@Catdaddy posted:Very cool to see from start , thanks Mark. Out here in the outskirts of Las Vegas, you guys would mock our cold weather.
Edward, we lived in Peoria Az for a year and I would laugh during winter when it got down to 65-70 degrees and folks would be putting on there winter jackets! LOL I would walk around in a t-shirt!
Edward, Just seeing the fire warmed me up when I came in just now. It's not that cold, 30 degrees, but the wind picked up. I hate wind! They are predicting single digits and below zero starting Sunday. 
Hopefully, that will give me lots of time to get the lift up bridges built!!
Looking great, Mark! It is really going to be special!
Peter
Thank you very much, Peter! Thank you for following along
Mark, Splendid photos and work on your project my friend, and Ill be over in the morning and take care of plowing the Driveway for ya? Tis one small way to help you back
Scott, the Driveways are cleared off from this storm. Thank you for your offer. I’ll let you know next time it snows! 😉
You should get some hefty snowfall where you live. The most I have seen was an amazing 40 inches back in 1996.
Mark, thank you for your comments on Frankenjig and St Joe Industrial Park. I sacrificed my basement workshop to make this addition to the overall plan, and interestingly my wife says our garage looks like a garage now with my pegboard tools in there.
Fun to glance at the 2017 thread start with the Pink Room and jump to now with nearly operational! Thank you for sharing! I just joined this forum in December when I finally finished the basement, and there is just an amazing amount of skill, interest, and help available here. The search engine is very good also, which I'm sure is a major factor in the forum's success.
It is a little daunting to start a thread covering your personal layout progress - I commend you for sticking with it, and for sharing!
I might do it just for my own record, if nothing else. Looks like ppl enjoy seeing other ideas anyway. I agree with the general sentiment that your bridges are one of the signature features of your layout - whether you intended it that way or not. Way cool.
Dan, Thank you very much for taking a look! Yes, it is quite different from the Pink Room on page 1. 
I'm glad you have made a space for your layout and glad you joined the OGR Forum. I have seen others say these ongoing layout design and build topics are their favorites, and they are my favorites too. I encourage you to do the same. You will get more suggestions and ideas than any other way I think. I can't think of any nasty comments from anyone. Usually there are many ways to accomplish the same thing, and if you are doing something that is just plain wrong (usually electronic in nature) folks are gracious to guide you with advice. I can still remember one comment from a long time ago when we were nit picking one of the earlier designs (I am building Plan D) one fellow wrote simply, "Just build it!" 
I took it as an encouragement to not get into analysis paralysis.
I have done 100% of the work on this layout by myself, but it wouldn't be nearly what it is if it hadn't been for many, many folks who have helped me here on this Forum. I joined in 2012, and learned more here in a short time than I had learned since I bought my first train set in 1969 up to 2012.
Mark, Great work so far. Bridge work looks good. I have several to build myself and it’s an intimidating prospect. However seeing all the support for your work is inspirational. Nice job!
Looking great, Mark!!!
George
Great job Mark!
Thank you, Jeremy, George, and John!
I've worked on the bridge a little more, and last evening realized I need to go to the hardware store this morning. Hopefully, I'll have more to show in the next couple days.
Jeremy, you hit the nail on the head that all the support is inspirational! This bridge project is just one example. Without Mike's guidance, I would be floundering. I have been amazed myself at 46 pages of support over the last 4 years!
I finally got the lower lift bridge framed out and it moves up and down by hand very smoothly. It was a week of trial and error on this thing. I have a bunch of various pieces of wood with a variety of holes drilled laying in a pile on the floor!! 
After I took the photographs, I did bevel the table top where the end goes down so the beveled deck of the bridge will work smoothly as Mike has pointed out. The width of the opening right at the bridge is now 24 inches. I still have to get the linear actuator in there. It's a good thing I am still pretty thin.
Oh, I forgot to mention before I saw this power station backdrop for sale when I was ordering some things from hobbytools.com. I worked at several power stations during the first half of my working years. This station has a striking resemblance to Possum Point Power Station when viewed from the Potomac River side. Since I spent more time at Mount Storm Power Station in West Virginia, and it is only a few miles from Thomas, West Virginia where the prototypes for my engine house and yet to be built station kit, I think this is a good fit. It is just leaning against the backdrop still in its protective plastic covering. Besides giving a feel for the final results, it is safe there.
@Mark Boyce posted:I finally got the lower lift bridge framed out and it moves up and down by hand very smoothly. It was a week of trial and error on this thing. I have a bunch of various pieces of wood with a variety of holes drilled laying in a pile on the floor!!
Oh, I forgot to mention before I saw this power station backdrop for sale when I was ordering some things from hobbytools.com. I worked at several power stations during the first half of my working years. This station has a striking resemblance to Possum Point Power Station when viewed from the Potomac River side. Since I spent more time at Mount Storm Power Station in West Virginia, and it is only a few miles from Thomas, West Virginia where the prototypes for my engine house and yet to be built station kit, I think this is a good fit. It is just leaning against the backdrop still in its protective plastic covering. Besides giving a feel for the final results, it is safe there.
Mark
It looks like a trebuchet. Sorry, it's just my mind seeing what I see. Anyway, well done.
Mark, I like that, simple, sturdy and functional.
@Oman posted:Mark
It looks like a trebuchet. Sorry, it's just my mind seeing what I see. Anyway, well done.
Thank you, Keith, Dave! I'm following mike g. 's design as best as I can.
@Mark Boyce posted:
Now, I'm in stitches. I love Monty Python.
Mark, Great progress and the power station looks tremendous. It will be a wonderful addition.
Steve
Mark B, great workmanship, and it’s so great to have folks on the forum here for advice, knowledge, like Mike g., who knows the ins and outs of bridge work, and others that know wiring, scenery detailing, and carpentry, this hobby utilizes all kinds of technics. Your layout is really getting there, it’s fun to see your talents in the above pictures. Fantastic. Happy Railroading Everyone
Haha this last few comments are something!
The bridge is pretty cool!
@Oman posted:Now, I'm in stitches. I love Monty Python.
Keith, I'm glad you liked it.
Steve, Larry, Bill, Thank you!
Larry, you are right, no matter the project, there is someone here who can help.
Nice work Mark! Those bridges are going to be impressive!
Michael
Mark:
Great execution on a great design. Can't wait to see more progress.
Thank you, Michael and pennsynut!! As I told Michael elsewhere, it is a little tricky for me to get things lined up. I am in the middle of a modification that will gain a few more inches so I don't bang my knee on the linear actuator once it is installed. More to come on that.
Mark, things are looking great! You have the hard part done if you have it lining up every time! Don't forget that you need limit switches for power up and power down! I cant wait to see it working! Once again great looking work!
Thank you, Mike!! I have a whole bunch of limit switches. I can't wait to see it working too! 
Great carpentry work on the bridge Mark! The meticulous efforts you have been making all along will be well worth it when the bridge functions like a Swiss watch. Each time you use it will be a source of pride and accomplishment, well done. I used brass fittings to help locate my lift up. Got the source from Tom Tee I believe. I’ll snap a pic or two to show what I mean. It’s simple but effective.
Andy
Andy, Thank you very much!! I would be interested in seeing your photographs with the brass fittings.
The bridge does take the most meticulous work of the whole layout so far, to be sure. The width of the walk through opening was 27 inches before adding the 1 1/2-inch vertical braces to support the bridge. Then realized I needed about 3 inches to accommodate the actuator, it would be a narrower walk through and I could bump my knee or shoulder. I took everything off and put the vertical braces behind the horizontal ones. This lined the verticals with the Mianne legs. In one sense it was good as one of the vertical braces for the bridge fit flush with the Mianne leg. On the other hand, that meant I had to drill through the leg to secure the pivot hardware. It worked out, and the bridge moves smoothly up and down by hand. I ended up using a bunch of 3/4 inch washers as the hardware for the bolt to go through the leg. It works, but may not be a smooth as I would like, and I don't know if it will cause friction in time.
I was able to locate two more MTH through girder bridges and received them in the mail earlier this week. They will need painted to somewhat match the weathered silver look of the original Western Maryland Railway one. The three of them together adds to the weight of the bridge. I will have to look up the weight rating of the linear actuator since no paperwork came with it, as seems to be the practice with a lot of things these days.
I temporarily connected my old Lionel 0100 12 volt DC power supply I bought for HO trains back in the late '60s to very slowly increase the voltage to get the linear actuator to extend it to place the mounting brackets properly. Don't worry Mike, I have not installed the limit switches, but I am not running it up and down with the bridge connected.
So here are the latest photographs I just took this morning. It works, but I think it needs some adjustment, besides the limit switches, raise and lower switches on each side, and then I can work on the higher bridge.
Mark its really coming together now. This feature will really be convenient for you. Each time its actuated you will be able to say I did this. Have you determined how your controls will be? A pendent that you move from side to side or fixed controls on each side? BTW I’m sure that coffee pot has gotten a lot of use during this build....LOL.
Lookin' good, Mark.
If you're looking for alignment pins, these are the ones I used - available on A-zon at a reasonable price.
Have you decided on how you are making your electrical connections ?
Rich and Richie, Thank you!
Rich, the coffee pot has gotten plenty of use! I keep moving it around as it always seems to be in the way of where I am working. I had it on the shelf right behind the lift bridge mount, but moved it on the floor this time to keep saw dust out of it. I have not decided on how to do the controls. Mike g told me he had figured an easy way to do his, so I plan to see that. He mentioned elsewhere they have their grandchildren visiting, so I was going to leave him alone until they left.
Richie, those pins look like something similar to what I have seen others use. As with the answer to Rich, I am going to see what Mike did on his since I built my assembly based on what the did.
It's getting cold here in the basement. I think I need to fire up that coffee pot.
Here you go Mark. Very similar to the ones Richie posted. Easy install with a Tee wrench.
Andy
Andy, That does look similar to Richie's and I agree easy to install.
Hi Mark, things are really looking good! If you got the same actuator I have the rating for it is 225 lbs.
If the pins Richie and Andy show are able to hook power to If I were you I would go with them. I am cheap and made mine out of an old brass door kick. If you look real close you can see the brass strips, I have the same set up on the end of the bridge to power to the tracks.
Thank you, Mike. I did buy what you bought, but it has a different label. It has the speed and stroke in metric numbers, which is okay, but the Max load is listed as 900 N. I had to look up what an 'N' is. Wikipedia, 'the end all of knowledge', states "In most modern scientific work, physical quantities are measured in SI units. The SI unit of weight is the same as that of force: the newton (N) – a derived unit which can also be expressed in SI base units as kg⋅m/s 2 (kilograms times metres per second squared) That was a mouthful!! LOL I ran a Newton to pounds and came up with Results in Pound-force: 900 N = 202.328046 lbf Not quite 225 pounds, but I guess they wanted a round number. 
It reminds me of our second grade teacher back in 1963 introducing us to the metric system. She said we would be using metric all the time in the future. Well, here it is almost 60 years later, and we Americans have done a great job of dragging out feet. If Miss Herr is still living, I doubt she or her students will live to see all metric.
I recall noticing your power contacts, Mike! Very innovative using what you have on hand once again. I hope to get to work on the lift bridge project again tomorrow.
Mark
Haven't checked in for a while - very impressive work!!!!
Pete,
Thank you for checking back in. I have to give Mike G. a lot of credit for giving me the plan and coaching for the lift bridges. I did have to do some trial and error to get the plan to fit my existing benchwork, but am on the downhill stretch on that. I'm hoping to get a little done on it since the snow that was predicted at the end of last week turned out to be freezing rain and ice. Now it is windy and snowing, so the train room is a good place to be.
I hope you are having better weather in Historic Williamsburg!!
Mark I think that is a pretty remarkable bridge you built. Way beyond me and way cool keep up the good work.
Rick, Thank you very much!!
I made a little progress on the piers for the upper bridge, but didn't take any photographs since I am trying to get my new phone setup. More to come.
Wow, Mark.....well done.......I am not a woodworker.....I am very impressed....
Peter
Thank you, Peter!!! I am certainly not a woodworker either! If you were here, you would see that almost all my saw cuts are cock-eyed, and I have lots of holes in the wood, where I drilled and found out that won't work. I have lots of wood scraps from the trial and error, but have been able to reuse some in building the piers for the high bridge.
So here are the two basic piers with a spliced 1x6 acting as the strength to hold the delicate Atlas through truss. The 1x6 and bridge are just sitting on top unattached to prove I got the pier heights right. Finally!!!!!! You can see I pulled out the two K-Line plastic timber piers to make room to get the high bridge worked out. I still have to figure out how I will hinge it on the left and maybe make a big deep pier for it to rest on to the right. I do have hinges that should work if I slide the bridge to the left a bit and build up the wood with all my scraps.
Here it is from the outside with the through girder bridge lowered. No, Mike, I didn't do anymore wiring. I just lowered it very slowly with the speed adjustment lever on the Lionel 0100 12-vold DC power supply I bought in the late '60s to run my HO train.
I finally actually think this will work out! 
BTW, I upgraded from the iPhone 6s to the iPhone XR. I think I like the photographs.
Mark - you probably do not want to do this, but a paper girder bridge could be built so that there was a continuous piece of steel across the length of the bridge. Since you do not need it for support - its an option. I did a post a while back on making my paper girder bridge. Mine is holding up well. Jeff
Jeff, I do recall seeing the paper girder bridge. It looked really nice! I looked for it on the Twin Pines topic, but see you posted it on another topic. Thank you!
The photos look great!
I really like the look of back to back (to back) girder bridges. Not sure why but it's cool.
Bill, Thank you!!
Yes, I bought the middle girder bridge which is painted to look like a rust weathered silver with Western Maryland Railway on both sides. There is a long girder bridge over the Black Fork of the Cheat River at Parsons West Virginia on the real Western Maryland Rwy. at the bottom of Blackwater Canyon. It is a long girder bridge. I could post a photograph, but I don't have one of my own, so I would be breaking the Forum rules. Anyway, that would be ideal. To bridge this gap, three girder bridges worked out well. I would like to repaint the new bridges to match the middle one, but that isn't necessary for now. A future project would be to make a new single span like the prototype, but who knows if that will ever get done with so many other projects ahead of it.
A note on the Atlas through truss bridge I didn't mention yesterday. I did mention a few weeks ago that it needed some minor gluing from shipping. No big deal. However, the middle section of 5 that are on the very top of the bridge was missing for the most part. It was my fault I didn't notice that from the photographs offered. No wonder I got it for such a good price. 
That section basically needs to be rebuilt from scratch. That's another project, but it could be built at the workbench, and then glued back in. I put in some white cardstock to show off the missing section.
Wow, so the aluminum looking cylinder under the bridge area lifts the bridge? And lowers the bridge to? Cool deal. When raised up, does this give you enough room to walk inside the layout with ease? You and Mike g. are so clever. My bridges are lift ups and outs by scooting the track connecting slide shoes all the way off the Atlas O double girder bridge and the MTH bridge, with the bridges completely off, then the entire scenic detailing is on a rolling platform that comes out of the layout and is rolled out of the way, then I have a platform to stand on and work on the middle of the layout. I wish I had seen these ideas 15 years ago. Great woodworking, great thread. Just for the record, we have snow to shovel, it’s time to go to work. Happy Railroading Everyone
Hate to say it but I wouldn't have noticed that missing part in the pictures if you hadn't pointed it out haha
Thank you Larry and Bill!
Larry, Yes applying up to 12 volts DC the cylinder raises and lowers the bridge. Mike's design was very similar to mine with a nearby upper bridge. There will be a lateral board attached to the bottom powered bridge that comes in contact with the upper bridge shortly after it starts to go up. That attachment then pushes the upper bridge up and lowers it down when the powered bridge goes down. Mike's works very smoothly. The bridges are almost perpendicular when in the totally raised position.
I looked at many different methods of opening the tracks to walk in including lift outs, lift up, lower down, swing out. It sounds like yours does have the nice feature that the scenic portion can roll out and you have a platform to work on the interior.
Having passed through Middle Tennessee many times travelling to Fort Smith, Arkansas I know any appreciable accumulation of snow is rare. We visited my in-laws there during the 10 years before my father-in-law retired and they moved back to Pennsylvania 25 years ago. Don't work too hard on shoveling snow. Every time I mention it, Mike tells me to take it easy. He says leave it since the snow will eventually melt. I shoveled a bit this morning, but we didn't have much since on Monday a warm system came in over us and it mostly came down as freezing rain. We are expecting snow again tomorrow.
Bill, I know the gap doesn't show up much unless you are looking down on it. That's why I'm going to go ahead with the bridge installation and plan to come up with a way to fix it later.
@Mark Boyce posted:A note on the Atlas through truss bridge I didn't mention yesterday. I did mention a few weeks ago that it needed some minor gluing from shipping. No big deal. However, the middle section of 5 that are on the very top of the bridge was missing for the most part. It was my fault I didn't notice that from the photographs offered. No wonder I got it for such a good price.
Mark,
At one time, I had some leftover girders from the kit which expands the single track Pratt Truss* bridge to the double track version (I bought it only to make a pair of short girder bridges). If you give me a few days, I will try to track them down. They won't match these exactly because it isn't the same bridge, but, IF I can find them and IF you want them, they are yours. You might be able to cobble up something that looks close enough out of the pieces.
This bridge you have is very interesting: those top panels--the flat parts, anyway--look very much like the top panels from the Lionel Short Extension Bridge. If you can get hold of one of them, you might be able to use it for parts, too.
Somebody has done a really interesting job of 'bashing!
@palallin posted:Mark,
At one time, I had some leftover girders from the kit which expands the single track Pratt Truss* bridge to the double track version (I bought it only to make a pair of short girder bridges). If you give me a few days, I will try to track them down. They won't match these exactly because it isn't the same bridge, but, IF I can find them and IF you want them, they are yours. You might be able to cobble up something that looks close enough out of the pieces.
This bridge you have is very interesting: those top panels--the flat parts, anyway--look very much like the top panels from the Lionel Short Extension Bridge. If you can get hold of one of them, you might be able to use it for parts, too.
Somebody has done a really interesting job of 'bashing!
That would be great. If you are able to find them, I would be glad to have them. Thank you also for the suggestion of the Lionel Short Extension Bridge. That is what I was thinking, besides scouring the Internet, I have something to look for at train shows...whenever they start up again.
Found them! (That was easier than I thought it was going to be!)
Let me take some pics tonight and send them to your email so that you can see what I have and what might fit your needs.
Mark, Sorry if this thought is a "repeat", but as your plan for the lower level girder deck bridges evolves, make sure the pilot of whatever locomotives you plan to run will clear the deck bridge as it enters from a curve.... It appears, from the photos, that at least at one side you have a switch located right at the entrance to the bridge. I didn't read every post above in super detail, but you might consider making it the type of bridge where the "girder deck" is under the tracks, so you have unlimited swing room entering and leaving the hinge up bridge section. The other benefit of below the track deck bridge is it could hide some of the wood side frame, the drawback is you'll feel like there is no protection from having a horrible wreck there where something could go to the floor.... My suggestion if that is a "concern" is you could put up clear plexiglass sides to prevent drops to the floor.
I thought I had enough swing room on my Atlas Double Track Truss bridge with an Ross Regular 0100 switch, until I unpacked and ran my B&O EM-1, needless to say, had to move the switch away from the bridge about 4 inches, as the bridge wasn't going anywhere.
Good catch Chris! This is the positive part of this forum! Folks that see stuff others might miss!
Palallin, That sounds great! I will be happy to look at a photograph to see if it will help.
Chris, Mike is right! That is a good catch! Thank you! I just finished checking my engines. I lowered the bridge, put down a piece of cork and fastened a piece of flex track to the switch with the track pins just to make sure it was lined up true. (I see my cork shifted, but no matter for this) My first suspect is the one that is the closest to touching. It is an SD40-2 that has a wide swing. The snowplow pilot isn't the closest to the bridge sides, but the deck of the 'long porch' comes extremely close to touching. It in fact just makes it over the to top the girder. To close to count on if there is any sway.
This is an engine that has proven to be troublesome for me before, and I have been thinking of putting it up for sale. It also catches the door frame of the engine house because the curve of the wye switch is so close to the front of the engine house. (You may not have seen that discussion since it is a couple pages back.)
My steam engines that have the widest swing are the H9 Consolidations. They are okay on the bridge. I did try the Shay for kicks, and I see the side pistons come very close to the near corner of the girder. I forgot to take a photograph of that.
I'll have to think about whether to go with the deck girder sections suggested. I already plan to get some Plexiglas for along the edge of the layout. That particular switch feeds a siding that is parallel to the edge of the table. It is the one place I think a derailment could fall off the table.
Mark, couldn't you just pop the rivets or screws from the girder sections and just move them outboard a bit? You don't need the metal base for support. A lot easier than selling an engine or moving switches. If you build the paper girder sections you can place them wherever you want and make them as long as you want.
Mark,
Excellent resolution on the photos, new Iphone really produces great photos.
Steve
Mark, I am with Jeff. The other thing you could do if you have a table say is remove the sides and just notch out the plywood base on each side for sides of the girder sections to sit a little lower. I would really hate to see you sell an engine over a bridge!
Mark- I would take the bridge apart and place the girders a little further apart to give you the clearance. It could even be off-set to the outside a bit to make up the clearance needed. OR- shorten the girders by cutting them in half and gluing them back together. I'd hate to see you regret selling that sweet SD-40.
Bob
Thank you Jeff, Steve, Mike, Bob!
Steve, Yes I am really pleased with the photographs from this iPhone! The resolution should be better, I see the files average about 3 times as large as with the old iPhone.
Everyone, I was looking at it after my last post, then went to get my wife at work. So I tried a couple of quick mockups based on your ideas. The first was to remove the girder bridges and the top layer of plywood, then set the bridges on top of the frame of the lift bridge, shimming up the track with one of those pieces of scrap I have mentioned before. The engine rides high, midway up the girders, but there is plenty of clearance as shown in the third photograph.
Then I laid the plywood back on the lift bridge frame and placed the girder bridges back on as before. I found out they don't use rivets, but little bolts and nuts. I took 6 of the 8 ones out of one of the bridges to spread the girders skewed farther apart at the end in question. I kept two bolts in place so I didn't have everything flopping around for the mockup. There is plenty of clearance now. You can see a nut-bolt pair in the last photograph at the lower right, just to the right of the long switch linkage ties.
I could also make a long bridge like Jeff's paper one as well.
Like Mike said in his reply to Chris' comment earlier, "This is the positive part of this forum! Folks that see stuff others might miss!"
@Mark Boyce posted:The first was to remove the girder bridges and the top layer of plywood, then set the bridges on top of the frame of the lift bridge, shimming up the track with one of those pieces of scrap I have mentioned before.
Then I laid the plywood back on the lift bridge frame and placed the girder bridges back on as before.
Mark one thought is if you can replace the top piece of plywood that the bridge sits on with a wider piece. Paint it black and screw the base onto it in the current position. Than screw the sides separately at the proper width and keep the sides parallel.
Mark rather than take your well made wood frame apart, try taking piece of 1/2" stock, or 3/4 " stock about 1 to 1.5 inches wide -- clamp it to the sideframes of your existing wood frame, but 1/2 to 3/4 inch below the roadbed, then use that 1/2, of 3/4 inch wide "shelf" that you have created to screw your deck plates into. Now the deck plates are both wider, and lower and have something to mount on without taking much of anything apart. Plus with some clamps you can experiment with the height.
@chris a posted:Mark rather than take your well made wood frame apart, try taking piece of 1/2" stock, or 3/4 " stock about 1 to 1.5 inches wide -- clamp it to the sideframes of your existing wood frame, but 1/2 to 3/4 inch below the roadbed, then use that 1/2, of 3/4 inch wide "shelf" that you have created to screw your deck plates into. Now the deck plates are both wider, and lower and have something to mount on without taking much of anything apart. Plus with some clamps you can experiment with the height.
Great solution Chris! Also might I say maybe a little easier then the rest of our ideas! LOL
Emails sent, Mark! Let me know if you don't get them.
The creative juices are flowing. 👍👍
Bob, You are right, "creative juices are flowing."
Rich and Chris, both ideas will be easier than some others as Mike said.
Thank you everyone for all the great ideas. I knew this bridge project would probably be the toughest part of the whole layout for me to do. I have put a lot of time into it, but want to carry it through to completion before going on to something else. I was looking at it earlier today with just the same eye as Mike said, wanting to make it as easy as possible for now. Just like the raised track on the plastic trestles, I can come back later and build better looking bridges if I want. I saw Ross is offering some excellent looking girder bridges with walkways and railings that would be great for one example.
Steve, Thank you for the photographs in the emails. I glanced through them, and some of that material should work. I'll reply to the email once I do some measuring.
Thank you, everyone!
@Mark Boyce posted:
Man, that is cutting it close. Until you remedied it I was thinking that for fun you could have a miniature O Scale drink can or bottle (that's connected to the underside of the bridge by a string) setting on the ledge and see if it gets knocked off by impact or vibration of the running train LOL
Kevin, LOL! That’s a great idea!
Mark,
I didn't read all of the replies, so here goes. Can you cut the girder bridges in half "long ways"? (Down the middle of the metal base.) I admit destroying 3 bridges is nuts, but it is an option. I like just taking one side off and remounting it somehow.
Charlie
Mark;
Not sure if this would work, but could you get some somewhat wide wood strips, paint them black and attach them with some strong glue under the metal base??? Then, you could attach the girders to the wider wood using small wood screws. Just a thought.
Neat project and great problem solving ideas. Can't wait for the next step on the project.
Thank you, Charlie, Paul, and Pennsynut!!
Charlie and Paul, both are good ideas. It is obvious to me that I will be taking the three bridges apart, whether I take the nuts and bolts out of one side or both sides, or I will be cutting the base. I am thinking taking the bolts out is easier and neater.
I'll look at them again later today and experiment some more with the ideas and see what works out easiest and looks the best.
Pennsynut, I can't wait for the next step, and the next step, etc either.
Everyone has had great ideas!
I went to a train show in Canfield, Ohio yesterday. It was a nice show, well attended, but nothing caught my eye until I got to the last row. A fellow had the Atlas single track and double track bridges for sale. I had checked them out online before, and knew they are 40" long, but the single track bridge followed me home in the snow and wind.
So, I need to rethink the bridges. Here is what I have come up with. The original truss bridge can go on the lower level. It is short enough that I can have enough clearance for the engines coming off the switch in question. They will be straightening up before coming to the truss. The Atlas can go on the upper level and extend over part of the table.
I would have a problem since the 054 curve on my high line starts right after the bridge. However, if I extend some straight track a few inches then start the curve, it will end up being near the lower level track. Most of my town buildings will be in the foreground of the tracks. I can do the same on the other end of the curve. I removed a section of curved track and another trestle bent, then placed two curves on to the left to get an idea if it would work. Looks like it will.
Yes, I tilted the Atlas bridge up on end to make sure it will not hit the ceiling when raised, and I have about 6 inches of clearance. I can use one or more of the through girder bridges in the far corner of the second photograph where the Black Fork of the Cheat River comes down the mountain between the two tracks on the far wall of the layout. I have needed bridges there as well.
Now, let's make sure I don't break the Atlas bridge like I did the Menards when I dropped it on the floor.
Sure like the Atlas bridge. I have two on my layout and it makes a real scenic statement IMHO. Cheers.
Thank you Pennsynut. I forgot to mention, after I got home with it, I realized I could have gotten the double track one and put it on the lower level. I could have taken out the switch and run the siding across the bridge, then put a switch in on the other side of the bridge to get to the main line. The seller was a just a modeler who said he had moved and didn't have room for his bridges in the new house. I have no idea who he is. An angel, for all I know.
Mark,
For what it may be worth, pic of the end of my double track bridge. 045 on the right, 054 on the left. The 045 curve attaches right at the end of the bridge; there is a 1 3/4" straight between the bridge track and the 054 curve. So long as the bridge stays in place--it tends to wander a bit--I have yet to have problems with medium-sized scale steam or scale rolling stock. The big Lionel command control crane can be troublesome if not locked just so.
YMMV, of course.
@palallin posted:Mark,
For what it may be worth, pic of the end of my double track bridge. 045 on the right, 054 on the left. The 045 curve attaches right at the end of the bridge; there is a 1 3/4" straight between the bridge track and the 054 curve. So long as the bridge stays in place--it tends to wander a bit--I have yet to have problems with medium-sized scale steam or scale rolling stock. The big Lionel command control crane can be troublesome if not locked just so.
YMMV, of course.
Thank you for the photograph and comments!! Yes, the end of the bridge isn't nearly as high as the girder bridges I was working with last week. Hopefully it will work out as well for me as it has for you!
Mark,
That Atlas bridge looks great. Nice find! The upper and lower truss bridges are defiantely reminiscent of scenes I have seen while traveling through Western Maryland, West Virginia and PA. Keep up the great work!
Michael
Mark - great find on the Atlas bridges - those things are massive. You do know there are such things a padded rooms for certain situations. ; ) Just don't drop this bridge for heavens sake!
Palallin - where did your get the rerailing track for the bridges. I have several sections of Gargraves bridge track with the 5 rails but they do not have the taper. Or did you just bend some track?
Jeff
The two bridges are a great look! That was a good find!
Michael, Jeff, Bill, thank you!
Yes, I do know of places with nearby bridges like that. At first I wasn’t sure about it, but then I liked it.
Jeff, a padded room would be beneficial. Maybe just lock me up in one. 😉
Mark, when my wife started dropping things it was usually an early sign she was "with child". I think you are beyond that stage like me.
As you know I have 3 bridges on my layout. I sometimes forget to reset/replace the other two when I am test running. One day I almost had the crash into the canyon because the track led to the floor. Fortunately the engine ran off the track and stopped before making the plunge - hanging there looking into the chasm. I would have been a most unhappy fellow if that had happened. Very close call. Jeff
64 is beyond that stage,
That could have been a disaster! I need to interlock shutting off power when the bridges are up.
Things are looking good Mark, Great find with the Atlas bridge. I think it looks good in place and now that your getting closer to raising and lowering the bridges, you probably already know but I wanted to point out that the Atlas bridge cant go all the way to 90% unless you have some method to keep it from going further past 90% to prevent damage to the bridge.
Thank you, Mike!! I didn't think about that when I was considering buying the bridge, but once I got home and set it on the layout, I realized it. A year ago, Tom Gilly@N&W from the River City 3Railers suggested the hinge below.
MARLBORO Stainless Steel Profile Strap Hinge, SS,5-5/8 In. L, 4PRA8
$21.50
Here is his comment:
"The trick to making sure your track doesn't bind is to ensure that the hinge pin is above the top of the rail. That way when you lift the bridge, the first motion separates the rail. Mounting low, and the first motion closes the gap between the rails.
The hinge we used on Geezer Gorge is like:
I searched the Forum and found some photographs of their "Geezer Gorge" modules, one with a deck girder bridge and one with a through truss bridge. When I saved and enlarged the photographs, I could see how it raises the swing up bridges. I don't know if it will be enough to get near 90%. If not, I will have to build out a bit to get something that works. (Incidentally, I learned some things about the search function I didn't know. It helps if you enter the member's profile name besides the search words. I never tried that before. It would have saved me a lot of time this morning.)
Gilly and Peter showing this one off!
I ordered two of the hinges and eBay claims they should arrive Friday, so hopefully I'll have them by sometime next week. I'll work on the lower bridge for now.
Mark, I had to draw this one out to see that anything below the hinge pin would separate when lifted. However, I thought the original design had a hinge point below the deck such that one end came up into contact with one side and the other came down. That seemed a more elegant way to hinge the bridge as opposed to the big hinges on top of the layout. Green represents the track.
More elegant way for sure, Jeff!! Actually, it is in effect what we are doing with the lower bridge that has the linear actuator attached to it. The pivot of the hinge is a long bolt that is secured to wood frame on both sides of the bridge, then the bridge frame has holes in it with bushings to turn around the bolt making the hinged joint. The upper bridge could be set up the same way with some more creative carpentry. I was just going to put a hinge on it to not have to go through it all again, though I should be getter at it by now. The one problem is there is a switch for the other passing siding right at the edge of the walk through opening, just like there is the switch on the lower level on the other side of the walk through. That would keep me from having the track section that goes down into the table.
As an aside, whenever I have the lower bridge down and working on it, I keep rolling from side to side of it on my 'scooter' as I'm calling it now. I have thought, maybe I should just make the table solid, and just 'scoot' seated and slightly duck to get back and forth.
Mark, I suggest you keep going with the lift method and not the scooter. You know one day you will get old and not able to scoot and duck under! LOL
Mike, Thank you for not saying I am old already!!
You are right. Build it now for future benefits.
Just scootin' through life ! 
I finally got both my lift up bridges working. I am following Mike g.'s design. I'm very thankful he shared drawings and photographs with me. I have not done any wiring yet. The linear actuator is powered by my old Lionel DC Type 0100 variable DC power supply I bought to run my HO train back in the late '60s. In the video I am holding the smart phone camera and controlling the supply so I don't crash into the ceiling. I have not turned the track power on since I started this project, so don't worry about crashing trains into the gorge.
I mounted the Atlas Pratt Truss bridge following a video by Eric Siegel from 2008. His was not motorized, but I used the same setup for the hinges and the alignment on the other end. I would have liked the piers for the Atlas Pratt Truss bridge to be not so hefty, but thought I should make them that way to give good support and make a logical base for the hinge mounts.
Next up will be wiring power, limit switches, and track power.
Bridge destroys man's roof. Details at 11!
Nice job Mark!
@MartyE posted:Bridge destroys man's roof. Details at 11!
Nice job Mark!
Bridge crashes through ceiling into wife's sun room. WISR Radio reporter Dave Malarkey (actual name) reports: Wife hits husband on head with skillet. Butler Township Police clamed domestic squabble. Police don't get involved since they don't want to wear a skillet on their heads.
Thank you very much, Marty!!
Really cool, Mark! Lots of planning and building are yielding fantastic results.
WOW Mark that works nice and smooth! Is that the extent of how high you can go or are you just playing it safe? Either way it looks good, if you can go higher you can always step down the arm that raises the Atlas bridge so the lower one can go up higher! Just a thought. Like I said nice work!
Mark,
Great work! You're timing was great as I was a bit worried that you might have some ceiling damage. The Atlas bridge looks good. I am contemplating painting one of mines just to change from the normal black. The bridges are so fragile that's why it hasn't been done yet.
Dave
Very impressive Mark, looks great
Congratulations sir, enjoy the fruits of your labors.
Thank you JD, Mike, Dave, Chris, Steve.
Mike, No it will raise up higher, it still had 5 inches clearance. I couldn't see how far it was when I was operating the camera, so I stopped it with plenty of room. Here it is raised up with about a half inch clearance. It would be nice to be a little farther, but I am able to get through without any trouble. I need to straighten the cross arm anyway, since it is slightly cockeyed. (like everything on this layout) I can try moving it and see what I like best. Thank you.
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