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This photo is from the original Pola box, which I
received from Mr. R. Loos.
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| After receiving this box, I studied the
model, and brought a visit to the local hobby shop. With
this box as a reference, I browsed to the aisles with
building materials. |
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To imitate the wooden roadway, I
purchased a sheet styrene. For the top and railing I
purchased strip styrene, square and round. To make the
gate I purchased a set with four walls from DPM. Two have
a round opening, but not long enough, and two have square
opening with the same depth.
At the arts and crafts store I found the other
materials needed.
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| The ornaments on top of the gate, a bird
and the necklace are from this arts and craft store, and
meant to be decoration for clothes. The bird is
originally meant for a necklace. |
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| The necklace will be used as the chains
for the bridge. After 2 hours shopping, I got it all for
about 25 bucks. For this amount I have enough material
to build 2 bridges, and left over material for other
projects.
On this photo you see the parts straight out the box.
In the middle the styrene sheets with grooves, on top
left and right the chains, ornaments, bird and gate.
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| As you can see the red brown brick walls
have the perfect shape to make the gate. |
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First I make the gates. From a white
sheet of styrene I cut a piece with the same size as the
red brown walls, except a little longer, see 1.
By
gluing both the round and squire shaped wall on to the
styrene base, on opposite sides, see 2. I get the right
height for the gate by offsetting the two walls.
The little piece of wall that extends beyond the white
styrene base is cut off. This will then be glued on to
the other side, see 3.
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| Next I saw the inside of the gate and
file the edges even with the rounded wall as a template.
From the ornament, see 4, I cut 4 corners. These corners
will be glued on to the gate as shown in the picture
below. It new looks like the red brown gate. |
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At both ends I glue a strip styrene,
which extends 1 mm. beyond the gate at each end.
On the
top is a 6-mm. square strip styrene, which will carry the
rotating top of the bridge. With 1.5 and 1.0 mm. square
strip styrene, I decorate this square.
On the top of the 6-mm. square I glue a tube with a 2
mm. inside diameter. Through this tube I later install a
rod to operate the top.
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| New the last thing to do is to superglue
the bird in the center on top of the gate opening. |
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| With 4 mm. square strip of styrene. I
make the top of the bridge as shown on the picture at
right. The inside beams are made from rectangle, 4x2-mm.
strip of styrene. The road surface is made from a sheet
of styrene, with linear grooves, and while softly moving
fine sandpaper in linear motion and the direction of the
grooves, you can imitate the wood structure.
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| With H pillar, again 4 mm., I make the
frame and carriers for the road surface. I glue them on
the bottom side of the bridge, when placing this bridge
on the layout, over water; you will see reflections of
the bottom in the water. Since this bridge is
operational, I also make a hinge. This is accomplished
with a 2mm metal rod (clothes hanger) and styrene tube
with an inner diameter of 2mm. This tube I cut in three
parts, the center being twice as tall as the ends. By
gluing this in the center of the two road surfaces it
becomes operational. On the photo's below you can see the
hinge.
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| Since the bridge spans water, on my
layout, this will reflect the bottom of the bridge, and
therefore I detailed the bottom with beams which carry's
the road surface. This does not need a lot of detail
since the reflection in the water won't show much anyhow.
The photo above right shows the beams made out of
2x4-millimeter strip styrene. |
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For the bridge to be operational I also
made a hinge on top off the gate. This is done the same
way as on the road surface. This photo shows the hinge.
On the left bridge she is installed, and on the right
bridge halves you can see the metal rod in position.
Later when the whole bridge is finished and painted I
glue this rod in place with a drip of superglue.
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| When all the parts are finished I
assemble the bridge. Each hinge has to turn smoothly
without binding. Later when it is painted it might go
rough, so a little bit of play new is not too bad.
I
don't want my Preiser people to fall of the bridge, so I
like to make a railing. After all Pola has one and in
reality there is one too.
In the stores I was not able to find a suitable
railing.
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| On the next photo's you can see the
result of the railing I made. I used 2.5-millimeter
square strip styrene for the poles. The top railing is a
1-millimeter rod, also styrene. Also styrene is the lower
rod, but knew 0.5-millimeter in diameter. This is
actually to thin, since the glue started to dissolve the
styrene. It becomes very fragile, better is to make this
from brass. That will make it a lot stronger. |
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| On the photo at right you see the front
of the bridge with the bird. After a search in the arts
and craft shop I found this bird, which is meant to be
worn on a necklace. I thought it would be nice to install
this at the top of the gate representing an ornament.
At
last I mount two rod's at each side of the road to
support the gate. I used a stronger plastic for this,
which was left over out of a Walthers kit. This rod is 2
millimeter round. I thought styrene might be too weak for
this purpose.
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| I almost forgot to tell that I have
removed the brick from the gate by filling the surface
with putty and sanding it flat. Some bridges are detailed
with wood; this one has a smooth surface. I have not seen
a canal bridge like this with brick. |
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New the time has come to paint the model.
First I clean it in water with a drip of dishwasher
detergent, to remove grease from the surface, so the
paint will attach better. After drying I spray it with
gray primer. Since I like the color to be
"dirty" white, I spray white paint on this gray
background.
If it really makes a different I don't know, but the
white did appear to be a little "dirty"
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| So far I used spray paint. For the
remaining of the bridge I used Tamiya paint, which works
great with water. I first painted the road surface flat
earth. With only a little bit of paint on the brush, I
painted part of the surface, and then I dipped the brush
in water, mixing it with the layer of paint on the
surface. This allow me to paint with the surface in an
uneven color, which makes it look used, weathered.
After
this dried, I did the same, but new with red brown. The
result is slightly visible at the photo below. As you can
see I painted the railing white and black. First I
painted the railing only in white, but this gave the
entire bridge a to light color, so I painted the railings
in black, just like the supporting gate rods.
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After the all the parts are painted I
assemble the bridge, moving parts. I superglue the metal
rods, for the pivot on top of the gate, after checking
the free movements. Some paint might have to be removed
for this. New I install the chain. On the road surface
that is to be lifted up, I have installed two small
poles, and drilled a 1.5-millimeter hole in it. In the
top of the bridge, that makes the whole thing work, I
also drilled a 1.5-millimeter hole.
The chain I bought was long enough to make two pieces
of chain, so I cut it in halve. The chain is attached
trough the holes and fixed with a tiny bit of superglue,
as shown on the photo at left.
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| I use a toothpick with some superglue,
because too much superglue will drain down the links from
the chain and result in a welded non-operating chain.
First I glue both chains at the gate, near the ornaments.
Next I work both the chains trough the road surface pole
and the top. The biggest problem is to make sure the
chains don't twist or turn, since that will make them
smaller, and course one chain to be tight, while the
other hang loose. I used a small rod trough a link of the
chain as to test the proper length. When both the
chains look all right I glue them with superglue as shown
on the photo above. I hold the bridge upside down, so the
glue does not drain down the links. After this dried I
cut the chain and file it flush. Some paint will finish
it up.
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The back of the bridge
opens...
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...And viewed from the
front...
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...Down from back...
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... And in front.
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| In the future I mount a motor to operate
the bridge, so it remotely opens and closes. I installed
two hooks, which are so small that the photo won't show
them. How exactly I am going to do this I don't know yet,
either with a rod mechanism or a rope, which turns on a
spool. New I am working on the canal walls and supporting
poles in the water that carry, support, the bridge, but
this is an other story. So far this article
about the self-made bridge.
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| The Faller canal bridge: |
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