Girder bridge for the standard gauge

[yb281]

Before we went away, I spent about a week building a plate girder bridge for the stretch of baseboard that links the standard gauge interchange sidings at Gooey with the fiddle yard.

The actual girder is built from layers of 60 thou plasticard. A length of L shaped plastic glued to the rear allows it to be screwed to the edge of the baseboard. The handrail is cut from suitably sized wire netting and the whole thing primed before a couple of coats of matt black. The supporting walls are from 25mm thick high density polystyrene with the stonework scribed into it before painting with several coats of masonry paint. The capping stones are from more 60 thou plasticard.

The rear girder up against the wall is not full sized, just as you see it to portray the visible section above the baseboard.

The pannier tank crosses the bridge as it shunts a couple of all steel wagons.

This is still a work in progress, especially the ground works. A small pond is a possibility for the Spring - it would create some nice reflections. I wanted to get the bridge finished as a friend of mine has bought one of the new gauge 3 Brittania's and wants to bring it over to take some photos.

 

[pugwash]

Usual top job, but it is a bit of a low bridge - Mike's lorry won't go under it!
Duck or grouse

 

[yb281]

Usual top job, but it is a bit of a low bridge - Mike's lorry won't go under it!
Duck or grouse

Well it certainly won't when there's a pond under it!

 

[pugwash]

So it's duck then?
Still a good looking bridge mate

 

[yb281]

So it's duck then?
Still a good looking bridge mate

Cheers mate.

A pond with working swimming ducks on it? Mmmmmmm, like your thinking sir.

 

[mike]

looking the part mell

 

[Gizzy]

Nice work Mel....

 

[Nemo]

What a cracking little bridge Mel, love it. Hope you've built it so there's no weight restrictions as a Brit is slightly heavier than a branch line Pannier tank. Looking in forward to see them photo's

 

[pugwash]

It needs bridge numbers like the ones Andy Spencer is selling
Bridges like this always remind me of summer holidays at my Gran's in Abbey Hulton (S-o-T), there was such a bridge down by the shops on the Leek road where we bought sweets and cadged potatos for our spud guns :admire:

 

[Neil Robinson]

Bridges like this always remind me of summer holidays at my Gran's in Abbey Hulton (S-o-T), there was such a bridge down by the shops on the Leek road where we bought sweets and cadged potatos for our spud guns :admire:

Pugwash, did you ever venture along Caesar Street/Cut lane under St Mary's goods yard in Derby?

Mel, looks good and well up to the standard now expected of you.
Could it become the entrance to a canal basin interchange? The canal must have come close to the cattle market in Welshpool but I don't know if there was a canal interchange with either of the railways.

 

[yb281]

Mel, looks good and well up to the standard now expected of you.
Could it become the entrance to a canal basin interchange? The canal must have come close to the cattle market in Welshpool but I don't know if there was a canal interchange with either of the railways.

Cheers Neil. Yes, the canal at Welshpool was within spitting distance of the cattle market (the bridge where the railway crossed it is still in situ), but I don't think there was a canal within several miles of the Kerry branch which is where Gooey is supposed to be. Something I'll have a think about though.

Cracking idea re. the number plates Pugs.

 

[ge_rik]

Good job done, Mel. Must have a go at scribing some stonework sometime - hopefully I can get it to look as good as yours. I imagine the painting makes a world of difference

Rik

 

[Nodrog1826]

Impressive bridge there Mel...

Just how big is the Std Gauge siding going to grow?

 

[pugwash]

Bridges like this always remind me of summer holidays at my Gran's in Abbey Hulton (S-o-T), there was such a bridge down by the shops on the Leek road where we bought sweets and cadged potatos for our spud guns :admire:

Pugwash, did you ever venture along Caesar Street/Cut lane under St Mary's goods yard in Derby?

Mel, looks good and well up to the standard now expected of you.
Could it become the entrance to a canal basin interchange? The canal must have come close to the cattle market in Welshpool but I don't know if there was a canal interchange with either of the railways.

I did indeed Neil, but had grown out of spud guns by then.
I think the canal idea would look more realistic, somehow I don't think a pond would have been bridged, plus the headroom clearance wouldn't be an issue and you can still have ducks (maybe even the end of a narrow boat sticking out?)

 

[yb281]

Impressive bridge there Mel...

Just how big is the Std Gauge siding going to grow?

The way it is now Gord will be it for a good while as I've completely run out of room.

 

[Neil Robinson]

Impressive bridge there Mel...

Just how big is the Std Gauge siding going to grow?

The way it is now Gord will be it for a good while as I've completely run out of room.

That 12 coach Britannia hauled enthusiasts special going to be a problem then! :-

I still reckon you should have bought that place at Wetton I mentioned the other day!

 

[Steve]

looks brilliant as always Mel

 

[flyingsignalman]

Mel, looks good and well up to the standard now expected of you.
Could it become the entrance to a canal basin interchange? The canal must have come close to the cattle market in Welshpool but I don't know if there was a canal interchange with either of the railways.

Cheers Neil. Yes, the canal at Welshpool was within spitting distance of the cattle market (the bridge where the railway crossed it is still in situ), but I don't think there was a canal within several miles of the Kerry branch which is where Gooey is supposed to be. Something I'll have a think about though.

Cracking idea re. the number plates Pugs.

Didn't the Montgomery Canal go as far as Newtown, passing Abermule on the way?

It just so happens I've been scanning a lot of WLLR photos recently and here are some of the canal bridge at Welshpool, taken 29/7/2001.

The WLLR wanted to provide an interchange siding but the Cambrian Railways were against the idea due to possible competition (the canal was owned by the LNWR, if I remember correctly).

 

[CoggesRailway]

hey mel i love that. I know it isn't planned but that concrete wall greening nicely makes a lovely back drop to that pannier shot. Mmmm.

 

[royale]

Lovely bit of modelling - how about a derelict canal?