Looking for the best glue to permanently assemble one of these bridges.
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Originally Posted by Tom Tee:
Looking for the best glue to permanently assemble one of these bridges.
What material is it made out of?
Tom Tee listen up because I am just trying to help. When I bought mine I tried Testors model glue, (wacko) crazy glue all different kinds. None of them would work until I tried the glue for putting PVC pipe together. Back then (10-12 years ago) I did not know about CA glue now weather that works or not I cant tell you. All I know is that the glue for The PVC pipe worked well enough that 1 tear down and 10-12 years later all 3 of my trestles are still together. Good luck and hope this helps you. Choo Choo Kenny
Originally Posted by Hot Water:
Originally Posted by Tom Tee:
Looking for the best glue to permanently assemble one of these bridges.
What material is it made out of?
Good question!
If it's styrene, Tenax or straight methylene chloride. If it's an ABS plastic, get whatever Plastruct sells for "welding" their ABS together. Supposedly ethylenedichloride will work - pretty sure that won't be easy for you to buy.....
Originally Posted by mwb:
Originally Posted by Hot Water:
Originally Posted by Tom Tee:
Looking for the best glue to permanently assemble one of these bridges.
What material is it made out of?
Good question!
If it's styrene, Tenax or straight methylene chloride. If it's an ABS plastic, get whatever Plastruct sells for "welding" their ABS together. Supposedly ethylenedichloride will work - pretty sure that won't be easy for you to buy.....
I'm thinking it's ABS plastic. I used a CA with success, other than a white hazy cast around the glue joints. You're in pretty good shape with most of the bridge, the base and sides are pre-assembled in the box. Sides pin to the base. Glue items are the overhead truss braces.
Note the round black pins, (16 total): Sides attached to the bridge base.
Bridge assembly without the super structure trusses.
Truss attachment.
Thanks folks.
Mike, I notice your bridge is a lift out. I am building a clients RR using Atlas bridges from his former RR in a lift out application and noticed the rails/deck/ties are rather unsound. Actually quite flimsy.
What is the wear and tear factor with your bridge?
My opening question concerns my own RR for which I need to build several Atlas Truss lift outs.
I am thinking of building it without using the Atlas push pins.
A follow up question is: what adhesive would work great with the plastic bridge yet fail to adhere to temporary metal, Teflon or whatever assembly pins?
The thought is to slide the side tabs into glue soaked gusset opening and temporally insert some kind of pins.
Originally Posted by Tom Tee:
Thanks folks.
Mike, I notice your bridge is a lift out. I am building a clients RR using Atlas bridges from his former RR in a lift out application and noticed the rails/deck/ties are rather unsound. Actually quite flimsy.
What is the wear and tear factor with your bridge? Only issue after several years is the X-braces on the bottom of the deck are broken.
My opening question concerns my own RR for which I need to build several Atlas Truss lift outs.
I am thinking of building it without using the Atlas push pins.
A follow up question is: what adhesive would work great with the plastic bridge yet fail to adhere to temporary metal Cyanacrylate, CA, Super glue., Teflon or whatever assembly pins? The assembly pins have a split end with a catch bump, once their installed, friction fit, and the end design keeps them in place with out adhesives.
The thought is to slide the side tabs into glue soaked gusset opening and temporally insert some kind of pins. I didn't use any glue, sides to the deck.
Have a very merry Christmas 
Mike CT
For what it's worth. My experience with several of these Atlas bridges is that they can sag if unsupported for the full approx. 40 inches span -- unless structurally fortified. Or maybe very carefully gluing the superstructure so that it provides structural integrity.
Just sayin' watch out for this.
This is what I used and it made assembly easy.
I replaced the push pins used to hold the sides with plastic nuts and bolts available from Ace or True Value Hardware. This increased the bridge strength.
I have built four of these: a pair of double track and a pair of single track. We installed them back to back. Dean adjusted the pins and they have worked very well. I would prime and paint prior to assembly. This will make final weathering more practical and lifelike.
