Concrete Bridge Piers and Abutments
- Thread starter nolatron
- Start date
I know where you are comming from i to have wanted concrete and no luck so i made my own out of styrafoam and painted them a grey color (craft paint)
I think if you find pre-made ones they'll be pretty disappointing and probably the wrong size.
This is your chance to work on a new skill. Either extruded foam carving or possibly making your own plaster moulds.
This is your chance to work on a new skill. Either extruded foam carving or possibly making your own plaster moulds.
Have you considered cardstock? If you have a color printer (or access to one), take a look at ScaleScenes. They offer some concrete/stone/brick piers, abutments and retaining walls. The pier below goes for $5 - download once, print as many as you need.
From the site:
- No painting required, just print and build
- Easy to follow illustrated instructions
- Can be built as single or double track
- Variable height and width
- Suitable for any type of bridge
From the site:
- No painting required, just print and build
- Easy to follow illustrated instructions
- Can be built as single or double track
- Variable height and width
- Suitable for any type of bridge
Attachments
ah-ha! I forget he had piers. I remember seeing those a while back now. I purchased one of his street packs before (helpful for planning).
I'll have to give those a try to see how they look once printed.
I'll have to give those a try to see how they look once printed.
I agree with carving them out of foam, it takes very little work or skill (lucky for me) to make it look like half decent concrete
I agree with the foam. Thats what im going to try if it dont work out the first time , got lots of scrap pieces around.
But if you use foam, won't you end up with a porous looking foam surface, instead of a solid, smooth one?
railroader9731, any pics of yours?
railroader9731, any pics of yours?
N
nachoman
I would use blocks of wood, coat them with a thin coat of joint compound, sand them, and then paint them (with an airbrush). Remember, the piers also need to support the track, not just look good.
Kevin
Kevin
Nolatron: You may have trouble finding it in Texas, but we use extruded polystyrene house insulation. This is a bit less porous than some other types (like HiFi packing). It cuts to a smooth finish, and works nicely with a hot wire cutter. I make cutter guides out of stripwood (often 1/8 x 3/4) and run the hot wire down. A layer of WS scenery paste mixed with cement colour will cover the surface and conceal accidental holes.
Nolatron,
Check the Atlas website : HO & N Accessories and Tools
Atlas HO & N Accessories and Tools
Jacques
Check the Atlas website : HO & N Accessories and Tools
Atlas HO & N Accessories and Tools
Jacques
Good point. From a card modeler's biased perspective ... I think cardstock should easily be strong enough. Structures made of heavy card are like little cartons. At that size, they can support a lot of weight, particularly if designed to do so - think of how much weight can be proportionately supported by cardboard shipping boxes or a vertical toilet paper tube.
Another advantage of card: unless you're a "micro-angelo", I think it would be challenging to top the realism of good printed graphics. It looks like whoever does ScaleScene's graphics has an artist's hand.
Then again, here in this forum I often see photographic evidence that many model RRers are great scale painters, so I guess it really depends on personal skills and preferences, how much time/money you want to spend vs. results obtained, how much you enjoy scenery/environment modeling as part of scale RRing, etc.
Nolatron, please post your results, whatever medium you use!
good point, it didnt occur to me it would be hard to find insulation board in texas.....But yeah, it ends up looking pretty good not too porus, its all in the way you cut it, try and hack it up with a knife and you may not get good results (at least I dont) I draw on the design, and then cut with a bandsaw, then do the fine detail work with a VERY sharp hobby knife to keep from popping out little chunks on the edges, I find I dont even have to airbrush, I brush painted my supports for my little bridge and I thought they were passable.....but you may have higher standards then me lol..
Came across this and looks promising for concrete abutments
Monroe Models N 9005 Concrete & Girder Bridge High Density Hydrocal Kit (1-7/8"H x 6"L x 5"W)
And the expansion item for piers
Monroe Models N 9006 Bridge Expansion Kit
Or this:
Monroe Models N 9002 Concrete Bridge Hydrocal Kit (1.75"H x 5"L)
I'll be placing an order today for the first two items to check them out.
Monroe Models N 9005 Concrete & Girder Bridge High Density Hydrocal Kit (1-7/8"H x 6"L x 5"W)
And the expansion item for piers
Monroe Models N 9006 Bridge Expansion Kit
Or this:
Monroe Models N 9002 Concrete Bridge Hydrocal Kit (1.75"H x 5"L)
I'll be placing an order today for the first two items to check them out.