Talking T Gauge

rmyers · Joined: 19 Nov 2008 Posts: 73 Location: Evanston, IL USA

Beautiful stuff. You should write up how you made those trestle bents.

Bob

victorian t gauge · Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 11:55 pm Post subject:

thanks guys!, the thickest area of trees is the sort of terrain that is burning here. hence the ferrocity of the fires!! the trestles are limbs of tee tree ends that i snapped off and cut to roughly to size.

i drawn out a trestle jig on double sided tape thats stuck to a bench, then stick the round upright spans to the design onto the top while i glued the cut and stained timber cross sections on with triton wood work glue, with the tip of a nail, then extended a "snappoff" blade out fully and gently slid between the double side tape jig, and the now one piece trestle, then turned it for Renee (miss victorian t gauge) to glue the cross sections onto the other side.

the triton glue is best, strongest and sets very rapidly for wood glue. i have previously used this on lazer cut n scale kits. this will be the first time i have used this methed (or ever built a bridge), i like the irony and natural timber look, from using these branches.

jerrybigcat · Joined: 13 Oct 2008 Posts: 4 Location: Bourbonnais, IL, USA

Very impressive work.

B 67 · Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 5:10 am Post subject:

Here's a few photos from the area Paul is modelling. I thought it might help for those of you not familiar with the prototypes and location. Australian trestle bridges probably look rather lightly constructed to some of you. Australian hardwoods allow wider spacing of the trestle bents and ,as is the case with the bridges shown, the use of steel girders under the deck helps too.

Those horizontal steel beams near the bottom, are actually old rails.

This is the Stony Creek trestle bridge, just a few miles from the Boggy Creek bridge that Paul is modeling. The line closed in 1987 and the rails were pulled up in 1993. This bridge still has rails in place, but is fenced at each and as the deck has deteriorated - not to mention the lack of handrails. Many of the bridges remain as tourist attractions, the railway reservation now in use as a rail trail.

Unfortunately I can't find any decent photos online of the Boggy Creek bridge. Here's the best I can find

I shall have to scan my own photos of the bridge and post them later.

All the above images are not mine. I found them here.
_________________
Darren,
Stratford,
Australia.

victorian t gauge · Posted: Sat Feb 21, 2009 10:47 am Post subject:

MMMMMMmmmmmmmm...... Smile

stoney creek bridge...... how could a modeler of east gippsland not model that!! a have some good freinds with plans of most of those bridges & in 2weeks time (once this little layout is finished for the exhibition) i intend to start a series of moduals 400mm deep (same depth as nowa nowa) x 1000mm long ea., and cover as many key locations of this line as possible, with the highlight being a SUPER long, low trestle at the very end of the line over the snowy river floodplain & into the orbost yard.

This bridge still stands today (no rails Crying or Very sad

) and just blows me away every time i see it!! it is in 2 parts with a few hundred meters of landfill between them. i think the first bridge has 168 trestle spans, the 2nd around 80.

this, along with stoney creek, an ACCURATE boggy creek, nicholson river and some deep mountian forrests with gradiants, spreading to open farmland all in a long skinny t gauge layout, meters in length should take the observer on a virtual ride that we sadly can not do today.

im feeling very excited about this project about to start... Wink

victorian t gauge · Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 11:42 am Post subject:

we have been out most of today re tracing the formation and trestle bridges of the former great southern railway. also collecting a mass of straight t tree limbs for the huge amount of trestle peers we will be starting soon.

one thing i have noticed with the small nowa nowa layout so far, seeing i have not gone off any gradiant or bridge planns yet, it is SO easy to overscale some things! i really have to turn my "n scale" train of thought off with t gauge Laughing

i am hoping to have the bridge & whole layout complete by next weekend, so i can then build another t class and more pass car bodys to have the layout running for the show in 2 weeks. Smile

zomer · Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 6:51 am Post subject:

Looking good Paul!! I cannot say enought how crazy this model is!! The depth is amazing right from the tree tops through to the undergrowth. I tried to upload photos to the blog last night but was unsuccessful. I was given a brand new laptop so will attempt this again tonight if I get a chance.

Great photos Darren! The Stony Creek trestle bridge would look amaaaazing in T gauge!!
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Victorian T Gauge Blog
http://www.victorian-tgauge.blogspot.com/

victorian t gauge · Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 8:32 am Post subject:

stoney creek sure would look awsome! i wonder what size it will scale to? cool man, thanks for trying to upload those. i will be heading back to work after tea, and start installing the 3 trestle peers on the right side that we built today. then i can start the decking and detailing the steel girder. mmm, it would be wonderful to have that pulse system for the show!

zomer · Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 10:09 am Post subject:

MMMmmmmm pulse system for the expo........................drooooooooooool!!!

Il get some photos with all 6 trestles tonight for the blog. Ill let you all know when theyre uploaded.
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Victorian T Gauge Blog
http://www.victorian-tgauge.blogspot.com/

victorian t gauge · Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 6:31 am Post subject:

i made good progress today. the steel center girder is now finished, proped up and glued into place. it got detialed with 10 x 20 thou styreen strips & plastruct h beam. it then got sprayed in matt red oxide & weatherd with a series of washes from a rust brown.
i would love to try rustall, but dont have the time for it to arrive with this layout. never the less, the weathering has turned out just as i hoped for. Smile

the bridge is looking very complete & only needs decking, before permantly glueing the end trestle sections in & planting shrubs & trees around the wooden peers. this adventure in my first layout has been very rewarding & fun.

B 67 · Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 12:29 pm Post subject:

Paul, just about every experienced model railroader can tell you that your first layout is rarely the only one you build. However, usually people build a second, third, fourth etc layout as they are not happy with the track plan, their scenery looked horrible, unrealistic and so on.

Although the track plan on your layout is simple (as are most T layouts to date) I'm sure our minds are all in overdrive trying to imagine how your next layout will look. Shocked

It really is going to be interesting to hear of the reactions you'll get at Sandown - not just on the minuscule scale of T, but the scenery itself AND that it is a VR layout. Pity we'll be on opposite sides of the exhibition - I won't be able to eavesdrop. Laughing

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Darren,
Stratford,
Australia.

David K Smith · Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 12:41 pm Post subject:

Paul, how is the layout running these days? Have you been able to address the dirt problem you were having?
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—David

http://www.t-gauge.net/
http://1-450.blogspot.com/

victorian t gauge · Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 11:34 pm Post subject:

i havnt ran the train for a while now, the track has been off and on a bit while i finish the bridge. i started the decking last night and hope to have it glued on tonight, with the trestles perminantly glued down also. this will just about have the bridge completely finished Smile

then i can glue the track perminantly down & touch up the ballast on the sides, so i figured i would wait untill then to give the track a big clean, thanks David. Wink

ill let you know when thats done.

B 67 · Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 3:24 am Post subject:

Track looked fine when I saw it last week, so there shouldn't be any serious problems. The fears I had of coarse sandpaper having been used turned out to be totally unfounded. Laughing

But then again, I'd have been truly shocked if Paul had done something like that.
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Darren,
Stratford,
Australia.

victorian t gauge · Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 10:03 am Post subject:

the bridge is now complete. all thats left to do is to glue the track down, re ballast edges to layout, plant trees under bridge, a few speed curve boards & maybe a signal. i had planned a small country station at the rear left of layout, but that could be added at a later date. Wink