GEC's Layout Progress

[sailormatlac]

See? It will NEVER get done!

Its fun to dream though...

Ahaha! Watching picture back from 2007, I'm still running trains on fiber board in terms of scenery!! We move forward, then move back... always, always... learning as we process our ambitious and contradictory dreams!

Joke aside, your bridge, that seems to represent something built in the 60's should be rebuild with larger piles and higher structural beem. Seems like you used the Rix overpass kit that is nice for small and frail structures built around 1930's.

I would keep the bridge for visual separation. Your layout is small in a shape you can feel you don't travel from a borough to another. In this respect, keeping the bridge feels like a good idea. If build strong enough, it could be made in two supporting section you can lift if you need to take some pictures.

Look at real large highways, you'll be surprised how they can span large areas, especially over rails... Good old Google Earth is a cheap way to check that. You could build something real nice from 1/2" and 1/4" MDF board scraps you can get at a local hardware store for a few bucks. Paint them with cheap Krylon paint (I suggest their light beige grey that looks light real concrete) and, if you feel a little bit artistic, wash them with a good old 50-50 diluted black formula. Details can be added later on. I used sprues with wire to make drains. Looking at your beautiful handmade catenary, I'm sure it's not beyond your reach at all.

In my overpass, I used a lot of pillars, much more than the real thing, to hide the tunnel entrance:






The prototype, over the yard entrance in Limoilou. Not in the picture is a part of the yard that actually runs under and parallel to the overpass. The main track cross the track at an odd angle. This exemple is taken is a city with little train traffic, I imagine you could find even more interesting stuff in NJ and NY.



The span is about 140 ft, so 19 inches in HO!!! More than you need my friend! Just make sure the girder doesn't look too frail. Rix overpass then to look like a pancake over long distance...

Hope this help!

Excellent work on your catenary. My prototype was an electric traction too, but I only represented both end of the line that were steam and diesel... However, I'd like to depict a few catenary at one station to show the true nature of the road...

BTW, I love your electric roster. It reminds me I have a very old athearn Virginian electric locomotive very similar to yours. These engines have lots of character!

Matt