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Structures - Bridges Articles

A Balsa Foam Primer

American Art & Clay Co.'s Balsa Foam is a dense, rigid plastic foam made from phenolic resin that "carves like butter and paints like wood," as their slogan says. The author shows his use of this material to carve bridge abutments, a concrete underpass, a concrete loading platform, and signaling mast pedestals.

A Trestle at Bragdon Falls

This highly-detailed article covers the author's step-by-step construction of a trestle and Howe bridge over a waterfall. He takes us through the steps of designing the bridge to fit his scene, and the construction process. Includes a sidebar on how to make your own table saw from a circular saw, to cut your own wood. The article includes many construction photos and diagrams.

An 1890 Bridge Upgrade Inspires a Model

The author details the history of the Lindstorm wooden trestle bridge owned by the St Paul & Duluth Railroad, including prototype period photos. The author shares how he modeled a compressed version of it on his own layout.

An Easy Steel Viaduct or "A Bridge Too Far?"

The author built an S-scale model out of a pair of Micro Engineering HO=scale kits.

Another Big One

The author describes the reality of building a very long trestle bridge for his layout.

Big Bridge

The author describes how he tackled building the New York's Upper Manhattan NYC Railroad bridge over the Harlem River. Includes model photos.

Big Warrior River Bridge

This article describes the wrought iron bridge in Cordova, Alabama. Includes detailed drawings.

Blueprints

Blueprints of the Southern Pacific Railroad Shasta Route Bridge No. 210.52 in Tehama, Tehama County, California. Also includes several photos of the bridge.

Blueprints

Blueprints and many photos of the Vandalia Railroad Bridge Spanning U.S. Route 40 in Indianapolis, Marion County, IN. This was built by the Indianapolis & Frankfort Railroad Company, which eventually merged into the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Blueprints

Photos and drawings of the Vandalia Railroad bridge in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Blueprints Part 1

Drawings and one photo of the CMStP & PRR Bridge over Layton Ave in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Blueprints Part 2

Many current-day photos of the CMStP & PRR Bridge over Layton Ave in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Also includes copies of the official design diagrams.

Bridge Alchemy

The author describes how he took a Miami Valley Products O-scale single-track Pratt Truss bridge kit and converted it for use in S-scale. Includes construction photos and various diagrams.

Bridge Basics

How to select the right bridge for the purpose, and the anatomy of a bridge.

Bridge Floors

This article describes how bridge floors are built, and includes several S-scale model photos of layouts, as well as a detailed design diagram of various types of floors.

Bridge Signs

Railroads used bridges over roads as advertising billboards. The author describes how he models them.

Bridging Teton Gorge

This article on how to create concrete piers and erect a deck-girder bridge on top of them has parts lists, detailed drawings, and close-up construction photos.

Bridging the Gaps in the Superior Northern

The author describes the bridges he built for this layout.

Bridging the Local Creek

Modeling two wooden trestle bridges, one holding a two-track mainline and one holding a branch line, next to each other. The bridges are near Flagstaff. Includes full-scale (S-scale) bridge drawings, a materials list, and several photos of the model (one photo of the prototype).

Build a Better Bridge

The author scratchbuilds a through-girder bridge. The article has step-by-step photos, prototype photo, and diagrams.

Build a Bowstring Truss Bridge

The author scratchbuilds the bridge, purely for cosmetic purposes, retrofitting it to his existing layout. Includes photos and drawings.

Building a Bascule Bridge

This article covers the construction of an operating bridge to allow easy entrance into the model railroad room. A brief description of how the model was built, and a few photos are included.

Building a Deck Plate-girder Bridge Part 1

A step-by-step discussion of the construction of a typical steel bridge is prefaced with comments on prototype bridge design standards and a review of the author's modeling techniques. Includes scaled drawings, model and prototype photos, and tables for determine the dimensions of the bridge based on the span it is supposed to cover.

Building a Deck Plate-girder Bridge Part 2

This installment covers the construction of the main girders and the interior bracing pieces which provides most of the sub-assemblies for the steel bridge. Includes lots of scaled drawings, construction photos, and a table for girder dimensions.

Building a Deck Plate-girder Bridge Part 3

In this final installment, the author concludes by tying the girders together and adding the deck, ties, and rails to complete the bridge. Includes construction photos, diagrams, and one prototype photo (repeated from Part 1).

Building a Modern Plate Girder Bridge

The author built a diorama focused on a bridge crossing a creek in an area where he hung out when he was young. Today it is covered with graffiti, which he also modeled. Diorama construction photos and bridge scale drawings are included.

Building a River Crossing

The author uses foam board for his layout's construction, so this article describes how he fit a bridge into the scenery. The result is very convincing.

Building an Operating S scale Bascule Bridge

The author briefly describes how he scratchbuilt this bridge using Plastruct ABS materials and Plastruct Bondene.

Building Arched Stone Bridges

The author describes in both text and accompanying photos how he build a stone arched bridge.

Building Believable Bridges

This basic article describes how to install a bridge into a layout that has plain plywood as a temporary placeholder. Diagrams describes the common bridge types.

Building Cimarron Canyon Trestle

The author shows how he constructed a Howe truss bridge that spans a small canyon. Includes construction photos and design diagrams.

Canadian National Railways Sanmore Subdivision

The author shares the Jean-Pierre Rheaume Memorial bridge, an Atlas truss bridge built by its name-sake, and donated to the author. He describes how he integrated the bridge into his own layout, even though the bridge was too short. Includes the construction of the abutments.

Casting Your Own Scenery Details From Plaster

How to make your own retaining walls, bridge piers, abutments, and tunnel portals.

Chesapeake & Ohio Trestle Bridge

A prototype drawings of a trestle bridge components.

Concrete Structures for Model Railroads

How to build forms and pour concrete for foundations like they do in the prototype.

Constructing the Float Bridge on the Bay Ridge Harbour RR

This photo essay shows how the author built the car float bridge for his layout.

Construction of a Scratch-Built Truss Bridge

The author shows how he designed and built a truss bridge for his small layout.

Crossing Coolie Canyon

Building two bridges over a canyon on the layout. One is a stonearch cast-in-place bridge and the other a steel trestle one.

Detailing Micro-Engineering Trestle Tower

Adding gussets, lattice bars, and rivets to improve a decent basic structure. Includes a side bar on embossing rivet heads in styrene using a pounce wheel. Article includes prototype photos.

Dismal Creek Bridge

The author describes how he scratchbuilt a very basic timber bridge, modeling, with actual sticks and branches, just what the prototype did.

Easy-to-model Small Bridges

Building a small bridge over a creek.

Engineering Department

Using bridge components from O- or HO-scale works just fine on S-scale, because most are scale-indifferent. A few kits are mentioned in the article. Several model photos of bridges on the author's layout are included.

Fire Protection for Open Deck Bridges

Describes how the railroad fight fires in various open deck bridges.

Girder Bridges

The author describes how he built a three-span plate girder bridge, a main span with flanking smaller spans, which were built using Micro-Engineering and
Evergreen styrene. Includes diagrams and construction photos.

How About a Bascule Bridge

The author describes the Walthers HO-scale Bascule bridge kit he built. It is plenty big for use in S-scale.

How To Scratchbuild a Bridge

Detailed instructions and photos of how to build a deck girder bridge.

Jeff's Junction

The author suggests the styrene bridges, especially non-craftsman style ones, would be a good addition to S-scale.

Just an Old Concrete Bridge

The author builds a ballasted-deck bridge from scratch. The articles also provides a parts list, construction diagrams, and a photo of the finished model.

Kentucky River Bridges

The bridges were built of heavy-duty Pennsylvania truss design in order to carry the weight. A short photo essay.

Kitbasher's Korner

Using a 2x4 stud board to create a six-portal arch bridge.

Kitbashing the Walthers N Scale Truss Bridge

Using the Walthers double-track truss bridge, the author built in three different ways, depending on the amount of time one desires to invest in the project. Includes constructions details.

Lacing Bars

Lacing bars are used to hold structural components together. This article covers how to make the master and then cast the parts needed.

Lattice Truss Bridge

This brief article is accompanied by prototype photos and scaled drawings.

Levee Gate

This article describes how railroads deal with levees that are to hold back flood waters yet trains must be able to pass through any other time. Includes photos of a levee in Augusta, Georgia where the Norfolk Southern has to pass through.

Lucin Cutoff

How the Transcontinental Railroad traversed the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and how the bridge still survives today.

Model a Stone Viaduct

Stone viaduct using wood, styrene, and foam insulation spray.

Modeling a Low Level Arch Bridge

Build the bridge on a diorama and install it on the layout afterwards.

Modeling Steel Railroad Bridges Chapter 1

This article starts a series on bridges. In this installment the author covers railroad economics as it pertains to bridges, with descriptions of prototype solutions to several different sites.

Modeling the B&O's St. George Float Bridge

The author built this bridge using slides he took in the 1970s before the bridge was removed. Includes prototype and model photos, scale drawings, complete construction details, and a sidebar on how to integrate a car float into layout operations.

Modeling the Wilburton Trestle

The author is attempting to build a full-scale model of this bridge, with correct topography. Prototype photos and scale drawings are included. Trestle bent construction photos are included also.

Modeling Wilburton Trestle

Shows how the author built the bends and starts assembling the bridge. Includes prototype photos.

Modeling Wilburton Trestle

The author continues to build the 6-foot model of this large bridge. The bents are complete, so he shows how he is putting them together to create the bridge.

Modeling Wilburton Trestle Part 5

This installment covers completing most of the structure.

Modeling with Nut-bolt-washer Castings

The author describes how to work with these nbw castings, and how to install them with greater success. A trestle bridge bent is used as an example in this article.

Modifying an Atlas HO Pony Truss Bridge for S-gauge

A detailed assembly diagram and step-by-step instructions describe how to do the modifications.

Movable Railroad Bridges of Chicago

The final installment of this series covers vertical lift bridges. Includes scale drawings and prototype photos.

Movable Railroad Bridges of Chicago Pt. 1

This installment covers swing bridges. It includes many prototype photos and scale drawings.

Movable Railroad Bridges of Chicago Pt. II

This installment covers Chicago's bascule bridges using text, photos, and scale drawings.

New Bridge Erected Across Amtrak Tracks at ex-PRR Lancaster, Pa. Station

A photo essay of the bridge under construction.

Not Quite Buildings

Scratchbuilding retaining walls, culverts, and abutments.

NYO&W Steel Deck Bridge

Prototype photos and scale drawings accompany this article about the bridge near Rome, New York.

Oldman's Creek Girder Bridge

The author describes how he scratchbuilt a two-track through-girder bridge. Includes photos and diagrams.

On the Beam (Gotta' Dance)

Bridge construction

Over the River and through the Woods

The author describes how he installed the River Raisin Models' 175-ft. arched chord pin-connected single track brass truss bridge in his layout. Includes photos for preparing the area for the bridge. Also includes a side-bar on how truss bridges came about.

Pile Trestles

Most of this article is about prototype pile timber bridges, and includes drawings, prototype photos, and contains a sidebar on how a pile trestle bridge is actually constructed. A few diagrams are included on how to model a pile trestle.

Plate Girders I

An introduction to plate girder bridges, showing photos and drawings.

Plate Girders II

A thorough discussion, supplemented with prototype photos and drawings, of plate girder bridges. A sidebar cover bridge floors.

PRR Standard Highway Overpasses

Covers the standard PRR highway-over-track bridges. Many good-quality close-up prototype photos show the construction and design of these bridges. Includes scale diagrams and step-by-step instructions on how to build one in HO-scale.

Railroad Road Overpasses

The author describes how he scratchbuilt a steel girder bridge that covers automobile roadways.

Recycling an Old Trestle Model

The author describes the process he went through to integrate an existing trestle bridge he was given, into an existing space of his layout. Includes many photos of area of the layout affected by this "surgery".

Scale Scene

In this article the author describes the bridge kits produced by Hunterline.

Scenic Facelift: Adding a New Bridge to an Old Module

This issue's cover photo was taken on the same module, with snow added. It shows the old bridge (a Central Valley model). The new BLMA 150-foot brass bridge was added and the author describes how he did that. Includes many construction photos.

Scratchbuilding a Deck Plate Girder Bridge

After an unfortunate accident with a brass bridge, the author decided to try his hand at scratchbuilding one. This article describes in detail how he did it, and how he painted and weathered the model. Included are construction photos and a few detail drawings.

Short & Easy

This article describes how the author converted an HO-scale Bachmann starter set's bridge for S-scale use as a steel truss country road bridge.

Short and Easy

Making bridge railings, as contributed by John Long.

Simple 200 Foot Pratt Through Truss Bridge

The author describes how he decided upon which bridge he needed for his 36" gap on his layout, describes how he built it. Includes construction photos.

Simple Bridge Railings

The author shows how he built bridge railings using hardware cloth.

Small Bridges

The author describes how to scratchbuild small trestle bridges.

Spanning the Bear River

Dick built a very close match to this 812-foot long bridge that sits at 190 feet above the water of the Nevada County Railroad. Many construction photos and drawings are included with the article, as well as a prototype photo.

Starrucca Viaduct

Found in northeastern Pennsylvania, this 110-foot high, quarter mile long bridge has 17 stone arches. Includes a map of the area, several small and one centerfold photo of the structure.

Steel Tower Footings

Using keyboard keys as footings for bridges.

Swinging Bridge

A brief history of the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad, Pedestrian Suspension Bridge, in Reading, PA. Includes several photos.

The Abingdon Footbridge

Full discussion, scaled drawings, prototype photos, and detailed model photographs of the construction of the Abingdon, VA footbridge as it was after WWII.

The Donald Clerke Memorial Bridge

Retrieving and restoring a bridge from a friend's layout.

The Roundhouse

The author covers the various trestles available from A.C. Gilbert's A.F. product line. Includes some drawings of track plans where trestles can be used.

The Strange Appearance of the New Duquesne St. Bridge

The author describes using a Pola HO-scale Arch Girder Bridge kit that he made work for S-scale. Includes photos of modifications made.

Timber Trestles on the C&TT Railroad

The author revisits the various larger bridges on his layout, using better photographs, and showing the additional work he has done to improve their settings. Includes many overall and close-up photos of the bridges.

Tips on Modeling Wood Trestles: How to Avoid Common Engineering Mistakes

Focusing on frame bent trestles, the author explains why prototype railroads avoid bridges as much as possible, what the definition of a "frame bent trestle" is, how foundations were built, the situations where frame bent trestles were used, and finally, the mistakes us modelers make in placing and building those types of bridges.

Two Small Bridges Part 2

This installment covers building a riveted plate girder bridge. Prototype and model photos are included, as well as a scale drawing. Various close-up photos of prototype bridges provide a clear view of the details to consider when building this model.

What's on Your Workbench?

The author shows the bridge he is building the weathered abutments he made.

Wooden Truss Bridges Built the Right Way

The author describes how a Howe bridge gains its strength. He provides templates and a step-by-step guide to building such a bridge. Also included are construction photos.