Schuylkill River Bridges.

[mlplap7902]

I am looking for a suitable stone arch bridge for a route I have been working on and off for several years now. I know that the NEC has been done many times but I am starting from scratch and attempting the Philadelphia area in the late 50' early 60's. With that being said there are several bridges that the rail road used that I am having a very hard time with. The one pictures being one of them. This is the connecting railway bridge that crosses the river at the end of Zoo and runs north. This bridge had 5 tracks on it in the time frame I am modeling with switches that were part of Zoo interlocking on it. It has 11 arches and extends 1230 ft from the west side of Girard Ave to the east side of East River Drive and is approximatey 60 ft above the water which made for steep grades coming out of the lower level of 30th street station. The largest arch span was 130 ft I think. On it's west end the Schuylkill expressway passes beneath it and it Girard Ave passes beneath the approach to it which is a concrete encased steel girder.
The other bridges I am looking for I don't have as much technical information or good pictures of but the concrete arch bridge leading from the upper level of 30th street station east across the river is an unusual design that is wide enough on the west end for the 6 tracks from the station platforms and narrows down to 4 on the east end and the Arsenal bridge which was a double track steel deck truss with a swing span and catenary.
I am actually kind of suprised that these bridges are not already available with the amount of PRR fans that have Trainz, then again I was also hoping to eventually see P5's and E44's as well.

 

[bendorsey]

All it takes is pics and info and I can make all of them for you. (one at a time that is, lol).

Reading thru your post I see it might have what I need already.

Ben

 

[cascaderailroad]

There are dozens of those stone arch bridges on the DLS.

See: http://forums.auran.com/trainz/showthread.php?38433-PRR-Screenshots&p=417718#post417718

Some are named UK Stone Arch, or some other non-discript obtuse name.
Some are double tracked, and require placing 2 splines together, side by side, to make a 4 tracked bridge.
As some are high side walled, so that raising the track, so that it is floating @ 1m above the bridge trackbed, is needed.
Railing Zinc is another spline that must be custom placed on the bridge.
That particular bridge (with its narrow stance/wide stance archs) would require 6 splines, all custom set in place, as well as 2 handrails.

Please post some photos of your route ... I would enjoy helping you with all the details.

My train of thought ... Just Derailed: http://i525.photobucket.com/albums/cc339/cascaderailroad/Screen_034.jpg

 

[bendorsey]

If today wasn't my run-around-and take-care-of the-weeks-business day your bridge would have beeen uploaded to the DLS several hours ago. As it is I will finish it tommorrow morning and upload it.

As for the others - like I said - all it takes is pics and info. I like making stuff for others (particularly bridges).

Cascaderailroad is correct of course that there are a lot of similar bridges on the DLS but 5 tracks wide is doubtfull.

I'm making it with tracks (on 14 ft centers) but will givre instructions in the description on how to delete the track I provide and use yours if you prefer.

I will not be putting the catenary on it as I don't have clue about that.

Adjustments are possible if necessary I (just don't get too carried away, lol.

Ben

 

[mlplap7902]

Ben your awsome, don't worry about the catenary I can run that over the bridge and adjust it's height as necessary. As for some of the other bridges I will find more information on them. And as soon as I put it on the route I will upload a picture with it in place. That will also show what I have so far for Zoo interlocking, what a tangled weave of tracks that is.

 

[mlplap7902]

Maybe a dumb question but how do I post the images I have saved? I already converted them to jpeg format but don't know how to post them here.

 

[cascaderailroad]

Host them on Photobucket, or other photosharing site, like Hostthenpost, Imageshack ... etc ...
Copy/Paste the "Image Link", or use the "Insert Image" button, and copy/paste the "Direct Link".

Any photo can be inserted on the Forum by adding the html tags fore and aft:

Looking forward to your screenshots.

 

[mlplap7902]

I tink I got it http://s1278.beta.photobucket.com/u...oInterlocking_zpsccd98883.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0
http://s1278.beta.photobucket.com/u...kingfromnorth_zpscad01d8a.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1
http://s1278.beta.photobucket.com/u...RiverCrossing_zps33b647e0.jpg.html?sort=3&o=2
http://s1278.beta.photobucket.com/u...thstreetyards_zps6c2f747d.jpg.html?sort=3&o=3
http://s1278.beta.photobucket.com/u...PennCoachyard_zps5b01ed74.jpg.html?sort=3&o=4

There are lots of placeholder bridges and things currently on the route. I a lot of times will find a suitable bridge for somewhere on the route and instead of trying to remember it's name I either place it somewhere out of the way or put a short spline of it down until I get to the area I am going to use it. I am using the 30th street station that rrsignal did for the DLS. I didn't find this until after I already had the lower level in place and when I placed it I was pleasently pleased that it lined up almost perfectly between Market street and the upper level tracks and that JFK Boulevard (Pennsylvania Boulevard for the time frame I am modeling) lined right up.

 

[t8dagr8]

Very nice pics! You've encouraged me to post mine.

 

[bendorsey]

You bridge has been uploaded. TRS2004 format to the TPR site. TS2009 format to the DLS. Be a day or two before it actually shows up.

Ben

 

[mlplap7902]

Thank you Ben for all that you do for the Trainz community.

Mark

 

[mlplap7902]

Ben, The bridge looks great, I am still working on the track work and the streets in the area and as soon as I get it looking right I will post a pic of it. I had to redo a lot of my track work and realized that I had my track spacing too wide.

 

[mlplap7902]

Girard Avenue Bridge. The bridge that existed in the 1950's 60's was built in 1873-74 in anticipation of the 1876 Centennial Exposition being held in West Fairmont Park. It was designed by Clark, Reeves and Company and built by the Phoenixville Bridge Company. At the time it was thought to be the widest bridge in the world or at least the US. It was a five span Pratt Truss, 100 ft wide and 1000 ft in length with a two track trolley line down the middle.
http://s1278.beta.photobucket.com/u...eSecondBridge_zps6d19a9d9.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

 

[mlplap7902]

Schuylkill River Bridge by Ben

I couln't wait, I know the scene is unfinished but the bridge Ben made looks fantastic.
http://s1278.beta.photobucket.com/u...20130120_0001_zps4b15beab.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0
http://s1278.beta.photobucket.com/u...20130120_0000_zps26138582.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1

 

[bendorsey]

Printed the pics and info out for the Girard Ave Bridge. This will take longer, lol.

What track spacing do you want for the trolly lines in the middle (in ft please).

I will also set it up to use one of Maddy25's great road splines.

Any possibility of a close up of one the trusses (from the side or at a slight angle).

Ben

 

[mlplap7902]

I added a few more pics of the bridge to that album, it's rather hard to find good pictures of it which I find strange since it stood for almost a century before being replaced and it's historical significance. Not to mention I think it was a rather beautiful bridge, I never knew what it looked like until I started researching for this project. As for the trolley tracks on the bridge, I'm not sure of thier actual spacing but 12 ft sounds about right.
http://s1278.beta.photobucket.com/u...bzPHBeQ60_351_zps84ca4ed7.jpg.html?sort=3&o=2
http://s1278.beta.photobucket.com/u...s/Girard_ave1_zps2bb79a35.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0
http://s1278.beta.photobucket.com/u...idge_cropped1_zps65da41eb.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1

When they replaced it with the current bridge they kept the railings from it and reused them.

Mark

 

[cascaderailroad]

http://s1278.beta.photobucket.com/u...rt=3&o=5&_suid=135871159815401558682179005334

http://s1278.beta.photobucket.com/u...rt=3&o=4&_suid=135871206418305758006120838193

Note the trolley tracks on the outside, with a wide spaced promenade running down the center ... an turret viewing platforms on the outside edges ... Just look at all the high speed traffic, and gridlock !

View looking towards the "BadLands": http://0.tqn.com/d/philadelphia/1/0/B/Y/4/zoo_balloon_04.jpg

 

[bendorsey]

Printed a few more out - thanks.

Ben

 

[mlplap7902]

On the current bridge today the trolley tracks are down the middle. I think on the one print what looks like the tracks are actually the sidewalks. http://s1278.beta.photobucket.com/u...s_circa_18741_zps12edcf8a.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0
But then again were having to use prints, black and white photos and postcard images, I basically reasoned that if the tracks are down the middle of the current bridge they should have been bown the middle of the previous one.
Nice pic of the current bridge with the connecting railway bridge right next to it. I wish I could have gotten a shot that showed all 11 arches. I think I that got it all wrong, the first two arches over Landsdown drive are concrete tile faced, then the bare stone masonry starts, it's such a lopsided bridge, six small arches on one side, the two main arches and three small ones on the other side. And the western abutment is scewed for Girard ave to pass behind it under the approach bridge.

 

[cascaderailroad]

I like the way horse rideres are not adhering to a Right Hand running rule.