@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.
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