narrowing Atlas N or HO Model Railroader Oct06 p.122 Double deck Mississippi River bridge at Ft. Madison, color Warbonnet 4Q 06 p.1, p.25, p.40 Expressway overpass "Estimating Steel Structures" p.159 EXPANSION PEDESTALS Mod RRer Sept85 p.34 flextrack on bridges Model Railroader June05 p.30 FLOOR FOR BRIDGE Steel bridge floor support _NMRA Data Sheets_ D6c.1 footbridge (concrete form cast in place?) over railroad by Mike Tylick, on O New England layout, scale drawing, proto pix. Model Railroader May06 p.54 GENERAL, BRIDGES ABCs of bridges pt.1 Mod RRer Jul88 p.66 bridge construction scene in N scale Mod RRer Aug98 p.96 GIRDER girder expressway bridge, long span pover river, under construction with covered bridge background. _Business World_ Apr.16, 1955. p.61 plate girder deck, photos _Santa Fe Modeler_ 3Q 90 p.7 plate girder-discussion Model RRer Nov04 p.102 plate girder improved from “train set” bridge, with stiffeners, stringers, etc. Model Railroader July06 p.30 shallow plate girder on SP flyover MKT at San Antonio just east of SP East yard. kla color pix/ San Antonio July 1988 set Short plate-girder bridge (22') Mod RRer Nov79 p.116 Thru-girder 5-span over marsh, San Diego suburb _Warbonnet_ 2ndQ 96 p.21 Very short steel girder bridge, _Model Railroader_ June71 p.39 Highway bridge from modified Atlas track bridge Mod RRer July93 p.68 Huey P. Long bridge from Sunset Ltd. _Trains_ Dec73 p.23 1984 World Expo Daylight on Huey P. Long bridge, New Orleans, aerial _History of the Southern Pacific_, Yenne, Bonanza 1985 p.125 KING POST/QUEEN POST wood bridges Mod RRer Feb51 p.22 Mod RRer July85 p.92 humpback wooden hwy overpass, photo & scale drawings _Model Railroader_ Oct 2001 p.94 Lake Champlain causeway trestle, HO Rutland Great Model Railroads 2010 p.94 LIFT BRIDGE Cape Cod canal bridge, world's longest vertical lift. aerial _Business World_ Apr.16, 1955. p.129 Cade Cod, Mass Vertical lift bridge, Model Railroader Oct06 p.68 Dumbarton Bridge across the southern arm of San Francisco Bay aerial _Business Week_ Dec 22,1956 p.110 Scherzer rolling lift bridge, pix, plans _Model Railroader_ Nov67 p.52 Scherzer rolling lift bridge _NMRA Data Sheets_ D6e.09 Vertical lift bridge, generalities Mod RRer Oct88 p.106 LOADINGS & RATINGS Chart of bridge loadings _RMC_ Jan 1982 calendar back LOG BRIDGE Dismal Creek bridge. _RR Mod Craftsman_ June91 p.61 PEDESTALS Mod RRer oCT88 P.103 PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE employees pedestrian bridge over yard, at Cleburne, TX _Santa Fe in the Lone Star State_ vol.1 p.48 PIERS bridge piers, concrete N Scale magazine, NovDec07 p.42 piers Mod RRer oCT88 P.102 OVERPASS, CONCRETE Hghway overpass over railyard at Galena KS Route 66, the Mother Road p.78 Richardson overpass _Santa Fe in the Lone Star State_ vol.1 p.86 OVERPASS, STEEL PLATE GIRDER CN rr over Windemere Ave. Toronto _RailModCraftsman_ Oct2001 p.49 highway overpass for MR&T layout Model Railroader June05 p.50 Houston, Forest Park off Harrisburg Apr2001 kla color pix Overpass of San Diego Electric over ATSF _Mod RR Planning_ 2001 p.61 OVERPASS, wood FARM ROAD BRIDGE plans _RMC_ Feb78 p.65 River crossing "Estimating Steel Structures" p.162 Sign on ATSF bridge Warbonnet 1Q 04 p.37 STEEL BRIDGE Steel bridges _NMRA Data Sheets_ D6c. STEEL TRESTLE detailing Micro Engineering steel trestle tower _N Scale_ MayJun2000 p.42 John Allen Memorial Bridge, Mod RRer Nov73 p.63 Lyon Brook viaduct, NYO&W, New York 1894. scale drawings & pix Mod RRer March99 p.82 Malcolm Furlow for San Juan Central,Mod RRer June84 p.96 from Central Valley truss bridge kits Mod RRer June85 p.68 Trestles, steel _NMRA Data Sheets_ D6b.4 SWING BRIDGE ABCs of swing bridges Mod RRer Oct88 p.104 MoPac White River bridge at Cotter, Ark. center swing span 287' similar to HB&T East Belt Buffalo Bayou bridge and StLB&M Brazos River bridge. approach- deck girder on concrete piers _NMRA Bull_ March 78 p.35,42,48 Swing bridge model similar to HB&T East Belt Buffalo Bayou, and StLB&M Brazos River, Mod RRer Oct82 p.93 Swing span bridge _NMRA Data Sheets_ D6e.03 Trinity River at Liberty,TX SP swing and truss bridge, aerial view _TexasHwys_ Apr70 p.9 TRESTLE ATSF used-T-rail standard trestle. Mod RRer Oct93 p.97 Mill Creek Bridge 5 mi S of Bellville 1969 _Santa Fe in the Lone Star State_ vol.1 p.119 light duty pile trestle E-55 (55,000 lb axle load) scale drawings Model Railroader Jun04 p.68 SP/UP Common Standard trestle plans, _Model Railroader_ Apr69 p.39 trestle ABCs Mod RRer Nov88 p.96 Trestles, design & principles _NMRA Data Sheets_ D6b. wood trestle for San Juan Central by Malcolm Furlow Mod RRer Jun84 p.96 wood trestle west of Controe, kla b&w pix, 82 Eastex tri[ wood trestle between Wallis & Sealy, kla b&w pix, 82 Eastex trip wood trestle, typical construction, reprint from 1897 textbook _NMRA Bull_ June75 p.47 Wood Trestles _NMRA Data Sheets_ D6b.2 steel trestle: train Golden Gate on Muir Trestle near Martinez1948/. Warbonnet1stQ 05 p.19 trestle: Kaweah River bridge (trestle) between Venida & Fane, Cal, 1977 Warbonnet 2Q-2009 p.27 TRUSS truss types defined Model Railroader Dec 06 p.26 ASB Bridge (Armour, Swift & Burlington) over Missouri River, ballasted deck through-truss 131' Rio Tecolate near Chapelle NMex ATSF _RMC_ Mar2001 p.89 Big Warrior River bridge, 1887, wrought iron truss pix, scale drwgs, Mod RRer June78 p.78 model from above plans Mod RRer Oct81 p.65 Box truss, skewed America's Colorful Railroads (Ball) p.36 Double-track HO from Lionel truss (same principle for N from HO?) Mod RRer Feb86 p.80 Galt's Gap. Pin-connected truss w photo etched parts. Part 1,_RMC_ Jan82 p.67; part 2 _RMC_ Feb82 p.72; part 3 _RMC_ Mar82 p.88 Highway truss bridge/ wood deck, from Atlas N bridge trusses Mod RRer Jan99 p.165 Jefferson TX rr bridge over Red River; truss span, concrete abutment, wood trestle approaches _Eyes of Texas Travel Guide, Dallas/East Texas edition_ p.69 Lattice truss bridge, _MR_ June82 p.74 Little Kentucky River thru steel truss plans _RMC_ Mar80 p.63 Model construction part 1,_RMC_ Mar80 p.81; pt.2 _RMC_ Apr80 p.86 Nineteenth Century standard designs _NMRA Bull_ Apr74 p.29 pin-connected truss bridge, 1882 Kane,PA. pix/scale drwg Mod RRer Apr98 p.88 San Jacinto River bridge of Houston North Shore, steel truss w/ wood trestle approaches _Houston North Shore_ p.27,31,37,44,111,123 secondary road wood truss bridge, Mod RRer Oct75 p.48 steel truss bridge designs of 19th Century _NMRA Bull_ Jan74 p.29 Thru truss spans Mod RRer Sept88 p.84 Trinity River truss & trestle approaches, Fort Worth _Cowtown Moderne: Art Deco Architecture of Fort Worth_ p.37 Truss, erection scene _Estimating Steel Structures_ p.107 Wood truss ABCs Mod RRer Dec88 p.99 UNDERPASS concrete double underpass in Chicago. The Railroad Press, JulAugSep 2003 p.25 Narrow highway underpass under rr with tight S curve, shown as unsafe "before" in ad for Portland Cement Association. _Business Week_ July 7, 1956 p.10 Roosevelt Road underpass. kla color pix/ San Antonio July 1988 set Underpass w sidewalks halfway up from street Model RRer Nov04 p.102 underpass w thru-girder bridge, trestle approach Warbonnet 1Q 04 p.37 Witherby Street underpass, ATSF San Diego. pix, plan. Mod RRer June80 p.96 underpass Grand Avenue OKC 1933 from side Warbonnet 1Q-2007 p.13 underpass w concrete balustrade for ATSF Amarillo scene Great Model Railroads 2008 p.26 viaduct,stone, model w expanding foam ModRRer Oct02 p.82 viaduct- use of Atlas N scale viaduct Y color, etc on Reid Bros Model Railroader Jan08 p.78 VIADUCT OVER RAIL YARD San Antonio over SP yard, kla color pix, July88 on Carbondale Central project layout Mod RRer March88 p.93 Viaduct ABCs Mod RRer Nov88 p.96
I got 176 hits using 'bridge" as a search word at Library of Congress Historic Buildings. I looked at a few, and found this one with some old drawings. Happy hunting.
bridge plans You might have trouble with getting bridge plans, unless you can get them from some unofficial, public domain source. I am a highway consulting engineer. In my practice, due to homeland security concerns all structures plans are buttoned up tight. I have to make special requests and jump through hoops to get plans for projects - even when the bridge owner is my client. My practice concerns primarily roadway bridges, but I would expect rail bridges to have the same, if not more, security. Good luck!
That makes sense. I was checking back to see the link Richard posted for my own research stuff.. but Peirre makes a good point about limited-to-no access of structure plans. Hey from one new guy to another, welcome to TrainBoard!
You can "Roll your own" .. "The design of highway bridges of steel, timber and Concrete" pub 1920 .. or .. "Original Plans, and Practical Details for Iron and Wooden Bridges" .. but it might be a 'tad' too early .. pub 1847 ... Bridge Engineering, Volume 1 pub. 1916 Seriously .. goto Google Books and search for bridges etc. Oh yea. First post here. I was searching for something on bridges and came across this thread .. and joined the board.
