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Hello all ...Many of us have basements where the train layout lives... many have stairs which are convenient to getting down to and out of the basement ...  however those pesky stairs have been known to block many a mainline...  solution build a huge pole building   or build a lift bridge ...back in October 1939 , Edgar M Fairhaven  faced the same dilemma and penned an article in Miniature Railroading.

Edgar and I share the same issue of entry to the basement .....  building my shelf layout  on all 4 walls ..a lift out / lift up  bridge  was needed ... ... I have a two track main ... so ideally a two track lift bridge ..would be perfect...  well fate has placed a single track roll bridge  ..which is quite neat ... quite big ..it does clear up in the rafters  motorized !!!   ..but only single track ... ...so unknown if I can work it in...as I do not want to harm it by modifying   to two track ...  

Any two track vintage lift bridges out there ..( out of service) that need relocation? ....    Plan B  is to use the vintage Chester Industrial Arts two track bridge ..circa 1950 ...  and add hinges for swing up  access . ..  all the fun to get the trains to go round and round ...  

Cheers Carey 1130181925120118013612011801381201180138a120118013912011801451201180146_HDR~2

   

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Instead of harming the original, why not clone it?

Build a copy of the sides, and then widen it by customizing what goes between them to accommodate a two-track main. Widen the floor cross-members enough to add a second track at whatever mainline spacing you use, then measure out the diagonals for the upper chord and build to suit

If you need a row of trusses between the two tracks, then build a copy of the single-track bridge, but with a double-wide floor to accommodate the second track. Then, add a third set of trusses to enclose the structure around track two.

At least, the above is what I'd do..

---PCJ

Hello all ...thank you for your kind words ...and suggestions ....  I'm all about reusing the old / vintage ...mixing it all together so it does not look like a bunch of old / vintage stuff mixed together ....so building new is a no no ...  

 

however over the course of time (80 years )  several manufactures / builders / some guy with a basement or garage have built  ,manufactured , advertised and I assume sold ....rolling lift bridges  and vertical lift   bridges ...  two folks out of NJ ... at least ... 

so somewhere out there they exist....  just have to have the stars align ...  sooner or later  , one will appear .. 

one rolling and one vertical both beautiful , wonderful , great , and would have worked perfect were at York a few years ago ...but with a price tag of 5K each ......thought that was a bit excessive  ...  the only thing harder than buying a big bridge ...is selling a big bridge 

I've added the other two pages of the article  .....seems to me over the course of the last 80 years of model railroad periodicals   they have been other articles  about grabbing some tooth picks and building a bridge ...  

author had a gauntlet track over the bridge ..which is wonderful ...however for this lap burner ...two continuous loops are needed without the worry of a cornfield meeting .

Cheers Carey 1201181924~21201181925~2 

 

 

 

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