opinions please

Well, the bright red grate in the middle, kind of looks out of place...If it is to model an

iron grate, as I'd expect, I'd think it to be rusty iron...black with brown and orangy

rust, to a greater or less extent depending on prototype, if there is one, or lack of

maintenance.  The walls look good, except for the largest part, where individual stones

need to be picked out with varying darker tones.  Other places look like that has been

done.  This just my opinion and taste.

Gorgeous!!! Great job.

I would weather it a lot more and then use diluted ink brushed over to brink out the detail of the cracks.

IMO look good.

But now you need to weatherize it making dark corners and the bottom simulating mold.

little rusty marks from top to the bottom special in the middle of the red gate.

at the glance is perfect!!

Andre.

Very Nice.  It looks new.  So, it depends on if you are going for a new bridge or one that has been there for a while.  It could look entirely different on a layout and with softer lighting.  Brick work and detail is very well done.  I don't like the bright red grate.

I agree with the above comments and my one addition is the embankment on each side.  You may have done that to fit your space, but normally that would be feathered to the sides as opposed to the 90 degree angle. 

Aside from subtle improvements it looks very nice.  Clean construction, no glue or cut marks, nice job.  Good effort.

You did a wonderful job in crafting this structure. The stone work is awesome.

Tim:

My impression of your bridge would be that it is located somewhere on the east coast and was built by the Erie or the B&O back in the 1840s when stonework was the epitome of permanence. Like others have just stated, it needs weathering to bring out your really nice stonework and to give it the "age" that the design implies.

Good job!

Neil 

The iron gate draws the eye to it. Is that the intended effect? Then you see the rest of the bridge.

I feel it will draw the viewer's eye to bridge as a result, wherever it is located on the layout.

I'd color the gate green for England and black for the US with rust detail. That would reduce the eye attention it now commands. (of course, unless you intended it to be that way)

Looks real good.

The design and block detail of the bridge look great.  Regarding the finish, I would further enhance the definition of the stone blocks with some raw umber, burnt umber, and india ink washes.  Stone bridges sometimes have vegetation growing on them.  Foam or supertree material could be used here.  If you are looking for realism, work from some pictures of actual stone railroad bridges (either your own or from the web).  If you are taking an artistic approach, work from your mind's eye. 

I would tone down the red gate, at least, and you need dark smoke stain on the stones over the tracks but looks nice.

Nice.  Yours is well made and looks good.  Nice shape to it.  

As said above, it looks new.  Ever once in a while in the real world you do run into a new bridge or a newly painted bridge, so it is not necessarily unrealistic.  If you want that "new look," you could even go so far as to hang scaffolding on the side and put painters still at work, or something with construction crews, etc., to confirm that impression (such a vignette would be fun to make and fun to look at, for guests).  

If you want it to look old and realistic, you need to weather it, make the metal grate orange/brown rusty, with trails of rust going down the bridge brickwork below it on both sides of it.  Also, you have one steamer and an early (i.e., sooty exhaust) diesel passing under it.  Assuming this is typical traffic, many times a day ,every day, the underside and sides of the bridge directly above the stacks are going to be stained with soot.  This is a detail you see on many really well-weathered bridges.  

The Structure looks good, It could use a bit of weathering.

Tim, I really like the detail.  Being new to the hobby, what materials did you use?  Thanks

very nice except for color. The blue of foam seems to show through still.

Tim. It definitely needs more weathering done to it.  Unless you like all of the new looking toy look it has now.  Either way looks good.

I will jump on the band wagon also. Great job constructing the bridge. Now it needs the real world touches that the weather and trains using it would have done to it.

Nicely done!  

Peter

Thanks to all for all of your input and compliments, and to Txvt, welcome to the hobby, This bridge is made entirely of building foam, you know, the pink and the blue stuff, mainly pink in this case.   The deck is wood, and separates the trackbed from the foam.

It is a very strong bridge, building foam is incredibly strong once skinned/painted.    It is my favorite material to work.   

I was originally trying to determine if this bridge appeared more U.S., or more U.K. (British).    It is loosely patterned after a real bridge in the U.S. on an actual interurban line just west of Toledo, OH.    Painted entirely different, but as I worked on it, it seemed to become more and more U.K. looking, so I added the red (gate) and put it out there to see what others might think.    Thanks to all again for your input.

Tim, maybe make the all the brick the red color and use some joint compound in the mortar

cracks wipe that off with your wet finger, then weather the rest as described above. That's  what I do anyway!--Mark   

Nice bridge! IMO it simply looks plastic due to the lack of weathering. if it was on my layout it would need to show its age; that it has been through, and stood up to, all Mother Nature and the railroad could through at it.

Thanks for posting

JohnJr

It looks great, I would just weather it as others have stated.  The brick detail on top of the bridge looks really good because of the mortar detail.  Great work.

Great job, Tim

Where do you get this building foam? I would like to try some stone buildings.

Many thanks!

WOW what a great tunnel/portal.

great craftsmanship and presentation!!!

A+ from the Art Teacher!!

Tim,

You sure left yourself open asking for opinions. Some advice given can be likened to a slap across the face.

A wonderful example of your building skills and pride taken in a job well done.

God Bless,

"Pappy"