Adding Ties to Stringers Finished splined stringers with temporary longitudinal spacer inserted to hold the stringers apart ready to accept the ties. Pre-stained in the shoe dye and alcohol solution and left to ‘pickle’ for different lengths of time produces (in my opinion) a good selection of aged and weathered…
The trestle desk stringers consist of scale 8″ x 24″ timbers that are bolted together every 8′- a drilling jig helps to locate the position of these NBWs (nut bolt washer).
The deck stringers consist of 3 – 8″ x 24″ x 32′ sections with 2″ x 6″ x 24″ spacers. These spacers were added on the prototype to assist in drainage of surface water so that it drains away. The deck ties will eventually be laid at right angles to…
Assembling the two laminated bridge beams on to the two doubled trestle bents requires weights and clamps and a lot of patience to ensure that the components are square and aligned correctly. It is at this point that the structure begins to take shape and great care has to be…
There is a requirement for the trestle to bridge a road or other right of way and therefore the trestle bents would cause an obstruction, so a raised section is required to allow vertical and horizontal clearance. This is achieved by bridging between two existing bents about halfway way along…
Attaching NBW’s – nut, bolt, washer castings – in this case they are 2.5 inch hex nut on a bolt with 4.5 inch washer. These are plastic castings from EDM Models aka Paul Martin at NG Trains www.ngtrains.com/Pages/Details/NBW/nbw.html Each small bent requires 24 front and back, each of the larger bents…
A word or two about size and proportion in relation to building the components of a trestle. Bear in mind that the size of timbers used in the construction process are huge and have to carry enormous loads and weight. The main support posts for instance are 12″ x 12″…
Production of trestle bents has been moving along slowly in recent days, using weights to hold components while they set is time consuming. Patience is the name of the game here, however the results are starting to show… It is interesting to note the various shades of staining which in…
A word about cutting 1/4″ x 1/4″ basswood – using a mitre saw or a NWSL Chopper. I had to modify the NWSL Chopper to accommodate larger stock see below: After cutting pieces they are then cut and sanded further to fit using a Minicraft Sander and 180 grit 75mm…
The effects of age and weathering on wood even if it has been treated in some way will result in a grey or silver grey colour. Even cedar which is used in north America for tiling roofs often called cedar shakes will eventually turn from golden brown to silver grey…
