Bridge surface?

Hi mike
It isn't normal for track to have sleepers (as per main line tracks) on metal bridges though there are of course exceptions.
On most metal bridges the track is supported on Wheel Timbers. These are longitudinal timbers of huge cross section and normally run the full length of the bridge. The tracks chairs are screwed down onto the top of these and metal tie bars and some wooded cross beams are used to hold the wheel timbers in place to prevent the track going wide or narrow to gauge. Some bridge have a metal decking onto which the wheel timbers are laid and bolted down to. While others (usually very small bridges) use a wooden decking. Brick built bridges normally have conventional ballasted track on them.
I'll try and locate some photos of the wheel timbers in use on BR and upload them.

From a few photos in various books I have it would seem a short metal girder bridge, across say a stream or farm track, might well have ordinary ballasted track. But larger bridges mostly appear to have the large longitudinal timbers Brian describes. You can use ordinary track by gluing it down onto your timbers then cutting away the sleepers. A better representation can be got by using PECO track and their slide-on chairs and gluing these down to the timbers.
Regards,
John Webb

Thanks Thunder, Brian and John for those replies.
I think I'd prefer the wooden decking. Mine isn't a long bridge - about as long as my 0-6-2T plus 1 coal wagon. [12ins or so] The Wills timber plank sheets I have should do the job nicely. Not so sure about the wheel timbers. Never heard of them til now!
I've tried google for images but I haven't found anything really useful yet.

Thanks again.
Mike

Thunder's photo uploaded above.

On what is known as Chain Bridge in March, Cambridgeshire and part of the planned Wisbech & March Bramley Line, there are sleepers between the rails and across the iron bridge. If you care to go to www.freewebs.com/bramleylinesupporters and then their photo album, there is a photo of this same bridge and showing sleepers across it. I know for a fact they are there because I photographed them before and after my mate, a fellow member of the Track Clearing Team, cut a tree down that was growing in between. Whatever your decision, I hope it works out for you.

I like the look of your layout, Doug, and the bridge is much more convincing than mine.
Thanks for the link Trainman. My connection is poor at the moment and I can't get their album to open properly but I'll get there sometime soon.
Mike

Hi Trainman - that photo of Chain Bridge is EXACTLY what I needed to see!! Thankyou very much.
Mike

You got to the St. Andrews Model Railway Exhibition then Neil.

Think we talked your visit to Scotland (was it Leven?) some months back. Sorry that we never arranged to have a chinwag. I was at the Saturday exhibition. Which day were you there, if you can remember? Were you at the Cupar Exhibition?

QUOTE (mikelhh @ 15 Oct 2006, 02:58) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Hi Trainman - that photo of Chain Bridge is EXACTLY what I needed to see!! Thankyou very much.
Mike

Only too pleased to be of help. I drove passed this same bridge again this morning and no tree still. good Luck with your building anyway.

Trainman

Hi trainman
QUOTE On what is known as Chain Bridge in March, Cambridgeshire and part of the planned Wisbech & March Bramley Line, there are sleepers between the rails and across the iron bridge. If you care to go to www.freewebs.com/bramleylinesupporters and then their photo album, there is a photo of this same bridge and showing sleepers across it
Strange this one... The Bramley site takes a while to load then when you select Bramley Line Album it tells you to click on a redirect link to Photopic. When that loads all I can view is three sheets for text. No photos! I've left it for ten or so minutes but it wont upload any photos. I can only see some small pictures in the PDF contact strip! Does anyone else have a similar problem at this site??

Bramley pictures or should be?

I love the subtle variations in the wood decking. All too often you see planks that are both completely uniformly laid and all the same exact color.