2.1. Stone Arch Bridge

I'd considered bashing a plastic stone viaduct kit, but as I studied the problem, it became clear that it would involve a ridiculous amount of work; worse, the result wouldn't look "right." It seemed easier just to scratchbuild it—which is what I did.

I began by making paper templates from photograps of the original. Since the geometry of my sectional track wasn't identical to John Allen's handlaid track, I had to make some minor adjustments so that everything would fit right.

Once I nailed down the dimensions, I made two masters, one of an arch, and the other of a blank wall. The "stones" along the edges were made from individual pieces of strip styrene. Castings of the masters were then assembled into the bridge sides.

A third master was made for the inside of the arch. After final assembly and painting, the bridge was installed on the layout.

As a finishing touch, I even added John Allen's curious "stairway to nowhere" at the left end of the bridge. Because of the previously-mentioned track geometry discrepancies, my stairs had to be a little different. They were scratchbuilt using the same stone sheet from which the masters were made, some bits of castings, individual strip styrene ties, and a brass wire handrail soldered together in place.

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