Kitbashing mixed a bridge?

Hello,

as I was uploading the Gorgopotamos bridge photo to European Railway server (direct URL:

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I was thinking about making (or preferably kitbashing) this bridge, probably in a 2-3 modules, around 1.2-1.4 meters length each (if anyone wants, I could send him/her a full size digital photo)

Trouble is, I haven't seen in the Walthers catalog something that resembles the different kinds of bridge spans (the stone piers will be scratchbuilt anyway), neither the steel piers in the right side. I'm planning to order the Carstens and Kalmbach bridges and piers book, but am I forced to scratchbuilt this bridge?

Wondering in Athens, Nick Fotis.

Reply to
Nick Fotis
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Look at the Atlas through bridges - the ones that look European. If they were inverted, you'd have both the straight and curved chords.

CTucker NY

Reply to
Christian

They are products of Roco of Austria!

Reply to
Gregory Procter

Well, Roco doesn't have any structures in their European catalogues. Faller, Vollmer and Kibri don't seem to have any appropriate spans for kitbashing, from a first check I did in a recent copy of their catalog. Of course, I'll re-check again, but most of their bridge material is too German.

Basically, I'm going to make a proposal to our railfan club for the construction of a group of modules that could represent adequately this bridge. From a first estimate, the length of the whole structure (not counting approaches) would be nearly 3.2 meters (or 10 feet) - still searching for prototype plans. But first, I wish to check if it's feasible to kitbash it, or we'll be forced to scratch-build everything.

In the latter case, the bridge/trestle books from Carstens and Kalmbach do give any advice on the matters of scratchbuilding a steel bridge like this, with stone piers, etc.?

Well, I'll hunt down for some more catalogs (unfortunately, it's pretty hard to find catalogs here in Greece - most model shops don't stock/sell them, so I don't have a really good overview of the market beyond the Walthers/Faller/Vollmer/Kibri catalogs).

Regards, and thanks for the ideas. Nick the Athenian.

Reply to
Nick Fotis

=>Well, Roco doesn't have any structures in their European catalogues. =>Faller, Vollmer and Kibri don't seem to have any appropriate spans for =>kitbashing, from a first check I did in a recent copy of their catalog. =>Of course, I'll re-check again, but most of their bridge material is too =>German.

Well, yes, if you look at the pictures of the finished structues, it may not be obvious what's usable. So instead, think of a kit as a collection of parts. Spans and piers can shortened or lengthened, for example. If the pier is made of separate parts, these can be used to build abutments. Trusses and girders are universal in design, and be cut up and rejoined. Truss parts can be used to build steel towers. A through girder bridge may not look very useful, but cut the sides off, narrow the floor, rejoin and turn upside down, and you have a deck girder. Things like railings at the edges of walkways can be junked (or used on some other structrure.) And so on. A good supply of various scratchbuilding materials (sheet stock, beams and channels, various shapes, small parts like barrels, nut/bolt/washer castings, etc) is also useful

Kalmbach's old Bridges and Structures for Model Railroads (1965, out of print) is a collection articles on how to build all kinds of bridges. I have a spare copy, and would be happy to trade it for an Austrian or Italian or Greek freight car from the 1950s era. E-mail me at wolfkir -at- sympatico

-dot- ca if you're interested.

BTW, I've lost the beginning of this thread. What's the bridge you want to build?

HTH&GL

Reply to
Wolf Kirchmeir

=>The box trusses would not be hard to scratchbuild. The curved chord truss =>would be harder but not impossible.

Especially since the curved chords aren't in fact curved, but series of straight chords.

Reply to
Wolf Kirchmeir

Wolf is right. This particular bridge is made of straight cords, joined at an angle. I'll try to shoot a digital photo that shows it better, for now look at this one:

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has a more overview photo of Gorgopotamos bridge - if someone wants a full 3 Megapixels, 700 KB .JPG of this photo, I'll gladly send one.

Nick Fotis

Reply to
Nick Fotis

I suppose the current book doesn't say anything about building?

Amazon.com gives this one from Kalmbach:

Model Railroad Bridges & Trestles: A Guide to Designing and Building Bridges for Your Layout (Model Railroad Handbook, No 33)

by Bob Hayden (Editor), Michael Emmerich (Editor)

Carstens has the second edition of "Bridge & Trestle Handbook" by Paul Mallery - is it any good?

Thanks for the offer, but nearly anything I have is Era IV-V (ie., after the seventies, mostly). Maybe we'll have in the future some freight cars decorated for Greek railroads and built in 1945 (no guarantees about the dating of the lettering, though).

I replied to another post of you about that bridge.

Regards, Nick Fotis.

Reply to
Nick Fotis

=>Amazon.com gives this one from Kalmbach: =>

=>Model Railroad Bridges & Trestles: A Guide to Designing and Building =>Bridges for Your Layout (Model Railroad Handbook, No 33) =>

=>by Bob Hayden (Editor), Michael Emmerich (Editor)

Just what the title says.

=>Carstens has the second edition of "Bridge & Trestle Handbook" by Paul =>Mallery - is it any good?

Excellent overview of different types of bridges and their uses, describes basic techniques..

Either of the above books will give you a good start on scratchbuilding. But even if you choose to scratchbuild, I would look for basic bridge kits, and mine them for parts.

Reply to
Wolf Kirchmeir

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