An Ify Bridge

[63cpe]

No, you don't! Lovely piece of work......

David

[Ify]

Road Traffic Lights.



Modification to set of lateral bumper rollers. Detachable bumper roller arms added for ability to remove span for servicing.



Installing road and bridge towers.



Assembling road and footpath railings.



Making wiring harness under table.

[Ify]

Painted the railings.



This is where I am at the moment. I am about halfway.
Please feel free to ask any questions. I am sure to be asking some questions from the members.

In fact here are a few now.

• I have ordered and received a few trees. After examining them, I decided to make the remaining tress from wire. Is there a DIY way of making foliage for the tress?
• Today I picked up some small branches from a dead tree. I am going to use them specifically for one or two dead trees in the diorama.
  My questions is: Do the twigs, or any other organic matter, need to be painted or coated with something for preservation?

[sandiego89]

Fantastic work! 

[Old Wombat]

Stunning & huge!

[Ify]

Thank you Dave, and Old Wombat.

[Ify]

Just finished painting the cement parts of the bridge. The concrete road will be painted next.

This bridge will not show weathering, even though it is 53 years old. It's going to look pristine (I hope).

[zenrat]

Try googling "making scale trees".
There are many many suggestions, techniques, guides and videos.

This is very good.  It's way beyond anything i'm allowed to do as it has electricity involved.
Are you making it for your own pleasure or for display somewhere or for educational purposes?

[Ify]

Hi zenrat.

Thanks for tree making tip. Will research it on Google.

... It's way beyond anything i'm allowed to do as it has electricity involved...

Does that include battery power? If not, then you could start learning from that level.
These days there is a lot of microprocessor based electronics to play with. They are very versatile, such as controlling motors and sound and lighting effects.

...Are you making it for your own pleasure or for display somewhere or for educational purposes?

All three. I am enjoying the challange and creativity. It is an interactive display for a naval & maritime museum. Museum visitors discover what is involved in operating such a bridge.

[zenrat]

Mrs z has banned me from electricity since she witnessed the "jumping backwards off the stepladder shouting F**K" incident while I was changing a ceiling rose.
I have banned myself from low voltage stuff as all I seem to produce is smoke and cussing.
My modelling life is complicated enough anyway without adding lights, sounds or actions.

Is this based on the Harwood Bridge?

[Ify]

...I have banned myself from low voltage stuff as all I seem to produce is smoke and cussing...

Ha ha, that reminds me of when I first started. I could not understand the electronics lingo from books and magazines. It all changed after joining the RAAF and learnt the lingo and theory .. no more brown smells from exploding capacitors.

...Is this based on the Harwood Bridge?

Close, but 100 kms further up the road to Wardell bridge.

[Ify]

Devastation? Maybe, maybe not. A lot more work is now required to fix it up.

I masked off the road and splattered it with dark grey paint. The device I used was not very friendly and predictable as I hoped.
It started of okay and then it went off the road so to speak.
I think the bristles got soft from the oil-turpentine paint; or it might purely be operator error; or both.

I think I will try and touch it up by paintbrush. I'll report later on how I went.

[Old Wombat]

Use a roller with thin, dark grey paint, the black under it will give it visual texture &, if not too thin, you'll get some texture from the roller.

Having driven on a fair variety of Aussie roads, you could also use various light-greys, blue-grey, reddish-grey or even ochre.

[Ify]

Thanks for the tip Old Wombat.

The bridge road is lighter in colour and somewhat blotchy anyway, see below.

Before purchasing a roller, I plan to first use paintbrushes and various shades of grey to break up the darker areas. I'll see how that goes first.

[jcf]

Nice work. 

If you use a roller, get one of the small diameter foam trim rollers, you'll have more control.