Trestle details

[Rwilliams]

I have strayed a bit from caboose construction, but do have an end purpose with this little adventure. After shooting the early morning image of the Keith Jackman caboose on a trestle last Fall Meet at SVLS, I got to thinking how the details in the image could be kicked up to look more prototypical. I have always enjoyed looking at the many shapes in a trestle as it is an adventure in geometry. One of the more significant details is the trestle refuge and water barrel platform which is seldom if ever seen in our trestles due to the issue of potential damage by passengers. Being a rather delicate assembly, the life span of such a detail item could be measured in minutes or hours at best. Even with this thought in mind, it was hard to let go of the idea of having more detail in trestle photos.

I eventually found a copy of the SP common standard trestle refuge and water barrel platform drawings and it was just a matter of making up some scale timbers and a water barrel. Pictured here is the work in progress as our crew member having survived the cupola safety bar testing is now trying out the railing on the refuge platform. A few more pieces need to be added along with some scale nails and model bolts. Plan is to have it at the SVLS Fall Meet this weekend and devise a method by which it can be quickly attached to a trestle for custom photos and easily removed before damage falls upon it.

When the C-30 caboose is completed, a nice photo with early morning sunlight as it crosses a trestle complete with the refuge platform should look rather nice and realistic almost like something that came out of the shop of Jack Bodenmann. Kick the image up with some sepia tone work in Photoshop and it might look like 50 years back in time.

It is nice to dream and make it come true,

Robert

[Rwilliams]

Time if quickly running out for progress before the meet. The final pieces of the platform have been applied and some more hardware fitted up. Black paint is the standard color for most all of the bridge and trestle work I have ever seen.

Just waiting for some information so the attachment joists can be manufactured and installed. The water barrel is in progress with final turning scheduled for tomorrow evening.

[makinsmoke]

NICE Robert!

Probably not black paint. More likely creosote.
Brian

[Rwilliams]

Saturday morning we arrived at the track to find the early morning light just right for a few images of the refuge platform complete with a caboose hop that could have dated back to the middle 1950's. The riding cars were secluded in a near by siding while the trestle refuge platform was quickly installed with little more than one small wooden wedge and a hammer. With the equipment in position on the small trestle several images were made including this one featuring the GP-9 and C-30-1 caboose of Keith Jackman.

Next step is to use Photoshop to convert the color image into a sepia tone image worthy of 60 years ago in a virtual trip back in time featuring an SP Black Widow caboose hop.

Will have the sepia image posted as soon as all the details can be worked out.

Robert

[FLSTEAM]

You are right, it does look like the fifties.