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ANOTHER GREAT FRISCO RAFFLE!

Boston Mountains Sub-Division

Discussion in 'N Scale' started by Joe Lovett, Jul 15, 2015.

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Page 19 of 33
  1. William Jackson

    William Jackson Bill Jackson

    Yes, very nice, those are lots of work. I tried one of those Micro Engineering bridges, it never looked good so it went into the junk file. Long time ago.
     
    William Jackson, Mar 10, 2020
    #361
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  2. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member Staff Member

    A unique and under represented modeling aspect too.
    Joe, are you gonna model some of the wires and steel cable too?
     
    gjslsffan, Mar 10, 2020
    #362
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  3. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member Staff Member

    I hear you there William.
     
    gjslsffan, Mar 10, 2020
    #363
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  4. Joe Lovett

    Joe Lovett Member

    I used one whole package of I beams that had 8 pieces 14 inches long each for a total of 9.33 feet to make both towers. Only had a piece 0.10 inches long left. Was really sweeting that I wouldn't have enough to finish. To look at them you wouldn't think there that much material involved.

    Joe
     
    Joe Lovett, Mar 11, 2020
    #364
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  5. Joe Lovett

    Joe Lovett Member

    Yes, I want to put as much detail in as I can, will use rust color sewing tread for the cables.

    If someone has a suggestion for the project please let me know!!!

    Joe
     
    Joe Lovett, Mar 11, 2020
    #365
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  6. Joe Lovett

    Joe Lovett Member

    Just finished the south lift tower. It looks the same as the north tower and is ready for details. The winch end plates are in the mail and I expect to receive them around Monday or Tuesday. I need to order the safety ladders and get some rust colored thread for the cables connecting the winch and counterweights. Will post a photo of all three bridges a little later.

    Joe

    IMG_20200311_170936.jpg
     
    Joe Lovett, Mar 11, 2020
    #366
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  7. Joe Lovett

    Joe Lovett Member

    Walla, the Frisco Arkansas River Bridge project is on module 05 ready to be installed in a more permanent position. Found some drawings and photos of some of the piers thank you John Dill. The next project is to make the piers out of foam and carve the river banks to prepare the module for pouring water. Will do that while I wait for the winch end plates and safety ladders to get to our mailbox. I'm very excited about how this project has come together. With the south tower in it's position it extends the total length of the bridges to 45.5 inches.

    Joe

    IMG_20200311_193059.jpg IMG_20200311_193016.jpg IMG_20200311_193012.jpg 2007_pier 3 4 and 5.jpg VB bridge turn mechanism2.jpg 2007_pier 2.jpg pier 10.jpg pier 2.jpg pier 7.jpg

    Edit: I need to do something about the lights, it's too dark, some time needs to be invested in the overhead valance.
     
    Last edited: Mar 11, 2020
    Joe Lovett, Mar 11, 2020
    #367
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  8. rjthomas909

    rjthomas909 Member Frisco.org Supporter

    Pure Awesomeness!
     
    rjthomas909, Mar 11, 2020
    #368
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  9. gjslsffan

    gjslsffan Staff Member Staff Member

    Fantastic progress Joe. Take your time. Looks like your doing a great job.
     
    gjslsffan, Mar 12, 2020
    #369
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  10. Joe Lovett

    Joe Lovett Member

    This afternoon I made the piers and pylons for the bridges using foam. Will carve the stones on the piers using a pen and then they will be ready for paint. Took photos of the bridges, piers and pylons outside where the light is great, it's a gorgeous sunny 82 degree day. Next is to make the counterbalances and prepare the bridges for paint. Was waiting to set up the whole thing on the piers but it is too windy and it kept falling over. Was chasing some of the parts across the courtyard. Haha

    Joe

    IMG_20200312_152930.jpg IMG_20200312_153148.jpg
     
    Joe Lovett, Mar 12, 2020
    #370
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  11. Joe Lovett

    Joe Lovett Member

    After dinner I made the counterbalances and carving the stones on the piers.

    The real bridge is 1,764 feet long, converted to N scale it's 132.30 inches (11 feet) and the main span is 196 feet, converted 14.70 inches. The model is 45.5 inches converted to real 606.65 feet and the main span is 22 inches converted 293 feet. As you can see I've modelled only a portion of of it. Sometimes you have to take liberties with the model railroad stuff but that's what makes it fun to make a model to portray the real thing even if it's off a bit. The layout room is 11 x10 so if I modelled the whole bridge I would need a bigger room. Hopefully what I've done is a good representation of the real bridge.

    Joe

    Counterbalances.
    IMG_20200312_183441.jpg
     
    Joe Lovett, Mar 12, 2020
    #371
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  12. Ozarktraveler

    Ozarktraveler Member

    Looking good, Joe.
     
    Ozarktraveler, Mar 12, 2020
    #372
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  13. Joe Lovett

    Joe Lovett Member

    A member on Trainboard asked me if I was going to model the building in the center of the main span bridge. I had not noticed it until he mentioned it. Does anyone know what is the building for? Will make a model to put in the middle and I also noticed that there are cables running to it.

    Joe

    444959-L (1).jpg
     
    Joe Lovett, Mar 13, 2020
    #373
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  14. Ozarktraveler

    Ozarktraveler Member

    I'm no bridge expert, nor did I "stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night", but it looks like the building houses the "cable powerhouse" if you will.
     
    Ozarktraveler, Mar 13, 2020
    #374
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  15. Joe Lovett

    Joe Lovett Member

    Thank you Craig, that's what I thought but wasn't sure. I wonder if there is an operator or if it's automatic. Would like to know how it was worked in the 1948 to 1952 time era.

    Joe
     
    Joe Lovett, Mar 13, 2020
    #375
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  16. Joe Lovett

    Joe Lovett Member

    Today I carved the stones on the piers, worked on the pylons and built the building in the middle of the main span. Everything is ready to paint tomorrow morning. The weather has been light rain today and early tomorrow morning. Hope it clears up shortly after sunrise so I can paint outside. Don't really have the facilities to do it indoors, there's a lot to do.

    Joe
     
    Joe Lovett, Mar 13, 2020
    #376
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  17. mark

    mark Staff Member Staff Member

    Joe,

    The vertical lift section of the bridge did not exist in the 1940s or 1950s.

    The vertical lift section was not constructed until 1969-1970. This fourth configuration of the bridge was built as part of the river improvements for the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. The new lift section and south short through truss sections of the bridge replaced three former through truss spans. This newest section was positioned over the new navigation channel as changes were made to extend river shipping upstream to the new Port of Catoosa northeast of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

    Prior to the 1970 opening of the new lift span, river traffic navigated under the bridge further north. Originally river traffic passed the bridge at the center pivot turn span located nearer the Van Buren, Arkansas side of the bridge. The center pivot bridge section remains but is no longer operational. Also, the old navigation channel under it is no longer maintained by the Corps or Engineers.

    The first Frisco Bridge at this location was constructed during 1885-1886. It was 1,798’ long, consisting from the north of 2 fixed 253’ 6” through riveted truss spans, a 366’ center pivot through riveted truss span, a third 253’ 6” through riveted truss span, then 4 fixed 162’ through riveted truss spans. For a while the bridge served the railroad and was also a toll roadway. A second sturdier railroad bridge with larger members replaced the first during late 1913 and early 1914. The bridge reconstruction was necessary due to the increased size and weight of locomotives, freight and passenger cars.

    Disaster struck during flooding in the spring of 1943. On May 12 the south pier failed and collapsed into the river. This dropped the south end of the last truss into the river. This also severed the primary water main on the bridge to Ft. Smith. Damage on the south end was replaced with a 300’ through pin connected truss and a 50’ through plate girder. This increased the bridge length on the south end by an additional 350’.

    While reconstruction work was underway, a second flood crest occurred on May 23. This event took down the north most span on the Van Buren side of the river. The lost north through truss span was replaced with 4 deck plate girder spans. Three intermediate concrete piers were added to support the new shorter deck plate girders. Once the south and north end sections were reconstructed, this became the third iteration of the bridge. It now had a total length of 2,148’.

    Up until this time the bridge had rested on 10 cut stone piers. Numbered starting from the north, only the north abutment, piers 2, 3, 4 (the center pivot), 5 and 6 remain in the original cut stone. The original piers 7, 8, 9 and 10 rested on wood piles embedded in the river’s sand and clay. The new intermediate north piers, the south abutment and all of the south end piers have been replaced with poured reinforced concrete dug down to bedrock.

    During the 1969-1970 rebuilding to replace the turn span with the lift section, new poured reinforced concrete piers were added for the two new sections of the bridge. The north lift tower rests half on the south most remaining stone pier and half on a new concrete pier. The south lift tower rests on the north end of the new short through truss supported by a new concrete pier. At this time anti-collision pier protection cells were added upstream and downstream of the lift section. The lift span signals, bridge locks and lift mechanism were designed to be remotely controlled by the dispatcher in Springfield, Missouri.

    Of the 1914 through trusses the second, third (turn), fourth and eight remain. The north first span was replaced in 1943 with the four deck plate girders. Also in 1943, a new through truss and through plate girder were added to extend the bride 350’ on the south end. In 1970, the fifth, sixth and seventh through trusses were replaced with the new vertical lift span and south short through truss.

    Hope this helps.

    Thanks!

    Mark
     
    mark, Mar 13, 2020
    #377
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  18. Joe Lovett

    Joe Lovett Member

    Thank you Mark for the information about the bridge. I'm going to leave the bridge as it is and pretend it was there in the 50's when I want to run the steam locomotives. My Frisco locomotive collection includes locos used in the 60's to 82 so it is appropriate for the time era when I want to run them. The bridge is very distinct part of the Central Division and I felt I had to build a model of it for my layout.

    Joe
     
    Joe Lovett, Mar 14, 2020
    #378
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  19. modeltruckshop

    modeltruckshop Member

    Great work on the bridge joe. Impressive!

    Mark thanks for all the info on that.
     
    modeltruckshop, Mar 14, 2020
    #379
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  20. Joe Lovett

    Joe Lovett Member

    Everything is painted except the walkway on the main span, I used Krylon rattle can paint on all of the bridges and the building that goes in the middle of the main span. The main span and the Kato bridge is Modern White and the Walter's bridge is Leather Brown. On the piers, pylons and counterbalances used Folk Art Acrylic paints. Mixed Boulder and Skin Tone on the piers and on the pylons used Prairie Sage. On the counterbalances used mixed Prairie Sage and Skin Tone. The walkway will be painted using Boulder later tonight, have a couple of chores to do first. Wanted to wait to take a photo when everything was done but the sunset was near so I went ahead and took the photo below. The piers on each end of the bridges is just a couple pieces of scrap, they won't be part of the bridge.

    Joe

    IMG_20200314_192058.jpg
     
    Joe Lovett, Mar 14, 2020
    #380
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