Cisco Bridges: a new layout concept

[Scottl]

Still working on that section and making some progress.  I have a small sample of limestone paver base (which is what Rod was describing) that my neighbor had in his shed, and it is quite useful I think.  More to come on that.

I managed to ballast the east bank of the canyon.  The nail in the first photo is a place holder for a signal that will come later.



Looking up the CP mainline



Slow progress, but ballasting takes a lot of time with three different materials.  The cutoff needs a little more ballast between the rails, but better to have too little than a mess of it.

[LIRR]

I just reviewed this thread from the beginning...this is outstanding work....

[Santa Fe Guy]

Hi Scott.
To obtain some of the talus look I let the tile grout dry in the ice cream bucket that we mixed it in on the sides. Once dry I just broke it out and had nice pieces of rock to place along the bottom of the cliffs.
Nice work on the ballasting. If you take your time here and get it nice an even along the sides it makes the track look so much better IMO.
The bridge is taking centre stage as planned, well done.
Rod.

[Jeff AKA St0rm]

The nail in the first photo is a place holder for a signal that will come later.

I think you could of done a better job on that nail. No paint, no weathering, no nothing. It is like you aren't even trying.   

Looking good 

[Angus Shops]

I'd suggest lots of woody debris. It's a tough life for bushes and trees in the dry rocky conditions and a lot of the don't make it. The trees growing on the unstable soil will eventually topple, and the vegetation at the top of the slope will tumble over the edge as the slope erodes. Notice that the dead wood weathers to grey colour and collects around the patches of small trees the manage to hang on to the slope.

I also find that it's best to try to achieve the textures you need and not worry about the colours. I use paint liberally rather than try to rely on the colour of the natural material. Years ago I collected samples of the soft shale/sandstone from the corner of the world I model (Kicking Horse River, Golden to Field BC) thinking that all I needed to do was grind it up and glue it down. However the process of glueing it place darkens it way too much. So, use material of whatever colour you can find as long as you like the texture, then paint it.

Geoff

[Scottl]

Thanks Geoff.  I have accumulated quite a lot of woody debris that will find its way on.  I want to finish the crude scenery items before that work- even those trees  are just placeholders and I have many to come.

You are right about color too.  I liberally use washes to change the tone of materials and I find it works well get the final color that looks right.  Most of what is in these pictures is still getting regular stains, mostly black and umber and occasional sienna. 

[Scottl]

I'm going to add some of the details to the bridge this weekend, including the conduit and walkways.  I will also install code 40 guard rail, but I am not sure about a few details.  Any advice is most welcome!

First, because the guard rail does not get rail wear, I assume it should be painted some kind of dirty-rust color on the top and sides?  Following from that, I will attach the rail to the ties with CA glue, so should I be concerned about paint on the base of the rail inhibiting the bond of the glue?  Finally, the ME bridge track has molded spikes that look to be for the guard rail.  Should I be using these as a guide for locating the rail?  Tests suggest that this gives adequate clearance for the wheel flanges and some slop for undergauged wheel sets.

Thanks in advance!

[davefoxx]

Scott,

You're right.  The molded nubs on the ME bridge track will allow you to place the guardrails in the correct placement and leave proper flangeways.  Also, yes, the guardrails should be weathered with no shiny wear on the railheads as you see on the running rails.  Either rust them or place an order for Neolube from Max.  The beauty of the Code 40 guardrails is that the tops will not be scratched when you clean your track, because the railheads of the Code 40 sit below the height of the railheads of the Code 55 track.

When I glued the guardrails on my ME bridge track, it took some patience to get the CA to grab.  If you have any CA accelerator (I didn't), you may be more successful than me.  Alternatively, you could use Pliobond or some other kind of contact adhesive, which probably would work much better on the engineering plastic of those bridge ties.

DFF

[Scottl]

Thanks Dave, it is good to hear the voice of experience.  Unfortunately, the neolube can't be shipped to Canada...  but I have blacken-it and it might be a good base to work from. 

[Leggy]

That bridge is just off the charts

[Santa Fe Guy]

Hi Scott.
I'm with Dave. I have ME bridge track on bridges on my SFRSD and initially used CA to attach the guard rail. It came off and I had trouble cleaning of the CA (CA will not stick to itself once dry). Next time I used a two pack adhesive and put weights on the guard rail to hold it in place whilst drying. Much better outcome. I weathered the guard rail using ME weathering solution as all my track was laid using ME code 55 pre weathered track. Looks good and is holding better.
Rod.

[mark dance]

Pliobond.  let it dry on the back of the guard rail then heat the top with a soldering iron while pressing it in place.  The results of testing I did and posted a year or so ago convinced me.  Easy to position the rails and a solid result.

md

[Scottl]

Thanks for the input everyone, I will give Pliobond a try.

[Scottl]

More ballasting this week, and I added some of the fragile details and the guard rails to the bridge as well.  I bought some Pliobond but I can't say I'm a fan, and the addition of heat with a soldering iron left me hesitant given how much I have put into this bridge.  In the end I used CA and followed with accelerator brushed on and tacked it down as I went along.

I managed to get through it and posed a pair of my favorite locomotives for some shots.  The ES44AC is new and is already a favorite.  I'm also experimenting with the developing settings and I think the lighting is getting much better.









Thanks for following.

[BCOL 747]

Scott

My wife and I drove through the canyon a few weeks back and I pointed the bridge out to her. When we returned home I showed her your thread here and she was very impressed on how you have captured the scene. That is saying something about the quality of your work as she is not easily impressed by model railroad layouts. In particular mine, but that may be because I took over her sewing room. LOL!

Keep up the great work.

Chris