A Light Railway for the Western Dales

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Lonsdaler
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The Saga of the Lune Crossing

Post by Lonsdaler » Mon Jul 31, 2017 9:51 pm

I wanted the bridge over the pond (I mean River!) to be of an open construction, to allow for the desired reflections of trains in the still waters of the Lune :roll: The first job, however, was to construct the piers on which it would sit.
To create the bridge piers, I was tempted to try a technique used in the construction of stage scenery, which involves applying a cement based render coat over polystyrene 'blockwork' applied to my foamboard piers. To put it mildly, I did not enjoy the process, which proved to be frustratingly slow, and in my opinion, not that successful either.
The fine summer conditions of late June 2016 resulted in a low flow for the river, making construction work easier (or I took some water out of the pond :lol: ) The buttresses/piers were the first order of work - the core is my favourite material - foamex board, which has the advantage of being tough and waterproof.
I had a rough sketch to work to, but needed to produce cardboard templates to accommodate the uneven lining to the pond.
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Once I had one of the piers as I wanted them, the other was produced in the same fashion, at a faster rate. Assembly was initially with superglue, but I reinforced all the joints with a high tack grab adhesive. Because of the curve leading into the crossing from the patio side, I had to make the 'throat' of the pier much wider than I originally intended to allow for swing on engines and stock.

I then proceeded to clad the foamex cores with foam to represent blockwork.
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Mistake number 1 - I used open cell polyurethane foam, instead of closed cell. The main result here was that it didn't provide a rigid enough base for the applied cement render - but I didn't realise that then, so the render was applied. And re-applied, and re-applied. Well, you get the idea - no matter how many coats of render I applied, it just wasn't 'firming' up. It looked good, but was simply too prone to damage.
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I was growing increasingly frustrated with it, and my enthusiasm for the technique really took a dive. I decided to try and stiffen the coating with PVA, and apply yet more cement render. The piers, together with several castings for various detailing items (causeway wall, other walling) were left in the garden under my gazebo overnight to dry.
On the morning of July 2nd I had to go out, returning about midday - to hear my wife calling urgently for help! :o
The gazebo had just gone walkabout - castings everywhere, table and chairs flying, and some damage to Burton station.(fortunately, the damage to the station area was minor and cosmetic, and easily repaired. However, my castings were trashed, apart from the wall section, where only a corner chipped off, so I will be able to use most of it, thank goodness. The gazebo had two broken legs, and one of the plastic feet had broken, but I think I was able to repair it sufficiently for 'light weather' use. Before leaving that morning, I had checked the tiedowns and pegs because the wind was gusting as showers came in. I thought, being as it's summer :roll: that it would be okay. Muppet! :oops: Thank goodness my wife was in, and sprang into action when she heard a crash - otherwise I've no idea where the gazebo would have landed!
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The two bridge piers were the most annoying - one of them had the backing board broken in two places, and the stone effect had been scuffed off and through in several places on both. In the end I used the carcasses as a mould to make two piers from concrete, and then painted stonework on (though not very artistically). Whilst it's not as good as what I had hoped for from the rendered items, it is passable; and has proved to be durable in the 12 months since.
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In the foreground of the above image are the components of the bridge deck. The main span is an old fluorescent light body, with two angle bars to provide rigidity. Once bolted together, the sleepers were bolted in place, with every third one being extra long to act as supports for the stanchions which would support the handrails. I made sure these were wide enough to clear the widest running stock I had, but - Mistake Number 2 - I forgot to allow for having to drill holes to support the stanchions :oops: This led to a rather tight clearance on my largest loco - a Ragleth...
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Phil

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Re: The Saga of the Lune Crossing part 2

Post by Lonsdaler » Mon Jul 31, 2017 10:03 pm

The mistake on the width of the handrails was easily rectified by moving the stanchions to the very ends of the elongated sleepers (photos here are before this was carried out). The track was hand made using Peco rail and fixings, pinned to the sleepers.
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The Health and Safety team insisted on walkways either side of the permanent way - they weren't impressed wit the idea of PW crews leaping from sleeper to sleeper. :D The resulting span also seemed to satisfy the Controller, as well as the railway's chief Civil Engineer, Trevor (despite the stern looks here! :) )
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Since then, the bridge has seen service in all weathers, as these pictures show
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And so far, no PW staff have fallen off!
Phil

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My Line - https://gardenrails.org/forum/viewtopic ... 41&t=11077

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Re: A Light Railway for the Western Dales

Post by philipy » Tue Aug 01, 2017 6:08 am

That bridge looks superb, worth all the hassle I'd say.
Thanks for the blow by blow ( :D ) account of construction.

Re the foam board, a very useful tip I picked up from, I think, JOhn ( FBGR), is to use the adhesive sold to plumbers to solvent weld waste pipes. You have to get it from behind the checkout at B&Q, Wickes, etc but it works like a charm. It will also bond ABS, HIPS and ply to the foamboard as well.
Philip

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Re: A Light Railway for the Western Dales

Post by markoteal » Tue Aug 01, 2017 8:13 am

Loving the bridge - the pics at the end show the benefit of the open design - makes my plank bridge look a little spartan - how did you construct the fences along the bridge?
Where did I put that uncoupler?

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Re: A Light Railway for the Western Dales

Post by tom_tom_go » Tue Aug 01, 2017 8:27 am

Using an old fluorescent light body for the bridge, genius!

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Re: A Light Railway for the Western Dales

Post by Lonsdaler » Tue Aug 01, 2017 12:13 pm

philipy wrote: Tue Aug 01, 2017 6:08 am That bridge looks superb, worth all the hassle I'd say.
Thanks for the blow by blow ( :D ) account of construction.

Re the foam board, a very useful tip I picked up from, I think, JOhn ( FBGR), is to use the adhesive sold to plumbers to solvent weld waste pipes. You have to get it from behind the checkout at B&Q, Wickes, etc but it works like a charm. It will also bond ABS, HIPS and ply to the foamboard as well.
Thanks for the positive comments Philip. I thought it would perhaps benefit others to learn from my mistakes :lol: I have since started to use pipe solvent, and it is great for joining foamboard, as you say :thumbright:
Phil

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Re: A Light Railway for the Western Dales

Post by Lonsdaler » Tue Aug 01, 2017 12:22 pm

markoteal wrote: Tue Aug 01, 2017 8:13 am Loving the bridge - the pics at the end show the benefit of the open design - makes my plank bridge look a little spartan - how did you construct the fences along the bridge?
Thanks Mark,
I was 'inspired' by the old bridges on the WHR, near Snowdon Ranger, before the line re-opened. You used to be able to walk along the track bed, and the remains of the old bridges made for interesting river crossings :shock:
As I'm 'catching up' I forgot to mention the railings. I got some model boat stanchions from Cornwall Model Boats http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/. These come pre-drilled for the railings in an assortment of sizes and railing numbers - it was just a case of getting some the right size. The railings themselves are piano wire. I drilled holes in the supporting sleepers and epoxied each stanchion in place - and then realised my mistake (number 2 :roll: ), removed them, redrilled the holes nearer the end of the sleepers and re-glued the stanchions back in. Hope that helps - model boat suppliers are a great source of detail items for our scale of railway :thumbright:
Phil

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Re: A Light Railway for the Western Dales

Post by Lonsdaler » Tue Aug 01, 2017 12:24 pm

tom_tom_go wrote: Tue Aug 01, 2017 8:27 am Using an old fluorescent light body for the bridge, genius!
I wouldn't go that far :oops: but as I removed it when remodelling our kitchen, I recognised it's potential for 'something useful' on the railway. I think most of us have a pile of 'that'll come in handy' stuff, don't we? :D
Phil

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Re: A Light Railway for the Western Dales

Post by tom_tom_go » Tue Aug 01, 2017 2:52 pm

Lonsdaler wrote: Tue Aug 01, 2017 12:24 pm I think most of us have a pile of 'that'll come in handy' stuff, don't we? :D
Yes! I have part of a stainless steel cooker extractor that is meant to exhaust fumes that will be a large building one day, one day...

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Re: A Light Railway for the Western Dales

Post by markoteal » Tue Aug 01, 2017 6:34 pm

Lonsdaler wrote: Tue Aug 01, 2017 12:22 pm
markoteal wrote: Tue Aug 01, 2017 8:13 am Loving the bridge - the pics at the end show the benefit of the open design - makes my plank bridge look a little spartan - how did you construct the fences along the bridge?
Thanks Mark,
I was 'inspired' by the old bridges on the WHR, near Snowdon Ranger, before the line re-opened. You used to be able to walk along the track bed, and the remains of the old bridges made for interesting river crossings :shock:
As I'm 'catching up' I forgot to mention the railings. I got some model boat stanchions from Cornwall Model Boats http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/. These come pre-drilled for the railings in an assortment of sizes and railing numbers - it was just a case of getting some the right size. The railings themselves are piano wire. I drilled holes in the supporting sleepers and epoxied each stanchion in place - and then realised my mistake (number 2 :roll: ), removed them, redrilled the holes nearer the end of the sleepers and re-glued the stanchions back in. Hope that helps - model boat suppliers are a great source of detail items for our scale of railway :thumbright:
Brilliant - I've been meaning to get some fences sorted for my bridge and other 'risky' areas of my line - that link will be really useful - thanks
Where did I put that uncoupler?

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Re: A Light Railway for the Western Dales

Post by ge_rik » Tue Aug 01, 2017 7:07 pm

Just wondered how the four legged audience reacts when the trains are running.

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Re: A Light Railway for the Western Dales

Post by philipy » Tue Aug 01, 2017 8:21 pm

Lonsdaler wrote: Tue Aug 01, 2017 12:22 pm I got some model boat stanchions from Cornwall Model Boats http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/.
Thanks for the reminder of that s!ite. I have looked at them before but never used them for anything. However, I've just flicked through the fittings stuff again and come across something I've looked for many times without success. Readers of my 3D Printing thread will have seen the gutters and fittings, well the plain gutter itself is now redundant because Cornwal Model Boats sell 1/2 round styrene extrusions in a variety of sizes and 330 and 1000mm lengths, for a very reasonable price.

http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/aca ... e1000.html
Philip

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Re: A Light Railway for the Western Dales

Post by jim@NAL » Tue Aug 01, 2017 8:57 pm

this is wonderful great pictures and I do like your bridge and snow shots ???

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Re: A Light Railway for the Western Dales

Post by River Lin » Tue Aug 01, 2017 9:28 pm

Hi Phil.
Love it. Love it.
D.
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Re: A Light Railway for the Western Dales

Post by IrishPeter » Wed Aug 02, 2017 1:12 am

ge_rik wrote: Tue Aug 01, 2017 7:07 pm Just wondered how the four legged audience reacts when the trains are running.

Rik
They are probably unmooved.

I'll get me hat...

Peter in VA
Traffic Pattern? What pattern? Spuds out; grain in, but cattle, sheep and passengers are a lot less predictable.

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Re: A Light Railway for the Western Dales

Post by ge_rik » Wed Aug 02, 2017 7:06 am

I took quick whizz through the photos and (apart from being in awe of your workmanship) thought the weather you were having in your part of the world is being very unseasonable until I read that the construction took place last summer...... Mind you, the weather is pretty awful for August!

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Re: A Light Railway for the Western Dales

Post by TonyW » Wed Aug 02, 2017 9:32 am

A bridge across a water feature always looks good, precluded for me by a sloping site and the presence of impenetrable Mother Wales only a few inches below the surface!

A word of warning though: A friend of mine used to keep Koi Carp. He decided that running his garden railway across the Carp's pond would be a good thing, so he built a bridge similar to yours. After running trains a couple of times all of his Carp died. The reason for this was oil floating on the surface of the water that had been dripped there by a steam loco. One oil drop is enough to cover many square yards of water surface. The oil acts as a barrier to oxygen and stops it being absorbed in to the water, resulting in suffocation of the fish. So, if you are planning on having anything living (fish, plants, frogs, etc.) in your pond then my friend's advice would be to install some kind of drip tray on your bridge to keep oil and water apart.
Tony Willmore
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Re: A Light Railway for the Western Dales

Post by Lonsdaler » Wed Aug 02, 2017 9:53 am

ge_rik wrote: Tue Aug 01, 2017 7:07 pm Just wondered how the four legged audience reacts when the trains are running.

Rik
It really depends on the herd (which is different each year - these bullocks come for fattening before hitting the markets!) Some years they show no interest at all, but most do. The coo's are remarkably like hoomans - curious :D
It tends to start with one or two showing an interest
Coo_view1.jpg
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Before you know it, you've got a crowd
Coo_view2.jpg
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I've even had interest when the PWay gang are at work, although one is clearly more interested in beer than work :lol:
Ballasting-Help.jpg
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This year, they are different again - not only licking and sniffing, but they actually started biting the embankment :shock: As a result, I have had to resort to an electric fence for the first time. They'll be here for about another month, and then sheep will take their place until next spring - they show no interest at all :roll:
Phil

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Re: A Light Railway for the Western Dales

Post by Lonsdaler » Wed Aug 02, 2017 9:56 am

IrishPeter wrote: Wed Aug 02, 2017 1:12 am
ge_rik wrote: Tue Aug 01, 2017 7:07 pm Just wondered how the four legged audience reacts when the trains are running.

Rik
They are probably unmooved.

I'll get me hat...

Peter in VA
:lol: I refer the 'onourable gentleman to the post above. And I'll fetch yer coat :lol:
Phil

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Re: A Light Railway for the Western Dales

Post by Lonsdaler » Wed Aug 02, 2017 9:58 am

philipy wrote: Tue Aug 01, 2017 8:21 pm
Lonsdaler wrote: Tue Aug 01, 2017 12:22 pm I got some model boat stanchions from Cornwall Model Boats http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/.
Thanks for the reminder of that s!ite. I have looked at them before but never used them for anything. However, I've just flicked through the fittings stuff again and come across something I've looked for many times without success. Readers of my 3D Printing thread will have seen the gutters and fittings, well the plain gutter itself is now redundant because Cornwal Model Boats sell 1/2 round styrene extrusions in a variety of sizes and 330 and 1000mm lengths, for a very reasonable price.

http://www.cornwallmodelboats.co.uk/aca ... e1000.html
Good spot Philip, I'd not noticed that. I too shall be placing an order... :thumbright:
Phil

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