Just before the line enters St Petrock Station it crosses Tredinnick Creek on two girder bridges. Having spent a long time building track, then installing and wiring point motors, I thought it would be fun to tackle some scenery for a change and get this section near(ish) to completion.
Photos of the bridge over Little Petherick Creek on the Padstow branch were studied carefully. It's a well-photographed spot, especially since it became part of the Camel Trail, but I thought it best to pop one of my own photos in here Whilst my model wasn't intended to be a copy, I wanted to get the 'feel' of the place - especially those metal cylinders that support the structure in mid-stream.
I started by building a couple of Dapol girder bridge kits. These were being sold by Airfix when I was a kid (which was a long time ago) and have stood the test of time quite well. However, the trusses on the top are like nothing I've ever seen and are surely structurally unsound. Perhaps they were made that way to clear the old Tri-ang overhead wire system. I replaced them with trusses from the Plastruct range but didn't have enough to finish the job. My local model shop has promised to have new stocks in January.
The supporting cylinders were made from 22mm plastic tubing - somewhat undersize as the originals were 8ft in diameter (=32mm in 4mm/ft scale). I couldn't get anything suitable from my model shop, so bought a length of plastic pipe from the local DIY shop. Though doubtless perfect for plumbing, I quickly discovered that it's made from plastic that can't be glued with modellers' polystyrene cement, so I had to wrap each cylinder with thin plasticard, held in place with Evo-stik. The bits between the cylinders are Plastruct again.
Photos of Little Petherick bridge in operational days show boarding down the middle of the track. There were also safety rails to keep trains on the bridge in the event of a derailment; in my version these are lengths of flat-bottomed rail, mounted upside down on C&L chairs. I think they help to give the bridge a nice chunky appearance. Finally, the old bridge had handrails to guard the workers from falling in the drink.
You are getting on well
ReplyDeleteI must admit to not using Plastistrut I use Evergreen which I can get from a local Model shop well its a car ride away as it is on Epsom Downs or if I do things properly I stock up with the larger sections at the &mm NG stand whilst helping there.
I've always heard that plasti strut is hard to glue though I think one of our 3mm modelers down at the club is trying it ,though I think stuck to card as Gutters rather than to other plastics
Local model shop can usually get orders in a few days but dont know how that works around Christmas.
I like the bridge..
Julliette
Antics stock Plastruct and there's a shop in Cardiff. They also do mail order, but the postage rather outweighs the value of the goods unless I order a lot... so if the local shop doesn't come up with the goods, I'll wait till the next trip to Cardiff. Cheltenham Models also say they stock Plastruct, but when I was there a couple of weeks ago their stock was sparse, to say the least.
DeleteAnyway, it's hardly urgent as there's plenty else to do.
Well you're certainly giving the flavour of Cornwall. I had to do a double think when you mentioned going to Cardiff. Looks really good
ReplyDelete