? Ok, so I dont know exactly what this structure is called. I'm going to call it a berm. Their purpose, as I understand it, is to protect the bridge from boats etc. when it is swung open. Anywho, starting constructing this for the swing span at Gills last night. The prototype appears to be constructed from railroad ties, so I began contructing mine with Micro Engineering's N scale ties as well. Besides, they are already pre-stained, so all I have to do is glue them together. I do not have any shots of this structure from the air, so I can only make a guess as to how the real one looks from the inside. But I guess it will not matter as most will focus on its outer appearance. As I carefully glue each tie together, I smurk at how I started modeling trains and now find myself focusing on how to properly model a structure that protects a bridge. Here is the first 3 or 4 levels.
More work at Gills. Built some walkways for the bridge. T'was a bit delicate, gluing them together. T'was a bit difficult, gluing them to the bridge. (Very scarry for this all hallow's eve!) They turned out O.K., I guess. The single platform is an operator's platform (the bridge is opened by "apponitment only" I hear). I'll have to fashion some kind of control box for the operator. The pictures are a bit fuzzy. I'll try to use a faster shutter speed next time, but you get the idea. Next, more wood & railwork for the bridge, and more layers for the "berm" in the river...
"Finished" the (berm?) for the bridge. It at least 50% prototypical too. Its close enough. I guess. And I thought I was modeling trains...
very nice. everytime I saw one of those they filled them with rock or concrete? was your proto like that?
I'd suppose it would be a fender. Meant to deflect stray marine activies and debris, so bridge piers are less likely to be damaged. Some might also call it a bulkhead.
A little weathering... Now, what else does it need? I could never get close enough to the prototype to peer down inside it. Rock or concrete you say eh? Hmmm...
The scene is looking good! Maybe a little bit of debris around the bulkhead. Time to get a boat and row out to the spot and do a survey team exploration! Just kidding, probably not the safest or legal thing to do. How is Google maps resolution in this area? I have solved many railroad mysteries thanks to Google maps.
I've been over that track hundreds of times years ago , I cannot remember if they were filled in or not. I guess I am getting old.... Randy
Love the coloring on the bulkhead structure, you nailed it! Maybe some waterfowl and or evidence of some...? Beautiful... Otto K.
There should be pilings inside for the timbers to be attached. I'd guess nothing else but water. Maybe you could find an aerial view on line and zoom in to look?
Might have to re - "visit" the location this spring for some detail shots. Bing & Google Earth don't seem to have the resolution I need. It seems that pilings and rocks would indeed make sense. Here is as close as "the photographer" ever got to the scene... (Remember, I'm not modeling it exactly 100%. I'm only a simulator - forgive me)
That scene is really coming along nicely. The detailing is excellent! Looking forward to more updates...
Attempted to add a bit of weathering on some existing places. Next some more lumber and guard rails are needed. Hard to see here, but the concrete chunks are dirtier...
For some reason I am unable to view the images in this thread? Opening the image URL, I get: "403. Forbidden. You don't have permission to access /gallery/albums/userpics/11767/DSC_0140.JPG on this server. Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request. Apache/2.0.63 (Unix) mod_ssl/2.0.63 OpenSSL/0.9.8e-fips-rhel5 mod_auth_passthrough/2.1 mod_bwlimited/1.4 FrontPage/5.0.2.2635 PHP/5.2.5 Server at railroadfan.com Port 80" Any idea why? The only thing I can think of is I'm viewing this from New Zealand, on a 115.188.xxx.xxx IP address. Thanks, --Michael
Great modeling. Especially great water modeling! The water appears to be somewhat substantial; that is, not fragile and subject to scratching.
