Shilling in Oregon

Wooden Howe Truss Bridge, part 1

By Russell Shilling on February 2nd, 2015

On a whim, I decided I would build a bridge for my (future) garden railroad. I remembered Smith Pond Junction Railroad company’s Howe Truss Bridge kit that I read a review of some time back. And, I love early, complex structures like bridges and trestles.

Here are photos and notes on construction of the basic bridge frame.

Here’s what I’m starting with: two bags of lumber and hardware from SPJRR, and some track laying supplies and tools. (I’ll cover track laying in a later post.)

Here’s one truss under construction, and then complete.

The completed bridge. It’s easy to over-tighten the truss rods, which will cause the diagonal members to bow outward.

A detailed shot of the bridge. Construction time was about two hours.

Continue to part 2.

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