RFI: Using Central Valley girder packs in N-scale

Way too much work.

This is the stuff right here:

Expanding stainless steel into diamond configurations results in precise, fixed apertures that don't fray or unravel like woven materials. These products are strong, stable and easy to clean.

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Note: available in raised or flattened configurations.

These guys have similar woven products:

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sell in affordable amounts, AND they sell samples too.

Unravelling can be solved with ACC before cutting, BTW

This is the stuff dreams are made of: catwalks, roofwalks, chainlink fence, F-unit grills, etc etc. There is even material fine enough to make an n-scale screen door!

I've only just begun looking. These may not be the best suppliers - there's so many of them it will take time to sort out who's who. I'll post a synopsis when I have a better understanding of what's available and what the potential applications are.

I always felt that the etched brass and screen that you get in hobby shops was a rip-off. I mean, c'mon. They sell you a few lousy trusses for $20? How the hell are you supposed to build anything at that price? With this stuff, you could build the entire Quebec Bridge for under a hundred bucks.

Mac B.

Reply to
polar bear
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That website has some interesting items. I have similar Expaned Screens made from copper and aluminum. The problem here is that the expansion process makes it a 3-d screen (not flat), so part the web is at an angle. Not realistic for a girder.

If you order some, you'll see what I mean. There might be a way to flatten it, but that will make it try to get back to its compressed state.

Woven stuff presents the same 3-d effect problem. It won't look like a girder - it'll look like a woven piece.

Yes, photoetched items are a bit pricey, but the quality is unquestionable. It all depends on what you want your model to look like on the end. But I do agree that $20 is way steep for what you get.

Peteski

Reply to
Peter W.

Stainless steel mesh is available in flattened form with good dimensionality. I saw some today at Canadian Tire - the outer wrapping of a water filter cartridge. Some oil filters use it as well, so now I'm on the lookout for used filters...lol

The material you use depends on what you're modeling. Many of the larger railroad bridges were built in the early part of the 20th century. On these, it was typical to have overlapping, or interlaced cross-bracing fastened with rivets. This gives a woven appearance when viewed from a distance, and in N-scale you are always at a distance from the subject, owing to the scale.

On the other hand, a flat V or X brace section, while suitable for a welded bridge, might need the "overlap" scribed or shaded on to represent a riveted bridge. You could use built-up sections i guess, but thickness becomes an issue, especially in N.

Both approaches are worth investigating, but I'm leaning more towards the second.

Well, I don't expect to win any awards. What I'm aiming for is overall impression. The mind will fill in a great amount of detail by itself, if it receives the right cues. Most of the fine detail - rivets, overlaps, bends, joins, etc.. can be painted or scribed onto flat shapes. At a distance, the mind will "make" them appear 3-D. At least, that is the theory.

One should never lose sight of the fact that the bridge's primary function is to display the trains.

Mac

Reply to
polar bear

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