The bridge builder’s story
indulged his fascination for bridges with this impressive layout based around a model that echoes the magnificence of the prototype.
Think about your dream layout and what it’s centrepiece might be. The chances are that it’s the biggest and most impressive structure on the model and takes you the longest amount of time to complete. So how long do you spend on it? 50, maybe 60 hours? When Peter Midwinter decided to build a true-to-scale version of the Connel Bridge as part of his latest, 24ft long layout, nothing could have prepared him for the 450 hours that lay ahead to create this replica.
“Bridges have always fascinated me and almost every layout I’ve built has had one on it,” explains Peter, a former mechanical engineer. “Those who know me well know that everything I design usually ends up big and this is no exception, measuring over two metres long and 360mm high. I never set out to make an exact copy as I only had one engineer’s drawing (by Sir John Wolfe Barry in 1906) to work with alongside my photographs and, as I live in Wales, it wasn’t something I could get to very easily!”
So taken with this bridge was Peter that a detour on a family holiday was permitted for photographs to be taken and, needing to make the most of it, a heavy downpour wasn’t going to stop Peter from getting all the desired images.
“In typical Scottish fashion it rained all day but I secured what I needed and was able to begin work when we got home. I started the build of the bridge around a year before the rest of the layout so it was almost complete before anything else was put
“I started the build of the bridge around a year before the rest of the layout”
down. After scaling the engineer’s drawing and creating the necessary jigs, I used 22 packets of Plastruct truss girders with a couple of 7ft long brass reinforcements underneath to take the weight of the trains and the road system alongside. The brick supports to sit in the water were constructed from wood sanded down to a smooth card and each end was made from plastic card to make the transition from bridge to land.”
Peter, who used to own a business building layouts, was able to gauge the progress and realism of his bridge by taking it to an exhibition of one of his other layouts and leaving it on the side as a work in progress display. As people continued to recognise it Peter knew he was on to a winner.
“I wouldn’t even like to think what the cost of the whole structure was – the paint itself was expensive enough. If I were to hazard a guess
I would say that there it took about 30 hours and 30 tins of Humbrol grey paint!
“We’ve only ever had one problem with warping and buckling – while it was being exhibited at the Great Central Railway in Quorn. Anyone who has visited that show will know how hot the marquee can get and we arrived on the Sunday morning after
Connel Ferry Bridge
Built in 1903 specifically for the Callander & Oban Railway’s branch line to Ballachulish, Connel Ferry Bridge was, at the time, the second longest cantilever bridge in the UK behind the Forth Bridge. Designed by John Wolfe Barry, it remained purely open to railway traffic until 1909, when road vehicles were allowed across, one at a time, but first loaded onto a wagon and pulled across. In 1914 a road was added alongside the line, but as trains and cars couldn’t be on the bridge at the same time it was, effectively, one large level crossing. The branch line closed in 1966 and the railway was removed, but the road is not wide enough for two cars to pass and traffic is now controlled by lights.
the heat on Saturday to find that it had warped. We had to wait until Sunday afternoon before we could operate the layout properly again.”
WET WORK
Today, the prototype bridge spans Loch Etive and allows for access from the south side of the Loch to Oban airport, removing the necessity for an 85-mile round trip. Creating such a large body of water in miniature form is not without its challenges and after Peter used watercolour paints to colour the base of the Loch a suitable colour, plenty of Woodland Scenics Easy Water was poured on the top.
“Connel Ferry Bridge is so close to Ardmucknish Bay that the water can be quite choppy, so having the Easy Water, which can be stippled as it dries to create waves, was very useful. I also used clear varnish in some areas to create small whirlpools, and ensured that where there were figures in the water, such as kayakers and sailing boats, a suitable wash is behind them.”
MATERIAL WORLD
Many of us will look at an object such as a toothpick and see it merely as a toothpick. Others though such as Peter, see the potential for their alternative uses, the more diverse the better.
“I’ve been modelling since I was 11 and I now have an eye for the potential in everything. There are bits and pieces from almost every walk of life finding a home on the layout. The supports for the bridge have been constructed from the interior tube of till receipt paper suitably coated and painted and I’ve even found a use for the plastic spoons from a popular fast-food restaurant. Once you’ve finished your ice cream the spoon makes for a perfect square to circular transition for chimney pots and drinks lids are also useful for the tops of towers. The toothpicks came from a Chinese restaurant after I spotted them during a meal there. I asked if they had any spare that I could have and they came back out with a couple of boxes, so I now have hundreds!
“The supports for the bridge have been constructed from the interior tube of till receipt paper suitably coated and painted”
They’re really useful – I just trim the sharp point off and use them as ornamental bollards around pavements though, so I can find a use for them almost anywhere.”
Unusually, Peter has decided to remove the DCC operation from ‘Connel Ferry Bridge’ and revert to analogue control. This is, in part, due to having difficulty with the point motors underneath his handmade points but also because the layout is becoming part of a much more ambitious project.
“Computers aren’t my strong point, so anything I can do to keep it simple is advantageous. I’ve elected to go back to the stud and probe method that had been previously employed. ‘Connel Ferry Bridge’ will become part of a much larger layout which combines all of my previous builds, and because these are all DC controlled it is far less expensive to change one back to analogue rather than doing the necessary alterations to make all the rest digital!”
Not everybody will have space for a 24ft layout, however everyone will have some form of a focal point. It doesn’t need to be large to be impressive and, as Peter has proven, the most simple of everyday objects could be perfect. Think about that focal point on your layout, what could you use to make it?