mrcheddar
American Railroads, Swiss Railways, Travel
A bridge is a structure built to span obstacles. In the case of this garden railway in a remote valley of the Swiss Alps, the obstacle is the hillside. The train should be able to go right round the house in spite the house being on the side of a mountain. This garden railway fan has come up with some amazing solutions.
Some Swiss and German garden railway enthusiasts at the open house in June 2013
The bridges and viaducts are designed on the spot without any plans drawn in advance. Only simple tools are used, sheets of Styrofoam, ruler, pencil and a box cutter knife.
Step 1 - create custom mold
Styrafoam sheets (20mm thick) are painstakinly cut out by hand and stuck together with tape and glue.
Step 2 - fit the mold
The molds are fitted together in the landscape.
Step 3 - filling with concrete
Bruno's secret is to fill the molds with concrete in stages. If the molds were immediately filled to the brim with cement, they could not withstand the pressure, so they are filled only about 20cm at a time. The concrete can then harden before the next 20 cm is filled. Bruno uses ready-to-use or "no-mix" concrete and mixes it so it is quite liquid.
Stepp 4 ? Stripping
The mold stays on the viaduct for several days before it is removed. The styrofoam is singed with a flame so that it crumbles less and can more easily be removed. Here is the result.
Here are some more http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.10151233795709319&type=1 < Link To pictures on facebook. They should be visible to everybody.
Bruno began to build his garden railway in May 2013. Given enough time and money this year, he will be able to run trains round his house. At least 4 viaducts are planned, based on the one at Brusio on the Rhb Bernina line in the Swiss Alps. The elevation gain will be 3 meters in total.
Sorry about the German &:
http://youtu.be/ph-UDb1TIC8 < Link To The cab ride video round the then unfinished railway.
Bruno and his Irish partner run Bed & Breakfast and a religious retreat in the house, so visitors are welcome.
https://www.airbnb.ch/rooms/537035
http://stgalls.weebly.com/guest-accommodation.html
(the pictures were taken before building the railway started)
Some Swiss and German garden railway enthusiasts at the open house in June 2013
The bridges and viaducts are designed on the spot without any plans drawn in advance. Only simple tools are used, sheets of Styrofoam, ruler, pencil and a box cutter knife.
Step 1 - create custom mold
Styrafoam sheets (20mm thick) are painstakinly cut out by hand and stuck together with tape and glue.
Step 2 - fit the mold
The molds are fitted together in the landscape.
Step 3 - filling with concrete
Bruno's secret is to fill the molds with concrete in stages. If the molds were immediately filled to the brim with cement, they could not withstand the pressure, so they are filled only about 20cm at a time. The concrete can then harden before the next 20 cm is filled. Bruno uses ready-to-use or "no-mix" concrete and mixes it so it is quite liquid.
Stepp 4 ? Stripping
The mold stays on the viaduct for several days before it is removed. The styrofoam is singed with a flame so that it crumbles less and can more easily be removed. Here is the result.
Here are some more http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.10151233795709319&type=1 < Link To pictures on facebook. They should be visible to everybody.
Bruno began to build his garden railway in May 2013. Given enough time and money this year, he will be able to run trains round his house. At least 4 viaducts are planned, based on the one at Brusio on the Rhb Bernina line in the Swiss Alps. The elevation gain will be 3 meters in total.
Sorry about the German &:
http://youtu.be/ph-UDb1TIC8 < Link To The cab ride video round the then unfinished railway.
Bruno and his Irish partner run Bed & Breakfast and a religious retreat in the house, so visitors are welcome.
https://www.airbnb.ch/rooms/537035
http://stgalls.weebly.com/guest-accommodation.html
(the pictures were taken before building the railway started)
the uprights won't be too bad without rebar but it depends how thin the span gets as to whether movement will cause cracks there over winter. My dad built a bridge for his OO line with a three and a half foot span and that only has two lengths of mesh angle in it to support the walls on the sides of the top. The mesh Does provide some support but its minimal as it's at the very top of the pour. It's still standing after 20 years with only minor crumbling on the ends of the walls, the main structure is fine. As long as the spans were poured in one go the lines between pours will be horizontal and below the arch and that's the only place where I'd be wary of cracks.