The Very Last White River and Northern Railroad

[DKS]

I remember when the brewery was on the left 

Technically speaking, that was the pencil sketch, which I don't count as an official version. 

[DKS]

OK, so here are details on some of the new features on the layout, starting with the abandoned stone arch road bridge. I'd built this elaborate, detail-rich bridge for the White River & Northern IV. It was one of the few things from that layout that I'd kept, and when I came across it during a scavenger hunt for ideas, it became the centerpiece of a new scene. I'd built it from old Chooch tunnel portals and retaining walls. The White River on the layout will bifurcate just before this bridge and rejoin after the steel trestle.





Reference: By sheer coincidence, there's an abandoned stone arch bridge in Stoddard, New Hampshire, that's remarkably similar to what I'd modeled decades ago.

[DKS]

With the change in theme and era, can the stone arch bridges go back in?

No, they're just too "mainline-y" for an old logging/mining/branchline. One of them will become a short wooden trestle based on this interesting one in Franklin, NH:



The other one will be a larger version of this simple steel beam bridge:

[DKS]

At the top right corner of the layout, the line originally simply petered out in the woods. I've extended the line so that it continues across an abandoned trestle. It'll be based on this wood bent/steel beam trestle in Bennington, NH:

[DKS]

In the fictional history of the layout, the abandoned stone arch road bridge was replaced by an open grid deck pony truss bridge further upstream. These bridges are getting rare, especially the grid deck ones. I was inspired to make this style bridge when I found this grid deck bridge I'd made for the White River & Northern IV (above). Since it's much too small to use on the WR&N VIII, I'll be scratch-bashing one based on this one in New Jersey:

[DKS]

When I found this billboard I'd made for the WR&N IV, I was flooded with a whole raft of ideas. For starters, I renamed the tourist line "Mountain Vista Railroad," being much more tourist-y. That's when I also thought of making the brewery a museum, putting Ed's Dirty Dog right at the entrance, and erecting a billboard across from the entrance. Plus I thought of putting the Shay on static display. Why don't I use the Shay, when it's perfect for a tourist train? Well, it won't run on Code 40 track, and I'm not inclined to make the necessary mods. The S1 runs on Code 40 as-is, and it runs quite well (more smoothly than the Shay).



Eventually the Shay will have protection along these lines:

[Chris333]

Dang who knew there were that many wood trestles still standing.

[DKS]

Dang who knew there were that many wood trestles still standing.

Here are two outside of Lakewood, NJ, still in regular use:

[DKS]

Ed's Dirty Dog now occupies what was once Haber Coal and Lumber's office.



Following Ed's Law, there's a prototype (of sorts) for this in Maine:



I've just ordered a Seuthe smoke generator for it, BTW...

EDIT: Can't find burnt bacon scent additives, but I did find out how to make candles that smell like bacon: https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/diy-bacon-candles-make-your-entire-life-smell-like-bacon

[nkalanaga]

There are a lot of the little trestles still in use, some on mainlines.  Barring a fire, or major flood, they'll last for decades, and can be easily repaired as needed.  It's just the big ones that have been replaced with more modern bridges, as they take too much maintenance, and are too vulnerable to fire and wind damage.

Those open-grid decks used to be common, especially in areas with a lot of rain, or snow, as they were much easier to keep clear.  On the other hand, motorcyclists hated them.

[wazzou]

There are trestles in use all over the PNW still.
They're a major source of my income.   

[jpec]

If it's Ed's stand, the banner should read "Smokin Bowels"...

Jeff

Ed's Dirty Dog now occupies what was once Haber Coal and Lumber's office.

Following Ed's Law, there's a prototype (of sorts) for this in Maine:

[jpec]

There's a fairly large one outside Baltimore on CSX's (ex-WM) Hanover Subdivision but nature has done a great job hiding it. The largest wooden trestle in the east was the Rock Creek Trestle along the B & O's Georgetown Branch...1400' long when built in the late 1800's but with 2 subsequent rebuildings it shortened to around 300'. Most of it was demolished for the new Purple Line light rail project since it couldn't support a rail line and a walking trail.

Jeff

Dang who knew there were that many wood trestles still standing.

[Point353]

[img]For starters, I renamed the tourist line "Mountain Vista Railroad," being much more tourist-y. That's when I also thought of making the brewery a museum, putting Ed's Dirty Dog right at the entrance, and erecting a billboard across from the entrance.

Will the tourist line be operating a weekend dinner train in conjunction with Ed's Dirty Dog?

[nkalanaga]

Bryan:  May I ask what your job is, if wooden trestles are "a major source" of your income?