Viaduct - Seemed like a good idea at the time

[ge_rik]

Have you tried a pounce wheel to texture the block faces? Although with the commercial ones you may need to blunt the teeth a bit to get a dent rather than a hole.

It occurs to me you might be able to get pseudo random divots by filing teeth on several washers and mounting them with spacers on an axle. That way the tool would do a row of blocks in one pass.

Still rather you than me though..........

Graeme

Thanks Graeme
I wasn't familiar with this gadget - am now. I was thinking that some sort of miniature lawn aerator would do the job - this is somewhat similar.

Rik

[GTB]

I wasn't familiar with this gadget - am now. I was thinking that some sort of miniature lawn aerator would do the job - this is somewhat similar.

What's a lawn aerator? I cut the grass around here with a sprayer filled with Roundup.........

I was thinking of something like a miniature star wheel dresser, used for trueing up grinding wheels.

That sort of stonework was used for structures on the first mainlines, but bridges on the narrow gauge lines were all timber to cut costs. Well within my patience and capabilities.

Regards,
Graeme

[ge_rik]

What's a lawn aerator?

That sort of stonework was used for structures on the first mainlines, but bridges on the narrow gauge lines were all timber to cut costs.

Don't tell me that now

Rik

[GTB]

Looks like something from the dungeon under the Tower of London. What did the lawn do to deserve that........

That sort of stonework was used for structures on the first mainlines, but bridges on the narrow gauge lines were all timber to cut costs.

Don't tell me that now  ;)

Apologies, I forgot to indicate I was talking about the Victorian Railways, which is my interest......

Given your interest in the Southwold line, have you ever considered a girder bridge like the one over the Blyth for spanning a wide gap like a path?

I've seen some interesting articles on building truss bridge spans with aluminium extrusions, but I'm still trying to find a reason why my line might have used anything more elaborate than wooden trestles and a secondhand plate girder span.

Regards,
Graeme

[Boustrophedon]

Looks lovely. I will need to build one. I was thinking more along the lines of shuttering and poured concrete; is there a commercial product that I can face the inside of the shuttering with to cast a brick or stone effect?

[Maple]

That looks great, i would love to give that a try. but alas to many projects already

[Gralyn]

Looks lovely. I will need to build one. I was thinking more along the lines of shuttering and poured concrete; is there a commercial product that I can face the inside of the  shuttering with to cast a brick or stone effect?

Draw the mortar courses on the inside of the shuttering with a Hot Weld Glue Gun. I am sure I have seen it shown somewhere in this Forum.

[ge_rik]

Given your interest in the Southwold line, have you ever considered a girder bridge like the one over the Blyth for spanning a wide gap like a path?

I've seen some interesting articles on building truss bridge spans with aluminium extrusions, but I'm still trying to find a reason why my line might have used anything more elaborate than wooden trestles and a secondhand plate girder span.

Hi Graeme
I've beaten you to it. The swing bridge which spans the gap in front of the sheds is based on the original bridge over the Blyth at Southwold. This was later replaced by a more substantial structure when there was talk of converting the line to standard gauge (heaven forefend!).



Mine was constructed from uPVC trim glued with cyano which is a lot stronger than it sounds.



Rik

[ge_rik]

Looks lovely. I will need to build one. I was thinking more along the lines of shuttering and poured concrete; is there a commercial product that I can face the inside of the  shuttering with to cast a brick or stone effect?

Draw the mortar courses on the inside of the shuttering with a Hot Weld Glue Gun. I am sure I have seen it shown somewhere in this Forum.

I've used that method successfully:





There's more info on wot I dun here - http://riksrailway.blogspot.co.uk/2010/ ... idges.html

- but I'm sure there are other more sophisticated approaches which can be recommended for something like a viaduct.

Rik

[MDLR]

I was thinking more along the lines of shuttering and poured concrete; is there a commercial product that I can face the inside of the  shuttering with to cast a brick or stone effect?

Back in the day, you used to be able to buy car rubber mats which had a "mortar pattern" of ridges - look at any picture of Butterley to see the cast slabs in use.

[ge_rik]

Well, it's jolly nearly finished. The last (balsa) sandstone block has been painted so I thought I'd take a few pictures of the viaduct in situ.







There's still work to be done. She looks a bit stark and 'new' at the moment and so I'll give her a wash of mucky grey/brown to tone things down a bit. Then I'll have a go at dry-brushing on some weathering. A lot of the sandstone in the area is covered in lichen and algae so I'll have a go at simulating that.

Phew!!!! ... nearly done!

Rik

[Peter Butler]

Wow Rik, I'm speechless............ so I'll have to write it down. Just stunning! What a work of art in engineering. The time and effort have paid off and you have achieved something unique and to be so proud of.
Sit back and wait for the orders to come flooding in.

[ge_rik]

Sit back and wait for the orders to come flooding in.

No way I'm making another one ........

Rik

[ge_rik]

BTW - I've blogged its construction here - http://riksrailway.blogspot.com/2015/09 ... aduct.html

Rik

[Soar Valley Light]

Peter is right Rik, that's a beautiful job. I love the colouring of the sandstone.

I appreciate you not wanting to make another one - in sandstone, but how do you fancy a commission for one in granite?

I'll fetch my coat!

[ge_rik]

I appreciate you not wanting to make another one - in sandstone, but how do you fancy a commission for one in granite?

I'll fetch my coat!

You can go off some people ......

As with a lot of projects, now I've built one I would now know what to do and what to avoid (I hope my blog postings help others learn from my mistakes and experiences). Although it took me two years overall, a lot of that was thinking time - and, of course, train playing time. But I probably took the most time-intensive approach (apart from quarrying and dressing real sandstone, I suppose). No doubt there are ways of achieving a similar (or better) effect in less time.

Rik

[Soar Valley Light]

Knowing the pool of advice in your blog is available on tap is very comforting not to mention very helpful. I've already dipped into it despite the early stage of construction I'm at. I recognise that producing it must have taken a great deal of time which might otherwise have been spent building or running your railway. Many thanks for taking the time to post it all.

[jim@NAL]

bridge looks fantastic iv made lots of buildings using the peter joans type method and soo far they are lasting outside fine in summer and winter .some of my buildings roofs need a bit of attention this winter but the balsa technique works very well with some impressive results shown here by your excellent looking bridge

[ge_rik]

bridge looks fantastic iv made lots of buildings using the peter joans type method and soo far they are lasting outside fine in summer and winter .some of my buildings roofs need a bit of attention this winter but the balsa technique works very well with some impressive results shown here by your excellent looking bridge

Thanks. That's very reassuring. I know some of Peter's balsa clad models are still showing good service at Llechfan so, hopefully, the viaduct will not be needing replacement for a good long while. I've also used the technique on another couple of models - one of which will be staying outside all year round - so I'm hopeful.

Rik