# My home made trestle



## TheDragonslayer

I got a railroad set from a thrift store March 26th, a month ago, two engines and 9 cars, plus about 30 feet of brass track. I had already acquired a box of about 20 feet of EZ track and a controller, nothing else. I got the two engines to work after taking them apart, cleaning them and cleaning the tracks. I only set up a 4 x 4 table, but already plan on at least 4 x 8. 

Anyway, I love wood trestles and wanted one for my layout, I have a large supply of balsa wood in many sizes that I got from a barn I helped clean out. I started researching trestles and how they are built, then drew out the plans for the bents, that was two weeks ago. I then decided it would be 3 feet across, 261 feet in ho. I was going to slowly work on it in my spare time, but last Thursday my trucks ignition switch failed requiring the purchase of a new one and a week down for my truck and my work as a gardener. I have spent about two hours each day working on the trestle and now have it mostly done, just need to build two ladders, one long and one short. At this point there are 591 pieces of balsa wood on the trestle.


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## wingnut163

none of your pictures are opening. shows error.


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## dwagn

Oh that's really amazing!


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## RonthePirate

Wingnut, there was a site bug last evening. Photos would not open for anyone.

They're working now.

Absolutely beautiful, Dragonslayer! Give it a coat of stain,and that will be a wonderful addition to your layout.


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## Cycleops

Nice work. Welcome to the forum.


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## Overkast

Outstanding work Dragonslayer. And yes, welcome!


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## Lemonhawk

Well now that you've completed your dream trestle, don't sit there admiring it! Lets see it in its rightful place! Nice looking details, a real treasure on any layout!


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## Lehigh74

Looks great. I couldn't open all the images, so you may have already stained it, but if not, I would hit it with some Micromark Tie and Bridge Stain.


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## TheDragonslayer

I finished building the ladders today, the 30 footer has 32 rungs and is made up of 40 pieces, the 90 foot has 99 rungs and is made up of 115 pieces, total for the trestle in balsa wood is 746 pieces and it weighs 12.3 ounces, 3 feet wide and 13 inches tall not including the telegraph poles. Painting it will add some weight and additional strength.


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## Magic

That's some very nice work there, looks just great.
Beautiful details. 

Magic


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## Cycleops

TheDragonslayer said:


> I finished building the ladders today, the 30 footer has 32 rungs and is made up of 40 pieces, the 90 foot has 99 rungs and is made up of 115 pieces, total for the trestle in balsa wood is 746 pieces


Sure it's not 747 pieces?


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## TheDragonslayer

Cycleops said:


> Sure it's not 747 pieces?


I kept count of the pieces it took for each bent, how many rails, the posts, hand rails, ladder rungs, brackets, braces, gerts and cross bracing. I did not add the 3 telegraph poles in the count because I still want to try making my own. I also did not add the 72 tiny short pins that tack the crossbracing and gerts onto the bents, nor the 80 fine finishing nails that tacks the stringers to the bents or the many tiny pins that attach the track and rails to the stringer. I have to remove the tracks to paint the trestle and put them back on after it dries and then will do the total count of nails and pins used. So if I counted the pins and nails right now without the ones on the track, it is 898 individual pieces and I want to add a pin to each post where they attach to the side guards and to the ladders on each side bracket, more for detail then strength. I have a sharp hobby stick pin that I premake the holes with for the short pins and set them with a small nail set that makes a nice small dimple around the set pin creating even more illusion.


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## wingnut163

thanks,, 
you have done some nice work.


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## TheDragonslayer

I cannot tell you how much I hate those plastic poles, the insulators keep snapping off and worst of all are that they are plastic. I took my smallest dowels, put them in the chuck of my drill and using two wood rasps, ran the precut dowels through for the right diameter and taper, plus it gave the wood a texture. I notched the pole with a hacksaw for cross pieces and used small hard metal wire to create V supports that fit into a notch on the pole and holes drilled in the cross piece, I used short pins and glass beads pushed into premade holes for the insulators. I tapered the bottom and predrilled two holes for finishing nails to hold the poles to the trestle. They seem very strong so far.


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## Tucgary

Dragonslayer, That is one fine trestle bridge. 
Thanks for sharing the build with us. Tucgary


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## Lehigh74

TheDragonslayer said:


> total for the trestle in balsa wood is 746 pieces and it weighs 12.3 ounces, 3 feet wide and 13 inches tall not including the telegraph poles.


Yup. Building a trestle requires a lot of little pieces of wood. A few years ago I used 1X4 pine to make one. I re-sawed the pine to a little over 3/8”, planed it to either 3/8” or ¼” thick, ripped the 3/8 or ¼ stock to 3/8 or ¼ widths and then cut the pieces to length.

I made this latest one from basswood lumber that I got from Micro Mark.


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## TheDragonslayer

I was talking with one of my clients yesterday, he is a contractor and I thought he might want to see the trestle. I then told him about the HO set I got last month at the thrift store. He told me that he had taken that very same HO set to the thrift store for one of his clients, they could not get it working so she told him to donate it or toss it. This woman is 93 and it was her husbands train set, funny thing is that I work for her son. There are only about 19,000 people in the town I live in, so the odds that I might know the person who used to own the set were pretty good, but I did not know I would know the person personally. I have met the woman who's husband owned the set I bought for $3.95. The 1952 Lionel O scale I saved from the trash belonged to my client who is the contractor, the balsa wood I saved from dumpster doom was from one of his places I helped cleanup.


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## RonthePirate

Lehigh74, that's a pretty trestle! The scene looks like those boaters are actually 100 feet down there.

What is that piece of lumber sticking out by the flagpole?
It looks like some sort of support, but it also looks so thin to be a support.


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## Lemonhawk

Recycling at its best!


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## flyboy2610

Very nicely done!:smilie_daumenpos::smilie_daumenpos:


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## Lehigh74

RonthePirate said:


> Lehigh74, that's a pretty trestle! The scene looks like those boaters are actually 100 feet down there.
> 
> What is that piece of lumber sticking out by the flagpole?
> It looks like some sort of support, but it also looks so thin to be a support.


Thanks Ron. It's an attic layout and the 2X3 is part of a roof truss.


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## gunrunnerjohn

I think I'd figure a way to lose that support.


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## Lehigh74

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I think I'd figure a way to lose that support.


I don't think that's going to happen. I would have to remove the roof and replace the rafters with a bigger size or install sisters.


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## gunrunnerjohn

Actually, I'm sure there's a way to do some sort of simple truss to take the load off that one spot without too much construction.  Maybe you can decorate it somehow.


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## Lemonhawk

Lehigh74, you might call "Ask This Old House" - Get Tommy to come in and do the work for free!


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## TheDragonslayer

I got the trestle table built, the tracks will enter a tunnel on the left front and onto a 2 foot extension for a track that circles around to the back and exits a tunnel on the back left onto the first table. Beyond the trestle will be a steep gorge going up a mountainside that will cover the backside and extension.


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## DonR

Sure looks good. Anxious to see it after you 
add the 'plaster' contours.

Don


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## RonthePirate

Almost as if you're designing the layout around that trestle.

Not a bad idea though. It deserves to be the focal point.


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## Patrick1544

Great job. Trestle looks terrific!


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## artb58

Nice job!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## TheDragonslayer

I joined a model rail club in Eureka close to where I live, they are the Eureka Model Railroad Club, been in the same location for 40 years and they have a studio about 500, maybe even 700 square feet that is mostly trains, towns, an airport, mountains, tunnels and on and on. They have a drop down section on one part of the layout that represents the Klamath river and Klamath bridge, it gave me the idea of a drop down section for a valley. I have done a number of projects where I get out my draft book and draw out the plans, that way I know all my measurements and what I need.


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