The Bridge

[ivanf]

the roundabout etc is looking very effective

and glad to hear printing is back on...

It'll be quite a milestone getting one of the towers assembled.... bits crossed.

[dkightley]

After a few weeks away from this project, I'm now back on the case now I've got unofficial confirmation that the first outing will be in June next year!

I've spent today cleaning up the rail deck and girderwork components for the two viaduct sections. Here's a box of ready-to-assemble parts:

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I'm intending making up three five element sections....one for the North end and two for the South end...ready for painting. I first intend to get a fresh tube of superglue for this first major assembly task!

And then it'll be the central tower..........

[dkightley]

The viaduct sections......all 15 of them....are now glued together successfully with superglue. The new Loctite superglue bottle dispensing system works perfectly and allows superb control over applying glue. The bottle now has ribbed plastic sections each side of the bottle that you gently squeeze together to precisely control the liquid.

I've moved on to the central tower and have the sides and diagonal tubes gleud together. Here's a photo of the two sections, one with the lower and upper crossmembers loosly fitted:

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I'm having trouble cleaning up the large vertical criss-cross girder sections that form the ends of the tower section...I'm having to redesign them and break them into two sections so they print better!

And why's it always me?? I fitted a new nozzle in my printer a week or so ago...and I've been having problems with the nozzle hitting the previous layer when printing the next layer and causing damage. On close inspection of the nozzle face I found a ridge around the outer edge....so the nozzle was binned and a new one fitted. The result....the issue has gone away!

[Nutter]

Nice to see it progressing well

[martink]

Ditto - this is one I am really looking forward to seeing. Between the bridge itself and the surrounding buildings, you really do seem to be pushing your poor old 3D printer to its absolute limit.

[dkightley]

At last......a glimpse of the glory of the bridge!!

Here's a few photos of the very first trial assembly of the centre tower:

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A closer look at some of the girderwork

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And a cab view!!

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And just for fun........compare the bottom photo with a still from a cab ride video:

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[ivanf]

lookin' awsome Doug...

[dkightley]

I've spent the day "fitting" all the 34 separate pieces together......and I'm quite amazed at how they do actually fit together giving what will be a very rigid and true structure.

I've not plucked up the courage to actually glue everything together...yet! I intend getting the other two towers to the same state....and then do a mass glueing session.

And to answer Martin's comment.....yes, the printer's been getting a right bashing over the last two years. Not as bad as Trigger's broom, but I've had to replace a cooling fan twice, and a hot end tube and thermocouple once.....and I've been through about five nozzles! If I were to make a guess, I think the printer has been printing for somewhere in excess of 2000 hours since I've had it! Perhaps I'll one day try and work out how much I've spent on filament...I'll have all the payment records somewhere.

[NoelDollimore]

Mamoth, 'Fantastic' job there Doug, what an advert for the printer manufacturers eh ?
Looking forward to seeing the completed model.
By the way, have you ordered your bulk delivery of glue yet.
More power to your elbow Doug, keep up the good work and I hope it all comes together with no problems.
Best wishes, Noel.

[JBModels]

Wow!! Even in T gauge that's huge!! Excellent work there mate....

[dkightley]

And then there was three:

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Just like the central tower, the north and south towers are trial assembled...although having said that, the sides are glued together (the side tubes, joints, bottom tube, top girder and diagonal tubes).

I now need to establish where I got to with printing the parts for the six arms.....

[Nutter]

Comments can't describe how impressive this will be .

[Reith01]

Brilliant. I keep having to remind myself what scale this is in.

[dkightley]

With my printer 12 hours into printing a set of tube sections for the cantilever arms, I got bored and tried my hand at an unusual photo:

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btw...the "rocket fins" are designed to break off. Their needed to keep the tubes stable whilst being printed.

[dkightley]

Just a quick update.....

The tubes being printed in the above photo are in fact the first of five pieces that make up the cantilever arm lower tubes. For the keen eyed....I've printed a few spares, just in case!

I've printed all six of the second, third and fourth sections of tubes successfully...but have been struggling with the last section in the sequence! Because they're getting rather small in diameter, I've had to give up trying to print the tubes vertically, I've now laid them down, and am currently printing them off one by one. Three left hand tubes completed as I type....and the fourth is printing. Two more left handed to do, and then the six right handed. And then onto the girders that run along the top of the arms...again they'll be in five sections.

[dkightley]

Time for an update.....

I'm working my way through printing components for the six cantilever arms. Fortunately, they're all the same...which makes things easier to track. Here's a photo of the three towers and the parts printed so far for the arms:

P1010610_red.jpg (100.5 KiB) Viewed 8875 times

A quick count indicates there's 225 separate printed components in the above shot...give or take a couple! And at an estimate there's probably around another 200 to go!

[barneyadi]

Looking great Doug.

[dkightley]

Today, I've printed the smallest part of the bridge so far:

IMG_2253_red.JPG (99.37 KiB) Viewed 8821 times

And its taken more than its fair share of time to actually get anywhere near presentable!! About 20 separate prints...with tweaks to the settings in between. I daren't show what the first print looked like....and don't ask, cos' I've chucked it away

[dkightley]

I'm still working my way through printing the various components that will make up the structure of the sides of each of the six arms. Once they're all printed and cleaned up, I'll be putting the sides together so I'll get a picture of the exact length of the bridge. I'll then be able to finish designing the parts for the two truss sections that connect the arches together.

While I'm doing that, I'll be starting to print all of the cross-bracing and rail deck supports. I've set myself a target of completing all the printing by the end of December...which will give me around 4 months to finish off the scenery. Time will only tell if this plan will work!

[rvn2001]

At least you've got a plan. I'm looking forward to seeing this bridge completed.