So over time I've collected a lot of locomotives, but as yet do not have a completed layout to break them in. So I decided that I'd create a small "Figure 8" layout that would exercise the given locomotive in both directions, forward and backward. Since I hand-lay track, I'd created a nice 30-degree crossing, but then realized that I'd have issues with polarity. Sometime I'd convert to DCC, but for the moment all are DC. That posed a problem.
I decided to then elevate the roadbed and shelve the crossing in lieu of a bridge. Since I don't intend to do anything more with this layout than break in locomotives, the bridge could have been as simple as a sheet of plastic or brass. But where is the fun in that?
So instead I took some time and created this girder bridge from scratch. The sides were sheet brass I cut to size then welded brass strip to the top and bottom. The support girders are 3/16 X 1/16 I beams, the track supporting girders are 1/8 X 1/16 I beams. I drilled through the web of the larger support beams so I could run the track support beams through. Then those were welded to the sides. For plate detail I soldered 1/64 X 1/32 strips to the sides, and have the same size strips beneath the large supporting beams as 'X' braces.
I can't say a prototype would necessarily skew the bridge as much as I have this one, but I was limited by table size as to the overall length. This skew fits the table and trackwork. And it's interesting to look at, I think. I painted the ties and rail, but I think I'll leave the brass unpainted for show.
Perhaps I should have snapped pictures and blogged...there were several places of interest. And one wouldn't necessarily need to use brass. That's just the medium I prefer.
