What's New on the PRR Panhandle Division?

[rogruth]

I think the Ft. Stueben bridge has been replaced with a modern suspension bridge.

Is Ohio on the left of the photo? Big change in that area from the picture time.

[G3750]

I think the Ft. Stueben bridge has been replaced with a modern suspension bridge.

Is Ohio on the left of the photo? Big change in that area from the picture time.

Roger, you are correct. The Ft. Steuben bridge was removed in 2008 or 2009. Even the piers are gone. Except for the approach on the WV side, there's no evidence a bridge ever existed there. Strange, actually.

The view is from downriver of the railroad bridge. Therefore, Ohio is on the left and WV is on the right.

The new Veterans Memorial bridge is roughly between the two bridges in the postcard.

George

[rogruth]

I do NOT regret leaving the upper Ohio Valley but I do have good, and some not so good, memories of the area.

[G3750]

I do NOT regret leaving the upper Ohio Valley but I do have good, and some not so good, memories of the area.

I know what you mean. I left in the 1970's when the mill was still running and just before the set of economic storms started hitting it. My father was laid off on January 1, 1980, just a month before I finished graduate school. It seems that for once in my life, I timed something correctly. In coming back to the area, all I see now is the de-industrialization, the rust, the removal of great things and places that once were and are no more.

Pittsburgh was different. in 1978-81, that area lost over 100,000 steel related jobs. It was like pulling the scab off the wound, whereas Weirton suffered a long, slow, festering decline. Weirton has yet to recover and now exists mostly as a bedroom community for Pittsburgh.

George

[J. S. Bach]

...snip... whereas Weirton suffered a long, slow, festering decline. Weirton has yet to recover and now exists mostly as a bedroom community for Pittsburgh.
George

Substitute Baltimore for Weirton and DC for Pittsburgh.

[v8vega]

Lockheed left Burbank many years ago and it was probably a couple square miles big. All kinds of various stores are there now. Same with General Motors in Van Nuys. Calif. There is so many big and small companies that have left high tax and regulate Calif. it would take all day to list them if I had a way to look them up.
Hostile to business Democrats here figure people want to come to Calif. so we can do anything we want. They ignore all the business that have left. And they don't care, they need business to fund all their social programs they insist on having and to get people to vote for them.

[jlong]

California experienced a population explosion because it is a very desireable state to live in. Population explosions drive up the cost of living which drives up labor rates. That is why businesses left. They can't afford to pay Californians what they need to live on. It's all a balancing act by mother nature and a compromise that man must sort out.

[G3750]

Updated 10/20/2014:

I am slowly recovering from what I consider the best York meet experience I've ever had. The letdown is palpable. Anyway, here's where we are:

• I put the acquired cars and items into my inventory spreadsheet. That took longer than expected and necessitated a minor re-organization of a couple of storage boxes. I also discovered some items that I'm going to sell.
• The foam bridge pier "positive" is not working out. Apologies if I reported this previously, but the foam is hard to carve in exacting detail and I've already removed too much material from sections. I've decided to take a more exact approach.
• I've downloaded SketchUp and acquired a couple of books to help me create a 3-D model. I intend to send that off to Shapeways to have it 3-D printed.
• I've measured the 1/8" x 4' x 8' masonite backdrop so that it fits correctly at the riverbed and will cut it today.

More when I know it.

George

[G3750]

Updated 10/31/2014:

It's Halloween and I am having the devil's own time with the design of the bridge piers. I know what I want to do in SketchUp 2014 and I'm mostly there, but I am completely stymied at the moment. I've spent a couple of days experimenting, reading manuals, and even hiring an "expert", but so far - zip.

I am considering shipping the entire thing off to Shapeways and letting them fix the drawing. Or hiring a designer. In any case, I've written a specification for the bridge piers complete with drawings and photos. Somethings got to give - soon.

Please excuse the rant - I'm frustrated.

George

[Roy]

What seems to be the problem, George?

[G3750]

Roy,

I'm have created a 3D drawing of an eliptical ring to use as a component. See the rings below that make up the pier?

PRR_Bridge_17_.JPG (36.75 KiB) Viewed 3590 times

Anyway, I've created a number of them. They do not taper. I've stacked them, grouped them, and then attempted to taper the entire structure. I can't seem to find a way to do that. I've talked to an expert. Even ungrouped, I can't taper one of them. I know there's a way, but I can't seem to find it.

Anyway, I have sent this off to a Shapeways designer with the hope they can make it work.

Thanks for asking.

George

[rogruth]

George,

I know that you know that sometimes close enough is good enough may have to do.

I know you don't want that butit may need to be. I don't remember but my guess is
the bridge will be right in front and easy to see.

Will be watching for your solution.

Good luck.

[Roy]

George, Your text is clear to me, but then, you provided the photo to illustrate. I think Shapeways would certainly be clear, if they also saw the photo.

[G3750]

George,

I know that you know that sometimes close enough is good enough may have to do.

I know you don't want that butit may need to be. I don't remember but my guess is
the bridge will be right in front and easy to see.

Will be watching for your solution.

Good luck.

Roger, your point and good wishes are well taken, but I'm not really striving for rivet level accuracy in this. I'm just trying to get the general shape / proportions captured. You are correct, the bridge will be front and center in the layout. Trouble is, I don't even have another way to create a pier. I looked at commercially available piers and they weren't even close to this one. So if I'm going to have to go to the trouble of making 2 piers, they might as well be as accurate as possible.

At this point, I am committed. The bridge was major $$$; it won't look right sitting on my amateurish looking foam piers.

The other thing is that I'm sure what's holding me up is a very simple technique or trick. I've worked with drawing packages before. This is something simple. I am really about 85% of the way done - just can't solve this hurdle.

Well, time will tell.

George

[G3750]

Updated 11/01/2014:

With a memorable October now in the rear view mirror, I have turned my attention to the issues affecting the installation of the bridge.

• Backdrop: As noted previously, I acquired 3 sheets of masonite measuring 1/8" thick by 4' wide by 8' long. Each of these has received 2 coats of Kilz. They are currently sitting in the garage awaiting a coat of Gesso. That may happen very soon. Then they will be sent to the backdrop artist.
• Bridge Piers: This is turning out to be a real cluster ****. I have been experiencing problems making SketchUp portray the pier components properly. While consulting with several SketchUp experts, I am also looking into alternative ways of constructing a "positive" in order to make a mold. It's been two steps forward followed by 1 step back.

I am expecting to complete Item 1 shortly and have a solution for Item 2 from a vendor. If both items are resolved, I will look at fixing a long neglected electrical switch control problem, work on the City of Weirton module, and then chase bridge pier / river bottom installation issues.

And then we will be ready to install the bridge and run trains across it!

George