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Have you heard of or seen "The Sciotoville Bridge"?

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#3 ·
We were talking about this project on chat a week ago. This thing is BIG...BIG BIG BIG. You really don't get a feel for how large it is until you see a train on it. Here's the best photo I can find of a train on the bridge.

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=86924&nseq=12305

Somewhere, there's a photo taken from river level of the whole bridge...with a train on it...but I can't find it.
 
#4 ·
RE: Have you heard of or seen "The Sciotoville Bridge"?

Thanks Mike, that pic really gives some perspective of HUGE!!

John
 
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#7 ·
RE: Have you heard of or seen "The Sciotoville Bridge"?

And all those trusses within trusses. I wondered about that too. Somebody was very worried about strength.
 
#8 ·
Posted By Dwight Ennis on 06/20/2009 1:22 PM
Why so large and stout I wonder? The long length between the supports?

Main line...long coal trains...186,000 lbs per car...one support in the middle...750' span...BIG motive power...250 ton diesels...four of them...now...2-6-6-4s... before...heavy...HEAVY

On...and the steel/iron ain't light either
 
#9 ·
Gustav Lindenthal designed the Sciotoville Bridge for the C&O as well as the **** Gate Bridge in New York City for the New Haven. He was involved in many large, heavy bridges in his career. I thought an N-scale model would have been cool but for G will be incredible. What a project!

Here is a website with more info and photos: http://www.historicbridges.org/ohio/sciotoville/index.htm. It is long due to government requirements for a navigable river. Gov requires 750' clearance between obstacles. In that spot the Ohio channel shifts from one bank to the other depending on water level. Hence 750' clearance on both sides of the single center pier.

Also, it is remarkable not only because if the size of the members but because it was once the longest continuous truss, a risky design that, while saving some metal weight, requires all three piers to be dimensionally stable. That spot on the Ohio is bedrock all the way across so it worked. It is also a riveted rigid truss as opposed to a more primitive pin connected bridge that is easier to design but less rigid. Lindenthal is kind of a hero I guess for this bridge fanatic (hence "rivets").

John
 
#10 ·
RE: Have you heard of or seen "The Sciotoville Bridge"?

I wish someone would make metal lattice like that. Similar to the stuff Central Valley made in plastic in HO. With lattice pieces we could make all kinds of bridges. Steve from GMM started a truss support but the set up charges where incrediable. Maybe Iron Dan could consider some lattice pieces.
 
#11 ·
I made an HO truss bridge kit all of etched brass including the lacing/lattice. It looked great, sold pretty well but was very expensive to have produced. In a large scale, laser cutting would be a good choice if someone in this hobby already owns the business, otherwise I imagine the length of the cut would cause the price to be high. The other odd thing is that even though it all looks the same on many bridges the beams and lacing vary considerably. Perhaps a small range of sizes that fit some small C-channel could be workable.

John
 
Discussion starter · #12 ·
RE: Have you heard of or seen "The Sciotoville Bridge"?

I know a fairly easy way of making the lattice; it will still be alot work to do for the hole bridge. I will only use it at key points to give the bridge a close as possible look to the real thing.
 
#13 ·
Hiya Dan that looks pretty similar to the Bridge I built last year and yes there is a way to make EASY lattice work I found out completely by accident. I can say mine didnt span 40 feet though, good luck and cant wait to see it
 
#14 ·
Posted By MasonsDad on 06/23/2009 7:03 PM
Hiya Dan that looks pretty similar to the Bridge I built last year and yes there is a way to make EASY lattice work I found out completely by accident. I can say mine didnt span 40 feet though, good luck and cant wait to see it

OK, how long are you going to keep us all in suspense?

Brian
 
#15 ·
RE: Have you heard of or seen "The Sciotoville Bridge"?

You must have a really big creek in your yard! I can't think of the name of the drawbridge in Louisville but I like it too. I will have to do a search at work.....

Johnny
 
#16 ·
Posted By Allegheny on 06/24/2009 4:50 AM
Posted By MasonsDad on 06/23/2009 7:03 PM
Hiya Dan that looks pretty similar to the Bridge I built last year and yes there is a way to make EASY lattice work I found out completely by accident. I can say mine didnt span 40 feet though, good luck and cant wait to see it

OK, how long are you going to keep us all in suspense?

Brian




AAAHHH my Dear Brian thats an Ancient Chinese Secret LOL I will post how I do mine when I get a collection of pics its kinda hard to explain without pictures, please bare with me
 
#17 ·
Yes, I am familiar with that bridge. I drove under it twice in the last 14 days, once on June 13th on our way to my wife's family home in Dublin, Indiana. We use Ohio Route 52 for part of our trip. We drove under it the second time on June 20th on our way home to Roanoke.
It is a very impressive bridge. Another, smaller railroad bridge also passed beneath it, carrying NS tracks over a small creek. The smaller bridge would look at home on most garden railroads, if scaled down to one of the LS scales. It is also of steel or iron beam construction.

Yours,
David Meashey
 
Discussion starter · #19 ·
Hello Guys

I’m sorry for keeping you in suspense…I started working on the bridge last week and this is what I have so far, is not much but at least I got the ball rolling. I decided that I will build the bridge in 2 sections that will bolt together. Here are a few pictures.

Here I'am laying down parts and measuring things.

Image



Image



Now to the fun part...welding

Image


And after a little while...the first side of the first half of the bridge

Image


By the way that is Johnny helping me with this 20 feet long section

Image


Wow I just realize I have a lot left to do
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I will keep you guys posted
 
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