Kallisti Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 (edited) Inspired by @BIG X and his pontoon bridge, I have dug out from the stash this venerable old kit I picked up somewhere a few years back. However I'm not going to build the original Airfix boxed version but instead the Dapol rebagged version, so I can keep the Airfix boxed one intact Here are the parts from the Airfix box and the instruction sheet from the Dapol version I'm tempted to do some sort of diorama of a rusty old abandoned bridge, but the deck when placed end to end is 13" long and about 2/5 " wide, which means the diorama base would beed to be something like 18" by 6" which is starting to get quite large. I'm supposed to be moving house in the next month or so, which means I have to start packing things up soon, so I'm not sure how much progress this will see in the near future... For our esteemed GB leaders: http://www.vintage-airfix.com/airfix/series-trackside/girder-bridge-p-390.html Airfix Catalogue information: Series: 2 First Issued: 1959 Catalogue Ref - 1st Edition (1962): 207 Edited June 8, 2018 by Kallisti 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ventora3300 Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 Go for it! This is the bridge I always wanted for my electric train set layout but it never materialised...! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted June 8, 2018 Author Share Posted June 8, 2018 Thanks, as a side note, this was a favourite kit for the people who made Thunderbirds. if you look closely you'll see it EVERYWHERE, from Thunderbird 1 launch bay: Thunderbird 2 launch bay Thunderbird 2 itself: (note that this is showing 2 different Thunderbird 2 models!) ...and then there is the Mole, which sits on an upside down Girder Bridge 8 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 16 minutes ago, Ventora3300 said: Go for it! This is the bridge I always wanted for my electric train set layout but it never materialised...! I never even made it as far as train set - never mind a bridge for it. Oh we were so poor... 1 hour ago, Kallisti said: Inspired by @BIG X and his pontoon bridge, I have dug out from the stash this venerable old kit I picked up somewhere a few years back. However I'm not going to build the original Airfix boxed version but instead the Dapol rebagged version, so I can keep the Airfix boxed one intact Here are the parts from the Airfix box and the instruction sheet from the Dapol version I'm tempted to do some sort of diorama of a rusty old abandoned bridge, but the deck when placed end to end is 13" long and about 2/5 " wide, which means the diorama base would beed to be something like 18" by 6" which is starting to get quite large. I'm supposed to be moving house in the next month or so, which means I have to start packing things up soon, so I'm not sure how much progress this will see in the near future... For our esteemed GB leaders: http://www.vintage-airfix.com/airfix/series-trackside/girder-bridge-p-390.html Airfix Catalogue information: Series: 2 First Issued: 1959 Catalogue Ref - 1st Edition (1962): 207 I will be watching this one for sure. I know what you mean about the size though - these bridges can be very deceptive. Mine was over 2ft long before I 'customised it' and it's still 16 inches long now. It would be nice to see a bit of 'rusty' weathering - I suffer with the common problem of being too scared to properly weather my kits - for fear of ruining them. I'm still learning and I'm sure I'll get there in the end. Good luck with it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 2 minutes ago, Kallisti said: Thanks, as a side note, this was a favourite kit for the people who made Thunderbirds. if you look closely you'll see it EVERYWHERE, from Thunderbird 1 launch bay: Thunderbird 2 launch bay Thunderbird 2 itself: (note that this is showing 2 different Thunderbird 2 models!) ...and then there is the Mole, which sits on an upside down Girder Bridge WOW and double WOW - you live and learn as they say - brilliant background info. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 Hi Kalisty. You jogged the memory, so I looked in the stash, and down at the bottom was a brown paper bag , inside was a box just like yours, with sharp edges, even after many years of storage. On the front was a price tag from Hambling's, the price was 25p. Unfortunately, I never got into model railways. Robin. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 26 minutes ago, Robin said: Hi Kalisty. You jogged the memory, so I looked in the stash, and down at the bottom was a brown paper bag , inside was a box just like yours, with sharp edges, even after many years of storage. On the front was a price tag from Hambling's, the price was 25p. Unfortunately, I never got into model railways. Robin. As you can Robin - you don't need to be into model railways - this kit can be transformed into loads of things 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 Yet another Airfix kit that I know very little about. This GB is also turning out to be a real education lesson as well, what aviation modeller would have known about all these other great Girder Bridge applications? I fear that my stash will grow to something quite silly after this GB is through. Can everyone please stop this great Classic Airfix kit building right now!!!! My wallet can’t take anymore. Cheers.. Dave 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ratch Posted June 9, 2018 Share Posted June 9, 2018 14 hours ago, Kallisti said: I'm tempted to do some sort of diorama of a rusty old abandoned bridge, but the deck when placed end to end is 13" long and about 2/5 " wide, which means the diorama base would beed to be something like 18" by 6" which is starting to get quite large. Do it, you know you want to 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted June 9, 2018 Author Share Posted June 9, 2018 I've been doing some searching for real bridges and found some useful inspiration, including one girder bridge upside down! I like the look of this one a lot though 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted June 9, 2018 Author Share Posted June 9, 2018 Last night I did some initial clean up and assembly - this is an old kit and the moulds have been passed around and look to be in a bit of a state to be honest. there is a lot of flash and the mould lines are quite pronounced and need a lot of work: Out of the box on the left, cleaned up on the right There is a large ejector pin mark in the plastic which the flash has mostly hidden in the centre but you can see where I've applied a dab of filler on the right. Speaking of ejector pins, they are pretty much everywhere, most noticably on the underside of the deck Some of these are quite deep pits but I don't think they'll be visible in the end so I'm goign to leave them alone. Here is the top side of the deck after its been glued together and you can see stress marks in the plastic from the ejector pins beneath More ejector pin fixing Finally, one side has been assembled! Some rivet surface texture has been lost due to sanding the ejector pins, but I don't think its worth trying to replace. There are a few minor sink marks in the stanchions and particularly the strengthening plates, but if I try to fill those I'm going to loose a LOT of rivet detail, so I think it will be okay. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted June 11, 2018 Author Share Posted June 11, 2018 No progress yesterday apart from packing about 25 boxes of books and 6 enormous boxes of kits from the stash in readiness for the upcoming move. I get the keys this coming Friday and the first job is to covert the shed into the mancave... I have until the end of July when I have to vacate my current house so I ahve plenty of time, so hopefully I can make some progress on the bridge in the meantime while my back recovers! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabbit Leader Posted June 11, 2018 Share Posted June 11, 2018 Good luck with the move Kallisti. The end of July might sound a little distant, however this year is just hummimg along. As things go it’ll be over before you know it - which means another round of GB voting!! Cheers.. Dave 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the South African Posted June 11, 2018 Share Posted June 11, 2018 I lived 2.5km's from this one as a boy in a town called Villiers Free state.As a matter of fact there is two of them that span the vaal river.Image courtesy of geosites. Regards: Shaun 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted June 11, 2018 Share Posted June 11, 2018 Good luck with the move when it comes and the custom built cave sounds fantastic too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted June 12, 2018 Share Posted June 12, 2018 (edited) Possibly a little bit closer in design to the Airfix Girder Bridge, Girder Bridges of this type such as over the Comet River near Comet in Central Queensland are fairly common throughout Queensland Rail : Edited June 13, 2018 by Rob S 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob S Posted June 12, 2018 Share Posted June 12, 2018 (edited) To give you an idea of the power of nature I believe that although the Bridge above didn't go under in the 2011 Floods the water was certainly lapping at the Rail much the same as the similar Rail Bridge over the Nogoa River slightly further West at Emerald in this historic photo : Edited June 13, 2018 by Rob S 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted June 12, 2018 Author Share Posted June 12, 2018 Great photos, thanks 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted June 24, 2018 Author Share Posted June 24, 2018 (edited) Well another week has gone by and no progress on the Girlder Bridge but at least the shed at the new house is now insulated and carpeted and ready to start being filled. The main problem I see is its not big enough! In my current shed I have 5 bookcases/shelves, 1 workbench, a chest of drawers and a spraying table. I think I'll be able to fit AT MOST 3 bookcases/shelves along with the others. I've invested in a much more powerful paint extractor unit so hopefully this will cut down on the dust in the new shed. Sadly I also appear to have somehow picked up a cold as today my throat feels freshly sandpapered, eyes are running and I'm sneezing continually/ I thought it was hayfever yesterday but today I feel pretty awful... maybe this is a sign that I need to sit down, so some modelling and listen to the cricket/watch the England match... Edited June 24, 2018 by Kallisti 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 15 minutes ago, Kallisti said: Well another week has gone by and no progress on the Girlder Bridge but at least the shed at the new house is now insulated and carpeted and ready to start being filled. The main problem I see is its not big enough! In my current shed I have 5 bookcases/shelves, 1 workbench, a chest of drawers and a spraying table. I think I'll be able to fit AT MOST 3 bookcases/shelves along with the others. I've invested in a much more powerful paint extractor unit so hopefully this will cut down on the dust in the new shed. Sadly I also appear to have somehow picked up a cold as today my throat feels freshly andpapered, eyes are running and I'm sneezing continually/ I thought it was hayfever yesterday but today I feel pretty awful... maybe this is a sign that I need to sit down, so some modelling and listen to the cricket/watch the England match... Oh no - you've installed a 'carpet monster' 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted June 24, 2018 Author Share Posted June 24, 2018 Its a special de-monstered carpet, short pile and hard-wearing simply because the wooden floor of the shed is so rubbish 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIG X Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 If I had the choice I would have gone with good old 'lino' - but SWMBO wouldn't have it - I know my place... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted July 5, 2018 Author Share Posted July 5, 2018 A week and a bit later and I'm pleased to say I'm fully recovered from the cold, apart from a slight persistent cough. Apparently there are a lot of people falling ill with colds at the moment, office air-cons seem to be the culprit! As for the house move, the entire content of my shed has now been transferred over to the new house and shed and the rest of the normal house move is planned for later this month, so all is going to plan... so far. Doesn't look like I'm going to be able to build things just yet, but I will be able to attend the Romsey show next weekend having sadly missed Smallspace last Sunday... Watch this space! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ventora3300 Posted August 3, 2018 Share Posted August 3, 2018 Looking forward to the next installment on the Girder Bridge - health and workspace permitting, of course! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted August 3, 2018 Author Share Posted August 3, 2018 Well the move has been completed and I'm finally unpacking and sorting things. I've even been able to set up my modelling table again, but I'm starting another project before returning to this as I really want to build my Wingnut WIngs Sopwith Camel for the WW1 GB I will be back for this soon however. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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