They don't make movies like Sound of Music any more. There is a reason for that. Oh well.
So yesterday we made a list of things we don't like about the track plan....let's work on these.
Here's what I'm not liking:
1. Narrow shelf in the middle section limits scenery and structures
2. Would like the port shelf to be a bit deeper
3. Very long scenic divider which is hard to build for easy removal
4. Large blobs make it more complicated to produce a movable layout
5. Passing sidings on curves require custom track work to look right and fail the "keep it simple" motto.
6. Missing hidden staging
7. Turntable, required for turning steam. Source of problems.
8. Fireplace hearth is 2" high and is a trip hazard
9. Two problematic S curves
10. Too much track within 2" of the fascia
While this is still a sketch, we have a good idea what the layout will look like. By knocking out things we don't like before we start the final drawing, we won't have to redraw it as much. I use a 10 count for everything. In this case I force myself to find 10 things I don't like and stop there. Then I go fix them. Then, I try to find 10 more things and go fix them. When I can't come up with 10 things, I know I am close.
1. Narrow shelf in the middle section limits scenery and structures
The area in the red circle is barely a foot wide. That means it is about 6" on each side. This is hardly enough for trees or flat scenery. It can be done, but its not going to look very good. Widening it will shrink the aisle on the bookcase side. Widening on the other side will mess up the 24" radius curves. Hey! Here is a radical idea! If you can't have a good scene on either side, why not overlap the two levels and have one good scene and the other track goes below? We'll play with that idea.
2. Would like the port shelf to be a bit deeper
My thoughts were to model Savannah's famous River Street. It is a line of large cotton exchange warehouses along a brick (ballast stone) roadway.
The track is imbedded in the ballast stone road, dwarfed on one side by the old brick warehouses and the river is on the other side. The point at the top of the blob below must stay at 2 feet. So maybe we can round the port area and widen both sides to give more room. Put a small flat building in that narrow spot.
3. Very long scenic divider which is hard to build for easy removal
Scenic dividers are great for permanent layouts, but they are a pain for portables that are double sided. Keeping the layout "sincere" which means running the track through a scene only once is very important to me. There are no mountains in this part of Georgia so let's look at building either a low profile backdrop or one that is removable.
4. Large blobs make it more complicated to produce a movable layout
The width of the blob with fascia will be about 4 1/2 feet wide. This has to fit up the stairs which are 4 feet wide. Bit of a problem. Here are some ideas: build it in two separate sections, build the top so that it comes off, check for other ways to take it out.
5. Passing sidings on curves require custom track work to look right and fail the "keep it simple" motto.
I'm not interested in building custom curved turnouts The passing siding by the fireplace (a cotton knitting mill will go here, plus these are interchange tracks) could move down to the straight area right below. Or I could put in a three track dead end yard. The passing siding by the turntable just needs to be big enough for locos to pass each other, so maybe we can straighten it out.
My friend Scott called me from Trainmaster Models today to tell me that my bridge materials had arrived. Yippee! I drove straight there after work. It was quite a load! My wife is going to have a cow when she found out how much I spent on wood!
That is a full scale $2 bill lying there on the table. I used it because I don't have any real money in my wallet to show you how big the pile is. Truss bridges in O scale eat up a lot of timber!!! This is a $101 pile, btw...and I never said becoming an MMR is cheap.
These are for the tie runners and for other projects that I have going in the shop. While I used to hold tru to Wayne Wesolowski's tip of buying 50% more wood than you need in order to build up a collection, I think I am going to drop that habit. My hobby shop gets me anything I want in no more than seven days, and that is fast enough.
A pack of turnbuckles. These are cored for .025 wire. Buy the four you need, get another dozen free. Oh well.
These are 1 1/2" nut/bolt/washer castings. I'll need most of these, and will build up my stockpile with the rest. These are cheap and I try to keep a supply on hand.
These are #1 nbw castings. A little different than the ones below. Actually these are washter castings. You'd think they would spell it right on the package!
Next is a pile of 1/4 x 1/4 x 24" basswood timbers.
1/4 x 3/8 x 24" basswood timbers
3/8 x 2" x 24" basswood planks. These will be ripped for the 18" base timbers. Since wood is getting so expensive I might invest in a good mini saw and cut my own.
3/8 x 3/8 x 24" truss timbers. We'll cut a lot of these!
There! Now we'll start cutting. This weekend my wife and I are going to take it easy and rest up for the baby. I'll get a good start on the bridge. Recently I found a picture of a similar pony truss bridge that has a reddish color to it, so I'll probably weather this one the same. I've thought of using the gray color of the swamp timber as well. I'll decide by tomorrow night.
Before I go too much further I want to make some corrections to the drawings. Now that I have a print out I can see some things I need to fix.
On drawing #1 of the trusses, some are two truss sets, some are one. But they are different from one side to the other. So I'll need to mark these on the drawing.
The nbw's on the base of the bridge are holding rods and are not bolts. These need to be the 3" variety and need to be increased in size on the model, like the ones on top of the bridge.
Align nbw's on the base with the nbw's on the truss sides. They should all match, but a few don't.
Howdy! A quick correction before we start. I realized later when looking at my timber stock that I had incorrectly drawn the bridge base timbers at 12" deep, when they should be 18" deep. This has been corrected. This is what I don't like about making drawings. One little mistake will cost you lots of time and material. Be careful!
F. Draw the bridge base. The bridge base is the surrounding frame that joins the two truss assemblies. These require strength and squareness. I first started with the long beams and then the cross members. While looking at Wolfgang's model I noticed a gap in several spots. This is when I started getting concerned that nothing was holding the bridge together from side to side. Going back to Harry's drawings I realized that he left out the cross members. This is something a judge would catch easily. The reason it happened is probably because the timber size for these pieces is not listed on the drawings. When making drawings step back a second and ask "would this really work?" or "if I'm building this how would the engineer actually build it?" Little thinks like cross beams stick out like a sore thumb. He left the tie rods on the bottom out, too. Never build from someone else's model, but learn from what they did.
G. Draw in the details. Same as the previous section we need to put in the tie rods and the nbw's. We've put a section of the truss upright in the drawing so that we can match the nbw's to the tie rods. This points out that I drew the nbw's in the wrong size, so those will have to be corrected. Are you starting to learn that I'm not a draftsman or engineer?
H. Make a list of materials needed. This time we have to keep in mind that the truss sides are already built. We only need the new materials.
That's all for now. Next time we'll start on the upper deck and put in the outriggers. If you know the proper name for these things, please let me know. Is it a queen post?
So here is where I am with the drawing. Determining the dimensions from the photos has been rather difficult, so I'm staying close to Harry Brunk's drawing. When I finally evaluated the pitch of the trusses (35 degrees) I was able to draw in the trusses and figure out the rough length. Seems Harry's drawing is not that far off. Will I ever be able to draw it precisely? No, I'm afraid not.
Click on Drawing to Enlarge
B. Set up the drawing. At this point I decide what scale to draw the drawing in and set up the Cad drawing space. We'll draw it in O-scale since I can actually print it out full size. I'll reset the grid (the graph lines) to be one foot apart, with a darker four foot line for reference. I'll make the whole drawing area 70 feet long which gives me extra room for notes and dimensions. Then I'll set the layers of the drawing. We'll have the main layer (turning of the track component option), dimensions layer and a text layer. I always keep the text separate so that I can remove it easily for drawing. The last stage is to put in my drawing text block that tells what the drawing it, the scale, who did it and the revision. As I draw I save the file like this. For starters I use 1.001. The first one is the major revision number. The next three numbers are the drawing numbers. As a rule I save a new revision drawing every 15-20 minutes, or when I make a major change in the drawing. The file is now saved as Clear Creek Howe Truss Bridge 1.004 since I've made a few mods to the drawing already trying to figure out the length. For more information on Cad drawing I recommend you join one of the many Cad specific Yahoo groups.
C. Draw the side truss frame timbers. As this is probably the most complicated part of the drawing, so we'll tackle it first. This will be the diagram for building both side truss frames and we'll build on the drawing so it must be very accurate. One thing I like about making my own drawings is that it forces me to understand the construction and to build the bridge in my head. Assembly goes much faster this way and I make fewer and less costly mistakes. We won't need the rod trusses underneath or the
D. Draw in the details. I like to complete detail a model piece while I can keep it flat on the table. It is easier to drill and glue on a horizontal surface. So I'll go ahead and draw in all the nbw castings. There will be TWO sides no, an OUTSIDE and an INSIDE. That is the fun of a Cad system because it is easy to copy and paste. First I'll have to draw an nbw or two, then some side views, then just past them in place. One of the things you have to watch is "what am I connecting with these bolts?" While checking the picture vs the photos I've already found that along the top beam there should be two nbw's between each truss, not one. So we'll correct it on our drawing here.
E. Make a list of the materials needed. Since I'm building this in component sections and am familiar with the parts right now, I'll go ahead and make a list of materials and put it on the drawing. This makes it into my own kit.
Material for two truss side frames.
9 x 18 - 400 scale feet (100 inches)
9 x 9 - 900 scale feet (225 inches)
3" nbw - 28
2" nbw - 100 (some extra)
Brass (Piano) wire - 168 scale feet (42 inches)
That's all for today. We'll start on the base of the bridge tomorrow.
As I'm doing this one I thought I'd blog about HOW I do a project, from beginning to end. Magazine articles generally can't cover 100% of a project because it would turn into a book. Since I'm still sick with bronchitis the only thing I can do is write... here we go.
Step 1. What do I want to build?
I know I want to build a bridge. While I need it for my AP Structures list, I also like wooden bridges and have always wanted to build one. So this project is a wooden bridge.
Step 2. What kind of bridge?
The bridge has to be something interesting and challenging, otherwise I'll lose interest and it will never be completed. It also has to be able of scoring 87.5 points for an AP Merit Award in an NMRA judging. This means it has to be rather complex. A trestle might accomplish this, but I've built lots of trestles. I need something more difficult.
Step 3. Search for a prototype.
All modeling should start with the prototype. Many models that I have seen have been built from seeing other models! While I'm all for freelancing and imagination, to really score Merit Award points you should pick a good prototype. To me, reproducing something that exists (existed) is the most challenging of all.
Having a good home library of railroad books is a blessing. I have a library room with four large bookcases fill with train books, a comfy leather chair and a good light. A large stack of books will be pulled off the shelf and I'll start looking at pictures. For a bridge with a lot of character I often turn to the narrow gauge railroads who often had to build with what they had. One of my favorite books is Up Clear Creek on the Narrow Gauge by Harry Brunk, a professional illustrator and artist. His sketches are fantastic and he is a model builder, so the information for modeling is usually all there.
While browsing through the book (it is actually a lengthy collection of his famous magazine articles) I found just the bridge I'm looking for. The Colorado & Southern Railroad had a wooden (timber) Howe truss bridge spanning Clear Creek in the Clear Creek Canyon. See the picture below.
Step 4. Evaluate the Prototype as a Model
Now that I might have a prototype I give it the acid test, which is a battery of questions in order to decide if I'm going to build it or not.
A. Do I like it enough to spend hours constructing it? Yes. While it is complex looking, it is more repetitive than difficult. It is attractive and interesting.
B. Can I use it on my layout? Yes. Generally I don't build things that I can't use on my layout. I used to build structures for pay and put myself through school doing it, but no longer. Each piece that I construct has to be either for the layout or to build my skills for a bigger project in the near future.
C. Can I build it? Yes. This is the real test. Is my ego bigger than my skills? In this case no, so I have a good chance at success. There are a lot of pieces, but not anything requiring skills I don't have. I did find on line other modelers that successfully built this bridge, which is another indicator of success.
D. Do I have enough information? Yes. This is something I always ask. Sometimes one photo is enough. This one is a little more difficult. While Harry gave us some nice drawings, they are NOT plans, which is different. Some of the key dimensions are unknown, such as the length and height of the bridge. Harry even admits that if you want a more accurate bridge, you may have to go back to the photos. My next step is to jump on the computer. A few hours later I had more photographs and several shots of models of the bridge. I even conversed with a fellow in the UK that built one and got some pointers from him. The last step is to send off a request to the NMRA's Kalmbach Library for which I was rewarded with five pages of photos. Yes, we can make drawings from this.
E. Can I make a good set of construction drawings? Yes. I'm not talking magazine drawings but construction drawings. These will allow me to cut materials accurately and assemble them in the proper fashion. They can be as simple as graph paper sketchs or as complex as 3-D cad drawings. In this case I need the extra points and will produce a set of 2-D Cad drawings.
F. Are the materials needed readily available? Yes. Simple wood timbers and nut-bolt-washer castings, along with turnbuckles and wire. All available by scratch or the local hobby shop, which is Trainmaster Models.
G. Can I afford to build it? Yes. This is a VERY important question. When you look at a kit vs. a stractbuilt project you often THINK that scratchbuilding is cheaper. This is not the case in most projects. A buck here, a buck there really adds up. In this case I ran the numbers and don't believe that the cost will exceed $30. Details are what you have to watch!
H. How much time will it take? 20 hours. Wow! Really? Actually it will take more than that. For instance, just doing the research I've spent 5 hours and haven't even gotten a good start on the drawings. Do I care? No, but there are opportunity costs. If I'm building this, I'm not building something else.
I. What skills will I develop or learn? Precision. This is always good to ask yourself. Every model should be a challenge in some way or other. For this one I am trying to develop a higher level of precision. Attention to the fine details is important as I progress on to more and more difficult projects. The drilling of holes and making the angled supports uniformly straight is tricky, and may require the use of jigs for a higher level of precision.
With all those questions answered in a positive light, time to move on to the next step.
Step 5. Analyze the Prototype. I've gotten the photos, sketches and documents related to the bridge. I'm still missing some precise measurements, but we'll extrapolate them from the photos. With large printouts of each document I carefully scan the model. Using MS Word I've started a document to capture information. That board is crooked, that board is broken, there are four bolts on this side, etc. One thing I really noticed was the bridge foundation as one side is concrete and the other is build of crossties. One of the tricky things is NOT looking at someone else's model for prototype information. Wolfgang built a nice model, but he did it from sketches, not drawings, and some things don't look right. I'd like a more precise model so I'm going to have to throw Harry's beautiful sketches out the window and draw a set of plans.
Step 6. Determine how to build the model. This is the step where we sit back and go "if I were going to provide this to the public as a kit, what would the kit look like and how would I build it?" This is a very important step as a mistake here can cost you time and materials. Still, no matter how well you do, you won't be able to do this perfectly, so do wait for perfection.
For the bridge, I see it as several components. Each side is a component, the bottom is a component, and the track and ties are one component. So we are looking at four sub-assemblies. If I build the bridge supports, that is five. Great! This tells us how to build it. The sides are identical, so we can build them in tandem. The ties/rail can be built separately and then added to the model at the end. The toughest part will be the bridge base, which can't be done until the sides are ready. Ok, so we build the sides, then the base, then the supports and then add the track.
Step 7. Evaluate Drawings. What drawings do I need? Well, they should match the components listed above. We'll need a side drawing (top and side), a bridge base, a track drawing and then the supports (two since they are different). We'll do these in Cad since we'll want to get AP Points and because I'd like to share them with people who might want other scales.
Step 8. Begin the Drawings. This is where we lose people. The armchair guys never get past this point. But we are. I've begun the drawings on 3rd Plan It Cad. Not the best in the world, but what I happen to have and know. Like other things, there are several steps here.
A. Determine the overall dimensions of the model. This is a problem right off the bat as I don't have a full length or height dimension. Will have to extrapolate it. Harry Brunk's drawing appears to be roughly 1/8" to the foot. That makes the bridge 66'. I have a picture with a man standing on the bridge. It scales out to about 50'. Big difference. I'll have to work on this. I'm also having trouble determining the angle of the supports.
