Concrete Bridge Piers and Abutments

N

nolatron

Member
Nov 17, 2004
716
0
16
45
Katy, TX
railroad.sodh.net
I've been searching walthers.com for them, but haven't come across any yet. All I get are stone piers, not [modern] concrete ones.

Anyone ever come across some before? Here's some in HO on the new Art of Model Railroading calendar that has the look I'm after.
 

Attachments

  • IMG00144.JPG
    IMG00144.JPG
    36 KB · Views: 9
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
 

Attachments

  • pier.jpg
    pier.jpg
    6.6 KB · Views: 85
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 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
 
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.
 
Remember, the piers also need to support the track, not just look good.
Click to expand...

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! :)
 
60103 said:
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.
Click to expand...


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..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom