A big stone viaduct for the CIOR

[Throttle_JCKY]

Well, when plans for the current CIOR started, I needed to match a viaduct that the PRR had constructed years before, when they raised their line through Cambridge City, Indiana.
Having looked and looked and looked I had finally given up all hope of finding anything close to the viaduct to use on the CIOR. I figured I would have to hand carve it or something like that at the very least.

Then one day, while surfing the net, I decided to type in "PRR Viaduct" and what should I spy, but a website called
www.modelrailroadstoneworks.com
sure enough, they had the exact one I needed.
So with that said, I emailed the owner and asked a few questions, it was quick and a couple weeks later the plaster formed castings arrived at my door.
So, I guess it proves the saying "just wait awhile, it will come" sure enough.

I still haven't gotten everything done, I am still in the fitting and forming stages of the build, but everything is ready for it to go up.
(to answer the question "are you affiliated with ModelRailroadStoneworks" NO! , just someone that found what they needed and liked what I saw).
The reason I posted this is for the PRR/PC/Conrail person out there that needs this.
Someone posted on trainorders.com about not being able to find it, so this is why I posted it.

To check out an actual pre finished product.



to check out construction
http://www.trainweb.org/cior/construction.html

[Otto Vondrak]

Awesome. And thanks for posting pics. Is this patterned after a certain PRR bridge, or does it just look right for central Indiana?

-otto-

[Throttle_JCKY]

I am pretty sure it comes from Pennsy RR standard plans, based on the "Semi Circular" design. Rockville is a close match to this, as are a few others.
The one thing I always found odd was the fact that this bridge/viaduct was in Indiana. In all my years of being around PRR stuff in the Indiana/western Ohio area I have yet to see anything of this size other then Cambridge City Indiana.
I don't have any pictures of the actual viaduct (was torn down in the early 90's) but from memory and charts, this is a dead on ringer for it. The only thing is, due to its large size in real life, I had to omit 2 arches from it. (didn't have 6 feet to give it)

I will keep posting pics as I progress.

[snowplough]

On this topic, what are the ins and outs of my attempting to build a curved viaduct?

Specifically: Are curved viaducts prototypical? (And must that question be answered specific to building material?) And can the kit shown in the photos above be easily bashed into a curved viaduct? (I would, of course, be using a viaduct designed for two straight tracks to support one curved track.) I'm not thinking of a high viaduct over a deep ravine--just an elevated track through a shallow valley.

Many thanks for any help.

[Throttle_JCKY]

snowplough,

I am pretty sure you could convert the kit to your needs. The biggest issue would be "will you see the other side of the viaduct?" and "which way would it curve?"

The reason is, if you can curve the viaduct as if the person viewing it would be inside the curve, and you couldn't see the opposite side, then it wouldn't matter.

If yes, then you would probably have to do alot of fill and cut work to make it look good.

If your into the kitbash end of it, then it wouldn't be to tough, but if your a stay inside the lines, I wouldn't recommend it to ya.

overall, it is a solid kit that can easily be worked since its a poured casting of plaster.

[Throttle_JCKY]

Well, the viaduct progressed alot today, posted are more pictures of it at
http://www.trainweb.org/cior/cambridgeviaduct.html

[Otto Vondrak]

Looks great... keep the updates coming!

-otto-