ExactRail HO Scale: 30' Deck Plate Girder Bridge - Wood Handrails

Black, Silver, Green

ExactRail is proud to offer the first ready-to-run Deck Plate Girder Bridge properly dimensioned for mainline service!

Plate Girder bridges are the most common type of railroad bridge in North America, and the E-72 load rating has been a common mainline standard from the 1940's.  Yet, there haven't been any E-72 deck-type plate girder bridges available as ready-to-run models!  ExactRail is pleased to fill this void with the 30' Deck Plate Girder Bridge.

About the Prototype:

The practice of North American railroads for determining the load capacity of steel bridges is through Cooper's E Loadings system.   When developed, the index was based on the axle loading of locomotives.  The prefix 'E' in the rating system indicates what weight a structure may support per locomotive axle.   For example, an E-72 rated bridge is one which may support a locomotive of 72,000 lbs per axle.  The index was a function of locomotive axle weight because, at the time Theodore Cooper devised the formulae, the locomotive was the heaviest part of a train.  From the 1920's until the present, the E-72 load rating has developed into the common mainline standard.

About the Model:

ExactRail's Plate Deck Girder Bridge has been carefully dimensioned from actual prototypes so that we may offer the most accurate Deck Plate Girder Bridge.  So to accommodate a seamless transition between the bridge track and adjacent mainline, we've opted for a section of bridge ties to which the modeler affixes rail.  We recommend cutting a section of ties from flex-track and gluing the rail to the bridge ties with Barge cement.  Barge cement is available from hardware and home improvement stores and may also be found online.

ExactRail offers the 30' Deck Plate Girder Bridge in 'Early'(Wooden Handrails) and "Late"(Cable Handrails) versions for RTR models and in three versions of undecorated kits.

1. The 'Early' version of the Deck Plate Girder Bridge has wooden guard timbers, plank walkways and handrails. The 'Early' version bridge is available in ready-to-run decorated versions and an undecorated kit.
2. The 'Late' version of the Deck Plate Girder Bridge has wooden guard timbers, and etched metal walkway and fine-scale cable handrails!  The 'Late' version bridge is available in ready-to-run decorated versions and an undecorated kit.
3. As a third version of an undecorated kit, ExactRail has also made available of a "simplified" Deck Plate Girder Bridge. This kit features the same bridge assembly as other kits but without the 'Early' or 'Late' walkway assemblies.

Dimensions:

1.36" : Vertical dimensions from the top face of the tie plate to the bottom face of the lower cover plate. Please see pictures.

1.16" : Vertical dimensions from the top face of the upper cover plate to the bottom face of the cover plate. Please see pictures.

1.29" : Width dimension between the outside faces of girder plates