Would one find a trestle or other long bridge built on a grade, or are they always level? I'm looking to add a trestle bridge in my mountain area, and the best location for it would be right where the top of my 2% slope is. I can move "around the curve" a little bit, but the level area is short, and wouldn't be quite so dramatic looking.
Rick: On the "original" JJJ&E I had eight bridges and they all were on grades as the entire double track mainline of that layout was graded. The summit of the grade was 7 1/2 inches above the low point on the mainline. It was a long 2% grade. Here is a photo that shows seven of the bridges which cross over the double mainline at various points.
Built to Grade Lot's of bridges run at grade... :tb-biggrin: :tb-biggrin: :tb-biggrin: :tb-biggrin:
Thanks guys! What I thought, but when I was reviewing directions for some of the kits, most talk about making sure "the roadbed is level". Wanted to know if the prototypical police would chastise me for artistic license or not. (Not that I would really care).
You'd want the trestle bents to be vertical to be prototypical. Angling them so that they are perpendicular to the track grade would not be prototypical. Have fun! I assume we'll see some pictures when you're done?
The Willamette Shore Trolley has this lovely old trestle that has a bit of a grade to it, too, about a 2% grade. As a young motorman (about 19 at the time) I was thoroughly warned of the dangers of going down it too fast. That trestle has some of the smoothest, best trackage along the entire route.
Absolutely, on both accounts. Now, as to "when I'm done"..., that will be an interesting projection. I have the JV Models curved trestle bridge kit, which will be my first endeavor along these lines, plus I need to build the mountains, too. This will have to be designed in very carefully, before I start anything. But, the JACALAR thread will contain plenty of progress photos once I begin.
Rick, I think the confusion comes from long clear-span bridges, which are almost always level and straight. A trestle is the very opposite of a long clear-span bridge. They can be built with a grade, and they can be curved. that's because the "spans" are quite short. I think the stresses on a bridge are on a cubed order. So a trestle with short interval spans would be much different than a clear-span bridge of some length.
Here's one that's both on a grade and on a curve. The (now abandoned) Kanawha River bridge in Charleston, WV. This bridge has it all... wooden *and* steel trestles, deck bridges, truss bridges, and a camelback. I think this also illustrates using straight deck bridge segments to cross the road on a curved track, but I don't have a very good pic of that. Here's the rest of the set. And here's the google map location. The trestle shown is on the south end of the bridge. The north end is similarly trestled, but straight (the curve is at ground level, I think). It used to connect the mainlines on both sides of the river. And yes, the trestle curve is actually an "S"...
How long of trestle are we talking about? Did alot of searching when i was building my trestle and did not find any that had a grade at least not long Trestles. Also are we talking Wood or Steel trestles.
Not to go too far OT but that's quite a nice scene! Inspiring even.... I should look into a trestle like that on the next project!
That is a beauty! Mine will be wood, about 15 inches. I think all these trestle photos and discussions are great - my original question has been answered well, and the continued sharing is a help to all!
Is the grade on the hill behind the trestle (leading to the tunnel on the left) a road or track? If road, nice detail. One would expect the roads to follow ROW in that kind of terrain, and having one with its own tunnel is a good idea, IMHO. A beautiful trestle, BTW...
