"improving" the MTH Hell Gate bridge & how to take this rascal apart...

Hidden screws inside the stone ends...
I'll give it to MTH, they didn't go cheap on the construction. There are four visible screws on the bottom, and once you remove the top of the bridge, you will see two more screws on the top arch where it goes in the stone ends.

Here you see all 6 of them buggers.

But, in order to remove the two hidden screws, you gotta remove this top T-Bone shaped cap. To remove it, I slid a coffee stir into each of the 6 tabs, and wiggle it up very carefully.

Once you remove the t-bone cap, 8 more screws to remove the second layer...

and now you actually find those two hidden screws. 

with the end & multiple caps now removed, I can get to where I need to be. I'm going to recess a 5mm amber LED at the red arrow to shine just a little warm light over the two tracks. The black arrows show where I will recess a 3mm amber LED, to illuminate the walk way.

and here is the start of my painting. A little acrylic grey on the gloss white plastic, leaving a little in the mortar lines. Using flat paint takes the shine off and I don't have to dull coat it. Will continue to post as progress is made.

I took mine apart to remove the inner arches out of the bridge span and stone towers. I couldn't run super liners, double stacks or high cubes thru the bridge so I pulled out the arches and now everything fits and it doesn't actually look that bad without it. I notice they're gone but nobody else does.

Matt-

That's actually a pretty good idea. Since I have it apart, I will remove the inner arch because I never know what we will be running in the future.

How easy is it to remove that arch?

Ricky-
I looked at that inner arch today, and it looks to be a bugger to remove, and it looks like it is only a few millimeters lower than the arch stone entrances. I think I'm going to leave mine in place for now...

I have the stone parts all painted. I removed the sidewalk & railing today, only to find out that I was out of the brown I was going to use.

Got the stone painted, as well as the sidewalk/handrail. I also installed a warm white LED over the track and both sidewalk entrances. 

Very good idea and execution!! Glad to know that parts can be removed so the taller equipment can make it through. 

It's pretty easy to remove them, it way more difficult to modify them to make them look good. I took the easy way out and took em out. If i ever get to the point where I can modify em and put em back in I will but Ive got better things to do. take the I shaped cover off the top and remove the screws. to top should come off and you access the screws holdin the arch in. Once the screws are out it pulls straight up to come out.. as for the span arch there's like 3 screws on each side, take them out then you can flex the plastic just enough to pop out one side

finished her up this week, the pictures don't look accurate, the LEDs are much dimmer & warmer in color. Its a nice small accent. Three LED's in each end, and one under the tracks to illuminate the valley/river. I sanded the LEDs, to give it a flood like appearance.

I have followed this thread for a long time, and now I'm starting my layout with the MTH HGB as the back center section of an 8x16 area. I will be using Ross track with RossBed. However, experimentation on the deck of the HGB reveals it is not necessary to remove the end arches for clearance. I will be running Lionel Superliners (Alaska RR) and an MTH near-scale double-deck automobile car. The solution for clearing the arches I found was to simply leave the RossBed off of the track, then move the track inwards to get the necessary 3.5 inches track center. This leaves about 5/8ths of an inch clearance from the curved edge of the roof of the Superliner to the arch. For the auto car the clearance is 3/8ths of an inch from the right-angle roof edge to the arch. I don't have Gargraves track to perform the same test, but I'm guessing that would work the same way. I don't intend to ballast the track on the bridge deck.

Gargraves and Ross are the same height, so it should work with Gargraves track.

Former Member mentioned double-stacks and hi-cubes as clearance issues. I don't have either of these so that test would need to be done to avoid later disaster. Using the MTH and even the Ross track with RossBed attached aligns the track centers between the cast-in grooves on the bridge deck, moving the track too close to the end arches. I might try using the RossBedded track by trimming a section off of the side to pull it in closer to the inner groove on the deck. Leaving the track unballasted makes for an unfinished look, but will be 8 feet away.

I borrowed a friend's MTH TTX double stack car with Hanjin containers for the next test. No Go! The end arches would have to be removed, period to run this equipment. They would make contact halfway up the arch and with the centerspan. So, Superliners: Yes, and Double Stacks: No, with arches in place. I hope this spares someone some misery! (this was done with RossBed removed)

After more consideration I decided to remove the two end arches to ensure clearance with the Superliners. When removed, the bridge shows the fastening points that are molded in to keep the arch in place on each end. Also. the sides look weird because the guts are revealed that hold the arches on the ends. That can be covered with stone block panels cut to fit, but here is how I dealt with the "tubes" protruding down, I used white  3/8" push nuts to simulate lamps that are industrial size in scale:

Most big steel bridges don't have solid decks and have the ties laid directly on the supporting girders without any roadbed.  Doing this will gain you an extra 1/4' of clearance.

Jan

PS. Of course the real Hellgate is an exception. https://untappedcities.com/201...ate-bridge-in-nyc/9/

https://files.structurae.net/f...6-05-31/dsc03969.jpg

Yes, I'm aware of the real deal, ran a few trains over it and noticed the deck is ballasted. Thats why I elected to go with the RossBed and remove the arches. Clearance is OK now, Just no double-stacks, which don't operate on the LIRR. I know, why do I mix LIRR and New Haven/Conrail/Amtrak on this bridge? Consolidation! All O gaugers need space! My timetable special instructions will prohibit double stacks from that portion of the layout. The pic shows a loaded 90' car with a de-trucked M1 car being sent to scrap at Oak Point Yard, for interchange to Mexico. Remember- Asbestos can only go south!