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The Bridge on the River Kwai


Getunderit

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Hi Pete,

Meticulous planning. Something I consider myself fortunate in not having to do! And I trained as an engineer! Yes, I could use a pair of compasses and drop a perpendicular from a given point on a line, or subdivde a given length of line into a given number of equal parts, or draw a hexagon within a circle, but I'd much rather do it all by eye!😳

 

Loving the little chap helping out BTW. Is it Alec Guiness? Either way, can we have him animated?

 

Rearguards,

Badder

 

 

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Did some more work on the bridge tonight.
Used a measured card to position the horizontal braces.

 

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It takes a few hours just to get these extra pier sets in. Hope you guys don't mind seeing small progress updates.
So far:

 

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Before I started installing the piers, I redrilled the outer holes with a slight lean. This helped me to minimize the amount of trimming of the pier ends. However, today I came across a hole which was drilled too deeply.  'One Fifty' came up with a solution.

 

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So far:

 

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Needed a jig-template for leaning in the cantilever piers. Then suspended the template on straight aluminium angle, at same height as the tressels.

 

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'One Fifty' discovered a misplacement. Can you see it?


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In process of cutting notches for cross member for mid-piers.

 

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All those piers and cross-braces etc are going to look fantastic, but I can see they are a bit of a chore to make and set correctly. Are you wondering why they didn't build a suspension bridge?

 

Rearguards,

Baddr

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10 hours ago, Badder said:

All those piers and cross-braces etc are going to look fantastic, but I can see they are a bit of a chore to make and set correctly. Are you wondering why they didn't build a suspension bridge?

 

Rearguards,

Baddr

No I have not thought of that.

If I was asked to build a model suspension bridge, where small cables actually suspended a flexible (limp) bridge, I would say "NO!"

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Thanks fellow modellers for your 'likes'. Glad that the bridge is coming together quite well so far. Of course, It would not have come together so well without One Fifty's supervision.

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Bridging the four parts together with a pair of common girders.

 

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Started to add supporting cantilever struts. The were also tapered and knotched.

 

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Thank you fellows for you 'likes'.

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Glued two skewers together, then tapered them.


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Adding cross members, and 12 supporting cantilever struts. Later, another 12 will be added.

 

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So far.

 

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It's becoming a thing of intricate beauty – a fascinating piece of technical sculpture.

 

Although I am concerned by One Fiftie's total lack of regard for health and safely – it's not war time now you know!

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12 minutes ago, Gorby said:

...I am concerned by One Fiftie's total lack of regard for health and safely – it's not war time now you know!

Ha ha ha, I was just thinking that today. That Gorby, or someone else, was going to have a go at One Fifty's safety practices.

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"Now, just hold your horses there for a minute, Corsairfoxfouruncle". One Fifty does wear safety steel-cap boots.

4 hours ago, Corsairfoxfouruncle said:

🤨 No safety harness ..☑️

🤨 No helmet ☑️

🤨 No Vest ☑️

🤨 No steel toed Boots 

 I think 150 needs a good lecture and a write-up. This is his first warning.

However, since this is an international work sight, his Bridge Worker's Union has a 'laissez-faire' clause about such matters. . . No wonder, I keep cringing everytime I see him.

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Spent all day installing cross braces along the back portion of the bridge. Also, half the bracing on bottom sides, and a cross brace near the top. Tomorrow I'll be doing it all again, but for the front portion and sides.

 

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Below, is front aspect of bridge. Cross braces not yet installed. The boxed area will be as is, incomplete.

 

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Hi Pete,

Rapid progress, I see. Looking great.

Now, forgive me for not remembering whether you've already mentioned it, or not, but are all those struts, braces, uprights, cross-members etc going to be lashed together with rope?

If they are, that's going to be a real challenge. I hope you know your knots!

 

Rearguards,

Badder

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Been working on the bridge during the nights.

Discovered, while aligning cross beams that a simple pencil mark will simulated iron pins.

 

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Finished the cantilever bridge supports. After telling One Fifty about the safety warnings, he went off in a huff, threatening to go on strike. Onions, I tell you! So, what does he do; he blatantly walks across the opened girder. So I took a snap shot as proof of his insanity. I can hear him now. "They have come to take me away ha ha".

 

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Added two extra girders to frame the railway tracks. Used matchsticks as sleeper supports.

 

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Used card for sleepers, and painted them.

 

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Strips were cut from a thin polystyrene sheet for rail tracks.

While gluing the track in place, I used a small block of wood to keep tracks equally spaced.

Then used a mix of matt brown and grey for the tracks.

Later, added silver to the paint, and wiped that across the top surface.

 

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The track looks great! You really know how to make best use of material at hand. But may I suggest that you try to give the rail sides a more brown or rusty look. Given the climate at the location in question I assume the rails would have rusted really fast. Or it might just be the pictures that do not show the brown you already applied, in which case you should of course ignore my comment.

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5 hours ago, Svedberg said:

The track looks great! You really know how to make best use of material at hand. But may I suggest that you try to give the rail sides a more brown or rusty look. Given the climate at the location in question I assume the rails would have rusted really fast. Or it might just be the pictures that do not show the brown you already applied, in which case you should of course ignore my comment.

I will ignore the comment, but I cannot ignore your helpful input (like some others) to this build, and for that I am grateful.

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