Blea Moor: Ribblehead Viaduct in T Gauge

 

 

A centrepiece of the new Blea Moor layout is a T gauge model of Ribblehead viaduct.  This is a 3D printed model, 0.9m in length, designed in pieces using OpenSCAD.  While not totally accurate, it does capture most of the prototype's distinctive features. 

The model was built in 9 pieces, to fit on the printer's build plate and to keep OpenSCAD's rendering time within practical limits. Due to the semi-random stonework, the program literally required several hours to render the designs - almost as long as the build time!

The piers and arches of each 6-arch section were designed separately, then combined in the slicer.

Two significant changes from the prototype were permitted:

·       the viaduct was built on the level instead of a 1 in 100 gradient

·       the model is about 1.5mm wider than it should be to match the planned layout track spacing.

The model was assembled using superglue, and painted with acrylics (using sample pots from the local hardware store).  This involved:

·       a spray undercoat of dark grey primer

·       painting some of the arch undersides in brown

·       a dilute wash of white to fill the mortar courses and lighten the general shade

·       drybrushing with light grey and light brown

·       painting in the drains and reinforcing bolts

·       adding the dark water stains on some of the piers.