Non-Bachmann bridges

[2ManyHobbies]

New guy. New to the forum, new to model trains. If this is a silly question, go easy on me as I'm still learning.

I have been eyeballing this for my setup. Though I'm concerned about if it will work or not for what I'm doing. My first attempt will be using the E-Z track to go across the bridge.

• Support for the bridge will be on both sides and in the middle. Not sure what will work so likely this will be improvised.
• Slide 36" of E-Z track through the bridge and lie it on top. Connect the 36" of E-Z track to the rest of my track. The track will not be mechanically mounted on the bridge
• Use the Bachmann 14 pier system to create a grade to and from the bridge.

After measuring the E-Z track width, I'm thinking this should easily slide through and lay on the bridge bed. The bridge should give middle support to the E-Z Track while the piers will support the ends of the track. Being 28 1/4" long, the track will peek past the bridge by about 3 7/8" on each side. Will this work fine or is there more I need to consider?

[Terry Toenges]

I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work. There is plenty of vertical clearance so the height of the E-Z Track wouldn't be problem. I guess you want to do it that way so you don't have to mess with odd ball pieces of track to get it all connected.

[plas man]

that bridge is lovely , the EZ track should work also I believe Bachmann make 36 inch straight EZ track

[Hunt]

This may not matter to you if you after toy not prototype look ----  most types of railroad bridges do not have a roadbed like E-Z track.

[jward]

Is it a single span like the truss bridge Terry posted a photo of? If so, it is designed to be supported from the ends only. a bridge pier under the center of the span is unnecessary, If it is a multiple span bridge, like a series of truss or plate girder bridges, then each span needs to be supported at both ends. Does the bridge come with track already on it? Is the track Code 100? If so, you can connect the EZ track directly to the track on the bridge.

About the 14 pier set.....As used out of the box this will result in a grade of over 5%. A grade this steep will drop the pulling power of your locomotives down to 10% or less of what they'll pull on level track. Smaller steam locomotives like the 4-4-0 will have trouble pulling more than a couple cars up this grade. If you have the room for a longer run up to the bridge, you may want to consider using two pier sets, and doubling the number of piers on each side of the bridge to lessen the grade. Every other pier will have to have shims under it to even out the grade. Doing this will cut the grade percentage in half and more than double the pulling power of your locomotives.

[2ManyHobbies]

Well you threw a whole bunch of information at me that I wasn't prepared for

So first, the train is the steam locomotive from the Echo Valley Express set. If the information I found on it is correct, it is a 2-6-0. So honestly I have no idea a 5% grade is too much for it or not.

Second, I have been concerned about the grade myself as I will be using 18" radius turns before and after this bridge at first. That is 56 5/8" with a 3 1/8" rise making it 5.5%. The Bachmann Figure 8 track pack had the same setup so I figured it would be fine. So much for figuring... to use a 28 pier setup will require me to redo my setup to allow for more track. Not arguing the logic though.

Lastly it is the bridge Terry posted the picture of https://www.shop.cvmw.com/200-foot-1-Track-Parker-Truss-Kit-1901.htm . Figured it would fit the era of train nicely. If it doesn't need center support, it is much more sturdy that I give it credit for. Figured with the train moving across it, it would bow as the train approached the center. Though this opens up some opportunities for other things underneath

Thanks for the replies everyone. I greatly appreciate the advice. If you have more, please let me know. I'm all ears.

[2ManyHobbies]

that bridge is lovely , the EZ track should work also I believe Bachmann make 36 inch straight EZ track

Yes they do but unfortunately they don't sell them individually. You have to buy at least 10 which is way more than I need.

[jward]

So first, the train is the steam locomotive from the Echo Valley Express set. If the information I found on it is correct, it is a 2-6-0. So honestly I have no idea a 5% grade is too much for it or not.
I have recently moved and have my layout set back up. It is an up and over loop with a 3% grade on one side, and 4% on the other. I am in the process of doing a series of tests with various locomotives to see what they'll pull on these grades, using a test train made up exclusively of Bachmann silver series 40' gondolas. I have 19 of them available. Among the locomotives on the list to be tested are both the standard Bachmann 2-6-0 and the Alco 2-6-0. Stay tuned for more info, as I;ll post the results here as soon as I find them and put them through the tests. This should give you an idea how yours will perform on the grades.

Second, I have been concerned about the grade myself as I will be using 18" radius turns before and after this bridge at first. That is 56 5/8" with a 3 1/8" rise making it 5.5%. The Bachmann Figure 8 track pack had the same setup so I figured it would be fine. So much for figuring... to use a 28 pier setup will require me to redo my setup to allow for more track. Not arguing the logic though.

Faced with a similar situation, I turned the figure 8 inside out to make a twice around loop that crosses over itself. In my case there was no room for a figure 8, the loop occupies an area of 4 1/2 X 4 feet.

Lastly it is the bridge Terry posted the picture of https://www.shop.cvmw.com/200-foot-1-Track-Parker-Truss-Kit-1901.htm . Figured it would fit the era of train nicely. If it doesn't need center support, it is much more sturdy that I give it credit for. Figured with the train moving across it, it would bow as the train approached the center. Though this opens up some opportunities for other things underneath


Where I live, bridges like this are common. They are mostly used to span rivers where too many piers would interfere with the navigation of towboats on the river below. As such, the real ones are carefully designed to be self supporting. The model bridge is undoubtedly the same.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I greatly appreciate the advice. If you have more, please let me know. I'm all ears.

[2ManyHobbies]

Good stuff, looking forward to your results. And I appreciate the feedback.

[Len]

I would use regular code 100 flex track across the bridge rather than EZ-Track. That should give enough extra length to shim the ends up to match the height of the EZ-Track on it's roadbed. You could even glue in some code 83 track as 'guard rails'.

Len

[Terry Toenges]

Single pieces of 36" E-Z Track. There are others if you look around.
https://www.amazon.com/Whistle-Stop-BAC44584-Straight-Track/dp/B005713090
http://midwestrailjunction.com/bachmann44584e-ztrack36straightns.aspx
https://www.ebay.com/p/1100527915

[jward]

I was able to find my Alco 2-6-0 which I believe is the same locomotive you have. It will pull 5 cars up the 4% grade, and 7 cars up the 3% grade. It almost made it with 8 cars, but stalled out on the curve at the very top of the grade.

So far my best puller is an Atlas Trainman GP38-2. It will pull at least 20 cars up both grades. Adding more cars than that was a moot point, because at that point the train was longer than the upgrade section.

[2ManyHobbies]

I would use regular code 100 flex track across the bridge rather than EZ-Track. That should give enough extra length to shim the ends up to match the height of the EZ-Track on it's roadbed. You could even glue in some code 83 track as 'guard rails'.

Len

For now, I'm using E-Z track as it is going to be taken apart and put together multiple times. As a noob, it is... well E-Z to do. Is the flex track capable of being pulled apart and rejoined multiple times?

Single pieces of 36" E-Z Track. There are others if you look around.
https://www.amazon.com/Whistle-Stop-BAC44584-Straight-Track/dp/B005713090
http://midwestrailjunction.com/bachmann44584e-ztrack36straightns.aspx
https://www.ebay.com/p/1100527915

You even found it on Amazon... I bow to your search-fu, it is strong.

Seriously, thank you. I found some single track but the vendor websites looked old and possibly out of business.

I was able to find my Alco 2-6-0 which I believe is the same locomotive you have. It will pull 5 cars up the 4% grade, and 7 cars up the 3% grade. It almost made it with 8 cars, but stalled out on the curve at the very top of the grade.

So far my best puller is an Atlas Trainman GP38-2. It will pull at least 20 cars up both grades. Adding more cars than that was a moot point, because at that point the train was longer than the upgrade section.

7 cars... we have 4 right now. I can't even imagine 20.

[Len]

Code 100 flex track is sturdier than code 83. I've used it in portable temporary display layouts many times. You could even cut it to length for the bridge and glue it in place. Then use the cut off pieces, or regular sectional track, to transition from the bridge to the EZ-Track.

Len

[Terry Toenges]

A lot of Bachmann locos pull much better when weight is added. I have that 2-6-0 and added some weight in the cab and the front deck. I had issues trying to pull five old time passenger cars. Once I added weight, I was able to pull nine old time passenger cars. In the video, I'm trying to see how slow I can go and still pull the cars. Since you are going to be dealing with a grade, extra weight would really help. Since the tender blocks most of the view of the cab inside, it's not that visible unless you get real close at eye level.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf6JaSo20NI