Ballasting Track On Bridges!!!!

I ballasted my Plate Girder unit[on the Drop section] because I saw a prototype that had it. I don't think so on Howe Truss and others of the type. Really don't know.

Depends on the bridge. If no ballast there is a speed restriction. also depends on the type of bridge. I ballast my thru girder bridges. I'm sure other members know more than I

The coolest looking thing I have seen is to (I use Fastrack) transition to the older style Lionel track for the length of the bridge. I don't know if it is but it looks very prototypical. It works especially well on girder bridges but I think it would look cool on the type you show. Yours looks great however and I would not change it.

I should have put these pictures in the original post,

I think trying to put ballast on mine would be an exercise in futility.

 

I'm not planning to ballast mine, I am planning to print a wide board insert to glue down between the tracks and the side panels.

We had about 15 bridges of various types on our layout. Most had ballast unless it was an open beam type wooded bridge or the arched MTH girder bridges.

 

 

Spence the Milwaukke Road as far as I know was the only road that almost always laid ballast on their bridges. Don

Thank you for the replys. I'm undecided. I ballasted a small amount of track on the bridge but can't make up my mind whether I like the look or not.

Hello Drodder, do you have a track plan you could share?The pictures peaked my interest.

 

Thank you.

 

Paul

Spence, this is how most trestles look. How about laying random planks on your bridges. Don

I have seen real-world pictures of bridges that were ballasted but it always seemed bizarre to me so I have never done it - not just now but on any layout I have every had.

Why? Never heard of THAT.

That looks like a trestle that might be out in the middle of the Pacific ??? Doesn't look like any trestle I've seen on the mainland.

Don, That's a thought.(Planks)

 

Mahalo

Thanks for your input Hot water I was told that by someone i thought was knowledgeable. they said the ballast absorbed the shock of the trains, they wondered why i didn't ballast my mainline  bridges. Thank you again for clearing that up. 

Don:  It's true that the Milwaukee used ballasted deck-girder bridges out west as well as some ballasted through-girders, too.  But I do remember seeing through girder bridges as well as truss bridges with open decks.  I actually like the appearance of the open deck effect because you can see through it somewhat. 

 

On my layout, I have five Atlas deck girder bridges that simulate the Milwaukee's western route through the mountains.  Yeah, I know that they should have a ballasted deck, but I just can't bring myself to covering up all that special work that Atlas went through such efforts to simulate.  I do have one series of bridges that are ballasted over because the bridges are arranged in an "S" curve shape.  On the layout, the actual structure was cut out of a fairly long 2" x 8" so there was no open structure to worry about covering.  It's pretty "clunky" but it is sturdy enough for me to actually climb on.

 

I don't ever recall seeing a ballasted trestle bridge, though, do any of you?

 

Paul Fischer

I have used cork roadbed under tubular track on most bridges, and it looks pretty good to me.

 

Rod

Rod; I have the cork roadbed under the track already.

 

 

This kind of looks like the Sugar Cane Train in Maui......

It's 4 Rail

Yeah, Zeke - I keep ballasting my Lionel bascule bridge, and it just keeps falling

off; strangest thing.

 

What?

Oh.

There was definitely no ballast on the DL&W (I believe it was) trestle we kids would cross on our way to a good sleigh-riding hill.  It required concentration to go from snowy tie to tie and not slip through.

Railrunnin, I used Autocad to do my layout, bench work and what ever I need, Do you have this? I might be able to covert to PDF but will be very small and might be hard to see.

This is for Railrunnin (and anyone interested).

No guys I think I shot this in the High Mountains of the Cascades. Oh yea, here's one of those Cascade trains coming now. Don

SP tented to have ballasted tracks on bridges which did not have overhead trusses on them on heavy use trackage.

 

But, ballasting on its own did not determine spped.

Rockville [stone] bridge has ballast.

 

 

It depends on the bridge as others have said. What hasn't been said is, what is ballast's function? It is there to provide water drainage, so the ties don't rot as quickly. It also helps hold the track in place. 

 

So obviously, any bridge that has an open bottom will not have ballast. Wooden trestles will almost never have it, whereas masonry bridges almost always do. Plate girder bridges can go either way.

Everyone knows where Don lives, but if they didn't, the palm trees are a bit of a giveaway.

Hi Spence,

 

As others have mentioned, there are many examples of bridges with and without ballast.  Wood trestles, truss and drawbridges are usually built without ballast.  Plate girder and steel trestles are much more likely to have ballast.

 

In addition to drainage, ballast does provide cushioning to the trains.  Speed restrictions depend more on the condition of the structure and track as well as curvature.  Many older trestles and bridges, with or without ballast, have speed restrictions to help reduce wear and tear.

 

As Don mentioned, the Milwaukee ballasted all bridges on the pacific extension.  From St. Paul Pass west the bridges had concrete troughs on top of steel structures.  East of St. Paul Pass the troughs were made of creosoted timbers.  The troughs were filled with ballast and the track was laid to the same construction standards as on land.  Today many of the Milwaukee's ballasted deck bridges have been repurposed as dirt roads and trails.  Here's a shot of Eagle Nest Bridge in Montana, which is now used as an access road by local ranchers.

 

 

We have recently installed our recreation of the Eagle Nest Bridge on the NorthWest Trunk Lines.

 

 

The Milwaukee was not alone in using this type of bridge construction.  The Santa Fe used a similar wooden through design on several bridges through Abo Canyon, NM.

 

 

 

 

 

And quite a lot of ballast too…..