09-25-2010, 12:43 PM
I started on the third of five bridges on the layout. This bridge is a few miles to the southeast of downtown Houston in an older area of town.
First, a GoogleEarth view and a Bing view:
And some prototype photos. There are several interesting things about the prototype. Since Houston is so flat, we have lots of "underpasses" at rail crossings. The ground is excavated and then the road is lowered to pass underneath the track. That is the case with this bridge. The road slopes down to clear the rail bridge, then rises back up to ground level.
The bridge supports are of interest too, with all of the shapes involved. Strange that they would have built it like they did instead of just making it like a big rectangular box all the way up.
Also, the road goes under the bridge at an angle, and the girder ends are not aligned perpendicularly across the tracks.
All in all, it seems like a really nice bridge to model. Sidenote: The grass on the slope in the first photo is a prime candidate for the GERN GrassBlaster!
First, a GoogleEarth view and a Bing view:
And some prototype photos. There are several interesting things about the prototype. Since Houston is so flat, we have lots of "underpasses" at rail crossings. The ground is excavated and then the road is lowered to pass underneath the track. That is the case with this bridge. The road slopes down to clear the rail bridge, then rises back up to ground level.
The bridge supports are of interest too, with all of the shapes involved. Strange that they would have built it like they did instead of just making it like a big rectangular box all the way up.
Also, the road goes under the bridge at an angle, and the girder ends are not aligned perpendicularly across the tracks.
All in all, it seems like a really nice bridge to model. Sidenote: The grass on the slope in the first photo is a prime candidate for the GERN GrassBlaster!
Three Foot Rule In Effect At All Times