QuoteImpressive trestle Mark, look forward to seeing it with scenery.....

Thanks, Gregory.

The possums all went out to have a look at my progress in the train room yesterday afternoon.  Nice to get some feedback and to be reminded that I am making progress.  We talked through scenery around the snowy river battery where I am second guessing myself and have a couple of totally different ideas floating around in my head.  I think my plan is to 'throw up' some fascia and cut in the land profile to see what I think.  This will show how I can frame different views, hide some elements from one side of the peninsula and have others as major views with borrowed scenery behind.  Also rediscovered my MRR with Malcolm Furlow's article on the Silverton and Telluride layout he worked on - one of my all time favourite layouts.  One of the things I noticed was his extremely vertical trestle bents.  I think I will mock a couple of these up and try them in place of the Howe through truss bridge.  I'll lose the 'see through' element of the Howe truss, but may gain more with the drama of those tall, fragile bents.

Cheers, Mark.

QuoteBeautiful trestle!  With scenery it's going to really be a scent to behold.

Thanks, Jerry.

Yes - I'm really looking forward to the scenery stage.  I made good progress on the Micro Engineering bridge bents last night.  Hoping to get more done today.  I might have opted for the more delicate wire and turnbuckle cross braces if I had have known before being told part way through the instructions.  Unfortunately, here in New Zealand, you can't just walk into your local hobby shop and buy Grandt Line turnbuckles.  I would need to order these from the USA and then wait at least two weeks (perhaps 6 weeks) for them to arrive.  I also found a short Youtube video which answered a lot of my questions about building the bridge at grade.

Cheers, Mark.

QuoteThe trestle is amazing and looks great. With the addition of scenery, it will certainly be an eye catcher.

The mockup behind the trestle looks good, on paper anyway. 

Thanks, Tom.

The mock-up is of Builders in Scale Silverado mine.  It is a quaint little mine and will fit well into my limited space here.  I'm looking forward to starting on some scenery, but at present I'm working on getting bridges constructed so that the main line can keep progressing.  The plan is to get all the way from Hope to Alabaster, just leaving the three large bridges across the summit line to complete.

Cheers, Mark.

QuoteMark, just catching up on the forum, really impressive bridge, quite the project.

Thanks, Jim.

We have a modelling weekend this weekend so I'm planning to get stuck into the next major bridge.  This one is a Micro Engineering 150' tall steel viaduct.  There are a lot of parts so I'm guessing it might take quite a while to put together.  I have various other projects to work on as well, so if I need a break I'm spoiled for choice...

Cheers, Mark.

Enjoying the tour of your layout, Jeff.

Looking good.

Cheers, Mark.

This came out really nice, Jeff.

The new roof works well.

Cheers, Mark.

Great start, Bob.

Its looking very neat.  A cool little kit, too.  Good to see you start your retirement with such gusto!

Cheers, Mark.

Its really coming together Marty.  Looking good.

Cheers, Mark.

Fabulous, Matt.

Really enjoying watching you work.

Cheers, Mark.

Really nice workmanship, Matt.

The turret has come out extremely well.  Was the wood modelled in wood or styrene? The paper has come out very realistic.  It really does look like news print.  Any tricks?  By the way - what scale are we in?

Looking forward to seeing more of your fine work.

Cheers, Mark.

QuoteGreat looking trestle, Mark.  Can that tiny Rio Grande engine really pull all those wagons?

Thanks, Jeff.

To be honest I don't know yet.  Probably on the flat.  The wagons are quite light and extremely free running.  I would imagine the 4% grade might be a little taxing.  I was looking at how I could do away with the loop, make the layout point to return loop, and lower the gradient to around 2.5%.  It is possible (although a hell of a lot of messy, double handling work) but it kind of creates as many problems as it fixes.  It also means there would be about 6" less vertical displacement.  In the end I decided to carry on with the 4% grade.  Geared locos, shorter trains.  Perhaps trains will need to be pushed up hill and pulled downhill to stop runaway derailed wagons.  I can tell you from testing my trackwork with a short rake of cars - they sure do get up some serious speed!

Cheers, Mark.

QuoteBeautiful work on the trestle Mark...that's going to be quite a scene. The complexity of the benchwork is certainly intriguing as I try to envision the dramatic scenery to follow.

Thanks, Cuse.

I'm planning on having the river split into two streams coming under the trestle.  The river that flows to this point will have to be lowered.  At the moment I have 16mm MDF screwed (but not glued) to the top of the joists for the riverbed.  In order to allow enough height for the Micro Engineering tall towers to fit under the higher track (just past the spur to the snowy river battery) I need to lower the MDF to be flush with the top of the joists.  A bit more cutting and fitting to do yet.  The river then falls about 3 inches to the lowered section that the trestle sits on.  I carefully plotted out the position of all the piles and set my plunge router to the correct depth and routed slightly larger holes for the piles to fit into.  It was a mare to get the piles into all those holes (40, I think) and so I have attached the track to the bridge at both ends and will try to scenic around the bridge in position.  We will see how that goes.  It was a super elevated bridge on a 28" radius curve at a 3% grade.  You can't build them much more difficult that that!  To be honest I'm amazed it fitted as well as it did...

Cheers, Mark.

QuoteHello Mark, what great progress you are making on your empire. You have a lot of mountain building to do, can't wait to see it.

Thanks, Jeff.

Yes - it will be nice to get into forming up the mountain scenery.  Hopefully I will get to some of that later this year.

Cheers, Mark.

Hi again...

Photo 5 - shows a heisler and two of the hoppers mocked up on the bridge.  I used Micro Engineering code 70 bridge track.


Photo 6 - shows the view through the bridge to the Builders in Scale Silverado mine.


Photo 7 - is looking down on this section of the layout.  There will be a tunnel mouth just to the left of the bridge, and at the right the gradient flattens for the passing loop at Malcolm.


Photo 8 - shows the view through the bridge to the track snaking its way to the Silverado mine.  This track is now laid too.


More soon, cheers, Mark.

Hi guys.

So I bought some more Australian, New South Wales rolling stock.  These are about ten years too modern for my period, but 'oh well'.  They come in four packs and these sets are always limited runs and always seem to sell out.  I bought two 10 packs of coal hoppers and was planning to get one more ten pack with hungry boards and they all sold out.  Such a shame as I really wanted that random look of a few here and there with hungry boards.  So I got five cattle wagons, four sheep wagons and three dairy wagons.  Here are three pictures of the train in the passing siding at Ellery.  I have laid the track work and installed the turnouts through here now.  All curved track is cantilevered.  The photos should show a nice flowing curve - I tried hard to get one!






Here is the second bridge for Shadowlands.  This is the one I had to partially rebuild after Wilbur escaped from his crate in the middle of the night and among other antics, knocked over the table on which my bridge was being built.  My original plan was to have a micro Engineering tall steel viaduct with height extensions, but when I got to the track bed stage I discovered I didn't have anywhere near enough height.  I lowered the baseboard as much as I could and the river bed is now directly fixed to the module bearers.  I have plans for the tall steel viaduct elsewhere, but without the height extensions. 


More in a sec, cheers, Mark.