Shenaminy Creek and the Split River

The mainline and the branch cross over two watercourses. In Quotidian the Shenaminy Creek passes through a culvert and under three bridges The first bridge is a low wood trestle carrying the branch tracks. The second bridge is a plate girder bridge supporting the mainline. The third bridge is a tall wooden trestle carrying the branch tracks over the creek a second time. The two lower bridges are followed by tunnels while the high trestle leads to deep cut through the summit of the mountain...

Girder Plate Bridge Over Shenaminy Creek

The mainline plate girder is the only bridge installed so far. The other two, the trestles, are under construction at the workbench.

I decided that all the bridges on the branch should be constructed of wood. Over the Split River I decided to uses this freelanced design of a Howe truss...

Howe Truss

Building the Howe caused me to modify the other wooden bridges on the layout. The trusses built before the Howe were faked up using only a single thickness of wood...

Howe Versus Earlier Truss

The Howe, though still not "correct" looks a lot more substantial than the trusses created previously. I made a point to go back and make all the earlier bridges look better. I did this by adding more lumber to the top and bottom and stringing piano wire that mimicked the new truss...

Viaduct Modified Truss

I stained the bridges after assembly with "provincial" furniture stain. The stain, however, could not cover any glue spots. I had to mix a "creosote" shade of brown and black flat enamel to paint those areas. I also tried pre-staining, but found that CA glue wasn't sticking properly. Painting after assembly seems the best approach.

Anyway...I assembled the Split River bridges and installed them. The Warren carries the mainline. The branch crosses over the river on the other two...

Split River Bridges

It looks like this may turn out to be a great spot for photo's. The bluffs on either side of the river are very steep, almost vertical in the higher elevations. The river itself is still a wild mountain stream of falls and rapids...

Split River, High Angle

Now it's time to get back to Quotidian. The viaduct needs painting and stonework, the town needs to be layed out.

Regards,

Frank Musick