Engineering Bridge Structures

May 9, 2013

Brian sent in these ideas:

Scratch building steel bridges can prove challenging and if you don’t want to give it a go there numerous commercial bridges available to choose from. Some bridges are ready built and others come in kit form to assemble.

I can be a good idea to design and build bridges before assembling the baseboard. Adding a tall viaduct may require a deeper baseboard to accommodate it.

I prefer to construct these structures on my sub-base which I can later properly affix to the baseboard. I like to paint it and add my detailing then lay the track. I even finish off the scenery surrounding the structure as I find this easier to finish at my workbench.

As a rule I include thin plywood lip at each end of the track-bed which helps me accurately attach the adjacent track-bed.

To see more ideas from Brian, watch the video at http://www.modelrailwayscenery.org/scenery2.html