# MicroEngineering Steel Viaduct Progress



## Guest (Dec 29, 2015)

Dear All:

Here is a couple of photos of my 7 tower steel viaduct. This is going to be installed on the lower level of my layout extension (three level, with a 12 turn double track helix tying in the levels). 

Since these photos were taken, have the backdrop painted sky color, continuing to form the scenery contour. 

Regards, 
GNNPNUT


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## trnfn69 (Jan 21, 2012)

Looking good.:appl:

Envious of the space you've got for the layout.


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## Guest (Dec 30, 2015)

trnfn69 said:


> Looking good.:appl:
> 
> Envious of the space you've got for the layout.


Thanks. When we put an addition on the family room, my wife graciously agreed to let me have the crawl space under our kitchen and family room, in addition to added basement under the new addition (about 300 sq ft.). This gave me a 52' x 13' area for additional railroad. 

When we did the addition, we did it with the vision that we will be retiring where we live, and I have plenty of railroad to keep me engaged in retirement (that is about 2-5 years away, depending on the mood of the moment). 

I see you are up in Airdrie, AB. Beautiful part of the world. My best friend lives a couple of hours up the road from you about 10 miles from Camrose AB. We share horsepower hours helping each other build our railroads. Here is a photo of his Alberta Pacific.



Regards, 
GNNPNUT


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## Hudson J1e (Nov 19, 2015)

That looks great Jerry!


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## Guest (Dec 30, 2015)

Hudson J1e said:


> That looks great Jerry!


Thanks Phil. 

Regards, 
Jerry


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

Bridges add a lot to a layout and your viaduct just looks terrific. Like your technique of making sure the top is the correct and fill in the bottom later.


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## Guest (Dec 30, 2015)

Lemonhawk said:


> Bridges add a lot to a layout and your viaduct just looks terrific. Like your technique of making sure the top is the correct and fill in the bottom later.


I wish I was smart enough to think up this method on my own. There is a GREAT web site out there where I got the idea from, but his model of GN's Coal Banks trestle was a bit smaller than mine:

http://www.greatnorthernfan.com/?p=663

I was hoping to have this bridge installed by now, but I'm waiting on a bunch of Detail Associates bridge piers. Once I get those (and spray paint the bridge), I'll glue them to the bottom of the four tower legs, and shim everything to get a solid glued footing to the foam. Hopefully everything stays nice an level. 

Regards, 
Jerry


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## Mark VerMurlen (Aug 15, 2015)

Very nice! 

I'm in the early stages of building this same Micro Engineering bridge kit. I've got one tower built, I have 2 about half way built, and I have one more not yet started. (4 towers in all.) I've built all the of bridge decks and I've been scratching my head over how to do the overall assembly. Your pictures have helped me decide to go this same route and suspend it from above. My bridge will have a curve to it, so I'll have to cut a curved piece of plywood to hang it from rather than a straight piece of metal, but the idea will be the same.

Also thanks for the link to GreatNorthernFan's website. I'll have to read his bridge build pages as well.

Looking forward to seeing your progress and finished bridge!

Mark


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## Guest (Mar 7, 2016)

*MicroEngineering Steel Viaduct Progress Update 6-Mar-16*

While the track gang and electrical engineering crew (Tom and Al respectively  ) were busy on their projects, I was merrily progressing on the scenery. This project has to be done in the next couple of weeks so that we can tie in the mainline. 

Since the bridge is removable, we dropped it in place to see how the scenery was shaping up around it. The whitish stuff is the matte medium, which still has to dry. 

The trees are off the shelf Walthers Scenemaster. I'm pretty impresses with them for a store bought tree, and they were reasonably priced. They will do. When I am retired and have time, I'll replace selected trees with stuff I make, and are more detailed. I have no time right now to spend one hour making a single aspen tree. 


















This view shows the Sculptamold over the foam. The ground foam, isopropyl alchohol, and matte medium then go over that. 









Regards,
GNNPNUT


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## Guest (Mar 15, 2016)

*MicroEngineering Steel Viaduct Progress Update 15-Mar-16*

Finally got the bridge glued into place. Scenery is pretty much finished except for a field in front of the viaduct with barbed wire fencing, and cattle grazing. 

Went and tossed on loose the Micro-Engineering bridge track, which still needs to be detailed, weathered and glued down. Also need to weather the bridge before gluing the track down. Tossed a consist of GN F7s on the bridge just to see how it all looked. Snapped a couple of quick photos with the i-phone. 









Things came out OK. The scenery at this point of the layout is only 16" wide.

Regards, 
GNNPNUT


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## Mark VerMurlen (Aug 15, 2015)

Looks very good!

Mark


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## Chet (Aug 15, 2014)

Nicely done. Impressive.


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## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

Things came out more than OK, looks super. 

Magic


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## cole226 (Feb 8, 2013)

good job, looks really good :smilie_daumenpos::smilie_daumenpos:

good job on your progress updates too!


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## Guest (Mar 16, 2016)

*Varnish on the Viaduct.*

Moved ahead again yesterday, got the bridge weathered (got to finally use my new IWATA airbrush, and their weathering paints, VERY nice). Painted the bridge track with Polly Scale grimy black (love the color of PS grimy black, HATE the friggin' paint, clogs every airbrush known to man). Tonight I need to start gluing the track to the bridge. Hoping to have my entire main line tied in on Sunday, and then LET THE FUN BEGIN. 

Regards, 
GNNPNUT


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## Mr.Buchholz (Dec 30, 2011)

Words can't express how amazing that whole thing is! My favourite bridge so far I think!

-J.


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## LateStarter (Mar 12, 2016)

This is just absolutely fantastic!
Very talented work!
Kudos!


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

The bridge looks great, :thumbsup: 
At first I thought there was going to be some water under it.

Are you going to extend the road into the wall to make it look like it goes off a long way?
Maybe paint in a landscape, trees or something around it on the wall too?

I tried to use paint to show you what I mean but it is kind of hard to do it there.


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## Guest (Mar 20, 2016)

Thanks again gents for the kind words. 

Ed, the road does "go off into the distance, but it is very subtle, and not visible from the photos I took as the bridge towers hide it. The part of the world I am loosely modeling, eastern Washington in this location, is not very hilly, and very arid. 

Here are a couple of quick photos that show the road detail. 

Regards, 
GNNPNUT


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