I am presently working on a Micro Engineering ballasted deck bridge project and for the life of me I can’t seem to find an of the shelf if you will bridge abutment. All the ones I have found in Walthers etc. seem to fit more of the truss bridge or similar style but when it comes to the Girder style bridge the shelf portion if you will of the abutment where the bridge shoes should sit aren’t deep enough. I have an idea to use a pair of Woodland Scenic’s concrete retaining wall sections to make my own abutments but figured I owuld get some ideas form you guys.
Thanks your input and advice are always appreciated.
Perhaps of not much use for non-Members, but there’s an illustrated “how-to” HERE. The O.P. and other Members can view the entire thread, including pictures, while all others will see only the text.
This stuff is great, nead two equal parts togather, work like clay in any shape you want, hardens in a few hours or so. Ive seen it used for retaining walls, stacked sand bags, tree roots. You cant see it in this picture, I took a stryine sheet that had 8 in boards, pressed it against this abutment and it came out very good, excellent detail.
the material is pressed into the existing formation, worked with putty knife, made sure of shoe room, painted and weathered with chalks., Main reason I like this is that one almost always has to cut any product made to fit, and I had a protoype abutment to model.
DJ I was going to go back through my picture from when I visited your layout but you saved me the trouble. If you notice the size of the end girders as opposed to the ones more in the middle of the span they seem significantly narrower I am wondering if the 30’ sections are smaller? Will have to call M/E Monday am or visit the LHS in any case my bridge is already built using three 85’ ballasted bridge kits.
Wayne I recall this post when you were telling me how to make castings for bridge piers excellent post and very informative. I have contemplated trying my hand ad making my own castings so maybe I’ll give it another shot.
Thanks again for posting this for anyone who is not a subscriber it’s well worth the few minutes it will take you to sign up.
Have seen some very nice abutments and piers made from extruded foam. Scribed with a ball point pen, painted, weathered, looked good. The foam is easy to carve, shape and scribe. Easy to make any size up to 2" thick and 8" long or high.
Took my camera to a show to get a photo for an earlier post. The layout wasn’t at the show. Forgot the camera next time I went, of course the layout was. Will try to remember it next time and hope it is there.
The resine is a two part clay like product. I just neaded it rolled it into a ball and prested it against the scenery, using a putty knife, sheet of stryene that had good wood strips repesinting the concreate foming, I pressed it against the sides to get the desired effect. blended with my finger against the scenery
Google the web site for this product, you will be amazed at what has been done with this product, it drys hard that one can drilll it. This abutment took me about five minits to do, but the second one was a lot longer to do, but then when I found the stryene ( exactly where i left it…[X-)].LOL)
From my plan, knowing where I wanted the bridge, and about what size, I cut through the splines near two risers supporting each now-hanging spline ends. Those ends became the abutments.
With the gap now evident, I was able to hot-glue aluminum window screen in a ‘valley’ as the base for the ground goop you see.
Installed the ground goop so that it came to the bottom edge of the spline ends.
Measured, cut, and glued to the spline ends the timbers you see. Then painted them with acrylic paints. The trestle, itself, is stained with creosote and the abutment painted with acrylics.
Flesh it out with ground foam, grasses, bushes, and with trees.
Great, Crandell; thanks. May I assume the timbers are from Northeastern Scale Lumber or the like and that the process is as straightforward as you describe? Never having done it, I might well have been overthinking it and assuming it would be harder than it may be.
I purchased the scale stripwood at local hobby shop, but I don’t know where they acquired it…maybe the place you named. But, once you have an idea of the nature, or the eventual look, of your abutments, yes, just measure, cut, glue them together in stacks against the backing spline or other material, and then stain or paint. Just keep the glue away from surfaces to be painted. I made that mistake. It isn’t hard or complicated to my mind. It is part of the hobby that is fun for me.
