Over The River

“The easiest way to leave this world without leaving this world is to stand in the middle of a bridge and watch the surroundings”
-Mehmet Murat ildan-

As much as I hate to have to do something I’ve already done over again, my second attempt at modeling the lattice-truss bridge over the Iowa River on The Hills Line is significantly superior to my first version. So much so that I chucked my original creation into the trash about halfway into building the second one. If nothing else, my actions further motivated me to see this edition to the end.

After completing the lacing on the trusses, I fit them onto the bridge deck to check clearances and level and square them to each other. I could reuse the end bracing from the first version, saving me a little time and effort. While not an exact match for the prototype, enough changes were made to differentiate it from the kit version.

The top bracing was then cut piece-by-piece and attached. While I would have preferred to mass-produce these girders, I had more success with a more custom solution. That way, I ensured that everything lined up as expected. The angle pieces were cut longer than needed, glued to the bridge, then trimmed to fit.

I also took the time to fix and touch up parts of the bridge deck that had broken or come loose since they were first built. The Tichy Train Group walkways are an excellent product, but removing and adjusting the bridge over the years has cracked some delicate pieces. A few moments with some liquid cement corrected any issues.

The completed bridge was painted and weathered with various rattle can spray paints. I used Rust-Oleum Camo Brown as the base coat, then lightly dusted with a rust colored primer paint. The paint will atomize by holding the can at a distance from the model before it hits the surface, creating a textured look and feel. PanPastel powders were then applied in strategic locations.

I did not permanently attach the bridge to the deck so it could be easily removed for maintenance and track cleaning. But already, I can tell that the second time should be the last, giving me little reason to take this model off the layout in the future.