WIP Lego Girder Road Bridge
This illustration shows a work in progress of a module I'm building for my next layout. This module is nominally 30 x 30" and is designed to mate with other modules at baseplate boundaries. This module is unique because it is not flat and allows for terrain below track level--in this case to represent a twin deck girder road over bridge. It is based on a prototype bridge found at the end of Fareham station in the UK. This module also shows the platform ends which terminate just before the bridge retaining walls (as per the prototype).
Build notes:
1) I wanted one of the bridge decks to be mounted at an angle (like the prototype). This made the geometry a little tricky, but the end result was well worth it. The eagle-eyed will notice the custom made half-curve 9V track component I made for the entrance into the bridge deck to achieve the proper angle.
2) The 1x2 plate masonry walls reveal inherent tolerance limitations of Lego brick. As you begin to laminate more layers of brick, the brick assembly begins to warp vertically. I attempted to pin the brick layers at occasional intervals with 2x2 plates attached to technic beams (behind). The beams are held at high tension and this resulted in lateral warping! Eventually, when the entire wall assembly is mounted and pinned with the baseplate above and below, it grudgingly takes its proper shape; however, it is in tension. I'm hoping the stress forces will naturally spread across the entire assembly and it will achieve a steady-state configuration.
3) The module baseboard capentry was designed and built with the narrowest tolerances my skills could muster. This fortunately resulted in baseplate and brick fitting within this module almost perfectly. Baseplates boundaries terminate precisely at the baseboard edges (including the inner trench). I have built other 30x45 modules recently with similar tolerances (more on this later). The idea is to eventually permanently mount the baseplates and the track to the module. The track will be permanently wired (via multiple redundant dropper wires) to a "power-bus" under the baseboard. The power-bus will be be daisy chained from module to module in addition to a digital control bus which will control turnouts and signals. The power-bus (for each running line) will have a switch-over from 9V DC to DCC mode to accommodate different rolling stock.
Stay tuned for more...I have yet to post photos of my baseboard design and actual built modules (carpentry only!--the brick with take much longer!)
WIP Lego Girder Road Bridge
This illustration shows a work in progress of a module I'm building for my next layout. This module is nominally 30 x 30" and is designed to mate with other modules at baseplate boundaries. This module is unique because it is not flat and allows for terrain below track level--in this case to represent a twin deck girder road over bridge. It is based on a prototype bridge found at the end of Fareham station in the UK. This module also shows the platform ends which terminate just before the bridge retaining walls (as per the prototype).
Build notes:
1) I wanted one of the bridge decks to be mounted at an angle (like the prototype). This made the geometry a little tricky, but the end result was well worth it. The eagle-eyed will notice the custom made half-curve 9V track component I made for the entrance into the bridge deck to achieve the proper angle.
2) The 1x2 plate masonry walls reveal inherent tolerance limitations of Lego brick. As you begin to laminate more layers of brick, the brick assembly begins to warp vertically. I attempted to pin the brick layers at occasional intervals with 2x2 plates attached to technic beams (behind). The beams are held at high tension and this resulted in lateral warping! Eventually, when the entire wall assembly is mounted and pinned with the baseplate above and below, it grudgingly takes its proper shape; however, it is in tension. I'm hoping the stress forces will naturally spread across the entire assembly and it will achieve a steady-state configuration.
3) The module baseboard capentry was designed and built with the narrowest tolerances my skills could muster. This fortunately resulted in baseplate and brick fitting within this module almost perfectly. Baseplates boundaries terminate precisely at the baseboard edges (including the inner trench). I have built other 30x45 modules recently with similar tolerances (more on this later). The idea is to eventually permanently mount the baseplates and the track to the module. The track will be permanently wired (via multiple redundant dropper wires) to a "power-bus" under the baseboard. The power-bus will be be daisy chained from module to module in addition to a digital control bus which will control turnouts and signals. The power-bus (for each running line) will have a switch-over from 9V DC to DCC mode to accommodate different rolling stock.
Stay tuned for more...I have yet to post photos of my baseboard design and actual built modules (carpentry only!--the brick with take much longer!)