I am thinking about building my own bridges, but need some help. I have never build anything to scale like this. (except aircraft) I have a ton of balsa around and am sure that if I can figure out how it is supposed to go together, dimensions and what not, that I can build them. I need 3 bridges. The first one I want as an old tressle style and the other two I want like the steel sided u channel type. Sorry not sure of the names. I also ran across a post somewhere but can not seem to find it again where some was building there own turnouts. Would love to be able to do that as well. Thank You, Shaun
Shaun, These kinds of projects are all just how you want to do them. I found that balsa doesn't work the best for modeling steel because the pours and grain are very hard to cover up and disguise as not being wood. I would suggest sheet styrene. As for dimensions and how to build them, take a look at some prototype photos and data, the space you've got, and get to work! Handlaying turnouts involves using PCB ties to solder the rail to. It's a practice of patience, but many enjoy it. You can read up on it here (http://www.handlaidtrack.com/), and they even have supplies and templates for you. Poke around and feel free to ask any questions on what you find, we are a community to help people, right? Alex
Shaun, Building bridges can be a lot of fun, but it is challenging work and demands attention to detail. Balsa is not the best wood to use when building bridges because it lacks structural rigidity and strength needed for a functional structure. It's great for model planes, but ya don't need to save weight when making N-scale structures. If you go online and do a Google search for "wooden railroad trestle" you might come up with photos and maybe even plans to show you how to build a trestle, but how do you find how to build a steel bridge, and what is it actually called? These questions and many more are answered in the Kalmbach book "Model Railroad Bridges and Trestles" available here: http://www.kalmbachstore.com/12101.html or at your local model train hobby shop. Learning how to lay your own turnouts is really fun and I've been doing it since about 1987 and I've built hundreds of them for myself and my friends for use on their layouts. Although there is much good information at www.handlaidtrack.com , you do NOT need all those groovy, but expensive jigs and fixtures to build N-scale turnouts. I've never used a jig or fixture to make mine, and mine operate flawlessly and look much more prototypical than factory RTR turnouts. I'm not going to get into instructions how to make your own turnouts, but I'd be happy to discuss it with you later if you'd like to know how I do it. Although there are common things that you must do to make turnouts that look good and are both reliable and durable, everyone who makes them has their own way of doing it. Through the years, I've discovered several ways of doing things that are not typical, but yield a turnout that is both prototypical looking and extremely reliable. It is not "rocket science" and you just need a few skills such as knowing how to solder well and quickly, how to file and shape metal and what materials and tools are best for making your own. Over the years, you'll save a ton of money by making your own, and after you get going, it only takes an hour or two to construct them. Well, time for breakfast! Talk to ya later!
Seeing the "BNSF" logo, I figure I've got a 50/50 chance.... anyway, if you're after ex-Santa Fe structures, I'd highly recommend seeing if you can snag the "Santa Fe System Standards" from Kachina Press; all the ATSF standard bridge plans are in there. Wish I'd gotten this years ago, because some of the things like ballasted wood deck trestles (particularly common on ATSF) just aren't available as models. They also show up on Ebay. http://www.atsfrr.net/store/bookRef.htm Another one that's highly recommended is "Santa Fe Bridges".... http://www.mcmillanpublications.com/products/santa-fe-bridges-walz Fairly new book, just out last year, very much recommended from where it sounds like you are coming from; softcover so that it won't eat you alive from the wallet out. That includes sample structure drawings of every major type. Can't help you on the BN side but I'm sure there are many here that can. There's two things that many modelers 'don't get' without some initial study - getting the abutments right, and putting structure UNDER the track, not over, when there isn't a clearance problem. There's a lot of plastic bridges out there with some nice parts but no visible means of support where there should be stringers under the rail instead of just ties; typical train-set style bridges and many kits have some very nice parts that can be adapted to specific locations and are relatively inexpensive. I'm a fan of Plastruct and styrene myself, also have done smaller wood structures using .010 brass wire to drill and pin parts together for strength just like real bolts.
Cool! Thank You for the responses and the links. I am VERY glad to hear that I do not need the jigs I saw in hand laid track. I am looking forward to building these. Shaun
