made me really study the con- struction of prototype bridges right down to how they weather. Before I can discuss con- struction of the steel girder sec- tion, I had to create the sup- ports or bents that will hold it in place. I created two bents for the girder to rest on, and those bents tie into the end trestle bent. The prototype uses a steel plate placed on the bents to pro- tect the wood, as well as create a solid foundation for the steel girder structure. I made the steel plate by cutting two strips of 0.010 styrene and weathering them with the same colors as the bridge. I sprayed both “steel” strips with AK Interactive Shad- ow Rust, allowed them to dry, and then dabbed on highlights of AK Interactive Dark Rust us- ing a makeup sponge torn in half. Once everything had dried, I brushed on Medium Rust Pig- ment and sprayed everything with a flat varnish.
Carpenter’s wood glue holds the wood together, and ACC bonded the NBW (nut, bolt & washer) details and styrene sheet together. I stained the wood after everything had dried. The stain I use is simple: India Ink diluted in water. To keep from oversaturating the wood, I like to dilute the ink heavily and brush several layers on, building my color one stroke at a time. My method for applying the stain is easy, I keep the bent up- right, brush and dab the color into place, letting the ink run down the legs to simulate rain and wind effects on the struc- ture. I allow each coat to dry be- fore applying the next one, so I have a better idea of how the col- or actually looks. Wet wood ap- pears much darker and can be misleading. Finally, I added real dirt to the process by mixing soil and water in a tray. I then brushed it on like I did the stain. I weathered my ties in the same way as the trestle.
Once everything had dried, I
Girder
Sides The main girders were fabricated from styrene with angle sti ff eners glued to the bott om and top of the chord. Verti - cal sti ff eners were then added between the two chord sti ff eners to pro- vide the beam resistance to buckling. All of these were made from 0.080 styrene angle strip stock.
painted the NBW details in place using AK Interactive Shadow Rust acrylic paint. I used heavily diluted enamel wash to highlight the details with Track Wash (AK Interactive) thinned with min- eral spirits. I applied this solu- tion with a brush and allowed it to run lightly down the wood in some areas to create streak- ing effects. The mineral spirits draw the color into the wood grain, which produces some very realistic-looking weathering patterns. It’s important to study the prototype and see just how Mother Nature interacts with the material you are trying to model. Also, practicing on scrap mate-
SCRATCHBUILDING MATERIALS LIST
Evergreen Scale Models Styrene
0.040 Sheet
0.010 x 0.250 Strip 0.080 Angle Strip 0.015 x 0.080 Strip
AK Interactive AK 708 Dark Rust AK 710 Shadow Rust AK 711 Chipping Color AK 735 Flat Black
AK 043 Medium Rust Pigment
Heavy Chipping Acrylic Fluid Real Dirt Flat Varnish
AUGUST 2015 69
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