11-17-2009, 01:38 PM
eightyeightfan1 Wrote:I would assume(You know the saying) that the dock would be strong enough to hold the rolling stock only. Wouldn't most railroads use an "idler car" for spotting the rolling stock on the dock?
I have given this a great deal of thought as well. For my particular model the only way to get "stuff" off of the car float is to have the loco roll onto the wharf. I have seen old photos of steam engines on wood docks and piers in large harbors pulling freight to "shore". Mind you these were not big engines so as a "rule" I was thinking about adding a weight restriction to operating the harbor yard, but that doesn't make sense if I'm going to spot a variety of rolling stock and the dock will have to support their weight as well as that of the locomotive assigned as the switcher.
I have already decided that as an operating "rule" locos would not be allowed on the float bridge and will have to use a couple of flats to spot and remove freight off of the float. I think that was a given from that start.
The primary locomotives I have are
GP 9 = 125 tons.
SW9 = 124 tons.
2-8-0 = 189.5 tons. (incl. tender) <---- ironically the only steamer I have is the "heaviest" one of the bunch.
Soooo... I think my crews are safe from drowning.
hock: That said, I think the objective I'm shooting for is to make it look believable. Use wood of dimensions that looks like it was meant to support the weight and create the illusion that scene modeled actually existed. Assemble the trestles, space them apart at a believable distance. 12' scale feet? Maybe 18'... 20' wider? And give it enough beef to make it look strong.
The 1:1 scale size of the pier is 3' 5 1/2" long by 8 1/2" wide. I do not plan on making the trestles as wide as the entire width of the pier either. I was planning on going about half the distance and covering the "back wall" length wise with a row of piles. The pier itself will be low enough that you'd have to crouch down a bit in order to look all the way underneath and there is no sense in modeling something you can't see for the most part.
Whew...I'm getting tired just talking about this build.
