03-29-2011, 01:56 PM
My layout is buuilt flat, with 2 layers of 2" foam (4" total) so I have plenty of room to carve down below track level. There's this bridge I want to stick in, not even close to any of the other bridge projects as far as a fancy bridge. Here's a Bing Maps bird's eye view of the thing:
http://www.bing.com/maps/#JnE9LnRyZXhsZX...Q0OTE1NzY1
It's not even a full 2 lanes wide, and it's also very low, 12'9" clearance I think. I have a very tight space to squeeze this in - to the right is a turnout, to the left starts a curve in one corner of the room. I have two issues.
One, I am absolutely TERRIFIED at the prospect of starting to cut under the track I guess at some point I will have to bite the bullet unless I want perfectly flat scenery everywhere - but I do have another one where the street passes over the tracks that I plan to use foam scraps to build up the terrain - that one I'm only worried about getting it al fit in, which it will, I just have to plan how to shape the stacked pieces.
Two - not rue it will look right. I can't continue the track on a fill like is seen in the actual view, I only have space for a short bit of that to either side of the bridge abutments. To the right I could theoretically slice the foam at the frotn edge so that the main AND the siding behind it are up on a 'higher' level - which would then transition back to base level and then rise for the street overpass.
Mostly though I am scared to take that step of hackign up the terrain and hopign it will turn out looking ok. The bridge should be interesting, it's a short plate girder that I shoudl eb able to cut down a commerical bridge and use, the abutments are square concrete posts, I'll have to go measure but the seem to be about 12x12, stacked like timber cribbing and backfilled. Crazy thing is there's a big industrial park back there and about once a month or so some truck driver thinks he can take a short cut and gets stuck under the bridge. My viewing direction on the layout is actually 180 degrees flipped from the way I linked the map, oops.
--Randy
http://www.bing.com/maps/#JnE9LnRyZXhsZX...Q0OTE1NzY1
It's not even a full 2 lanes wide, and it's also very low, 12'9" clearance I think. I have a very tight space to squeeze this in - to the right is a turnout, to the left starts a curve in one corner of the room. I have two issues.
One, I am absolutely TERRIFIED at the prospect of starting to cut under the track I guess at some point I will have to bite the bullet unless I want perfectly flat scenery everywhere - but I do have another one where the street passes over the tracks that I plan to use foam scraps to build up the terrain - that one I'm only worried about getting it al fit in, which it will, I just have to plan how to shape the stacked pieces.
Two - not rue it will look right. I can't continue the track on a fill like is seen in the actual view, I only have space for a short bit of that to either side of the bridge abutments. To the right I could theoretically slice the foam at the frotn edge so that the main AND the siding behind it are up on a 'higher' level - which would then transition back to base level and then rise for the street overpass.
Mostly though I am scared to take that step of hackign up the terrain and hopign it will turn out looking ok. The bridge should be interesting, it's a short plate girder that I shoudl eb able to cut down a commerical bridge and use, the abutments are square concrete posts, I'll have to go measure but the seem to be about 12x12, stacked like timber cribbing and backfilled. Crazy thing is there's a big industrial park back there and about once a month or so some truck driver thinks he can take a short cut and gets stuck under the bridge. My viewing direction on the layout is actually 180 degrees flipped from the way I linked the map, oops.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad of the 1950's in HO
Visit my web site to see layout progress and other information:
http://www.readingeastpenn.com
Visit my web site to see layout progress and other information:
http://www.readingeastpenn.com