With the current on goings in the country this year, it has come as no surprise that train shows and swap meets (among other things) continue to be canceled or postponed.  I've watched several shows I had hoped to attend this year be canceled due to health concerns and sadly it appears I won't be making it to any at all.  The last show I had hoped to attend here in December has recently been thrown out as well.  Still there are train clubs that are having small shows, but a lot of the local ones near me have either packed it up for the year or they don't allow non-club members to setup a layout.  Needless to say, my Large Scale collection has not left home this year...

In other news, a friend of mine who is a member of a club out in Colorado recently told me that his club is starting to have public running sessions again at their local clubhouse on weekends.  They are also preparing for their upcoming Christmas shows starting in the middle of November.  Last night he sent me an email in regards to an article (titled "The Shocking Truth") from the club's assistant superintendent in the November newsletter.  He was completely speechless and rather cheesed off by what he read, as was I after taking a read.  I would like to hear some other peoples thoughts on this article and the matter of which it talks about.  I have quoted it down below...


"THE SHOCKING TRUTH
It has amazed me the number of people that have continued to support our club during this challenging year by coming to our shows and donating to keep our organization running. Sadly, we've had to cancel many of our spring and summer running sessions, but slowly things are returning to normal. Although I've only been on the committee for two years now, I've experienced so much joy participating in these running sessions we've done. I've watched many young train fans come to these shows and even talked to their parents, some who came here when they were kids themselves and are now bringing their own children to these events. When the club's founder, Robert ******* started this great organization back in 1995, I don't think he ever imagined there would be so much support for our club from the community. I want to thank both our members and our fellow neighbors for keeping our organization running.

As we begin to prepare for our holiday running sessions leading up to Christmas, I would like to address something that has been a concern of mine recently. Because many children attend these shows, I think it's important that we do all we can to ensure their safety. Getting children more involved with these shows is part of how we continue to have such great success. We are essentially passing the torch to the next generation to take grasp of the hobby and appreciate it. I have done a lot in the last two years to help the little ones be more involved, including having my own children participating and put together a small layout of Lego trains that the other children can interact with when they come to our shows. While we are getting our younger ones involved, regarding their safety should also be a priority. Many children like to get close up to look at the trains running around our layouts, and most of these layouts are powered by high voltage systems. While these power supplies are needed to run the trains, they pose the risk of electric shock. I've brought this up with my husband, Rich, who understands my concerns and thinks it is something we should discuss with our club members.

The use of high voltage power systems at these shows is worrying as they pose the potential risk of causing injury to a child which could be fatal given the right circumstances. Rich and I would like to try and get our members to consider changing out their power supplies if the output of them is greater than one amp. This especially applies to any setups which are displayed at a child friendly height or on the floor like our members who run o and g scales. These setups need to be powered by a control system that will not harm a child should they touch the trains. We will be discussing this topic further at our next club meeting on Sunday, November 15 and I'm hoping more club members will agree with my concerns and want to get on board. We not only want to be able to enjoy displaying at these shows, but also keep them family friendly especially for our little engineers who attend.
- Irene *******
Asst. Superintendent"


Now I want to ask the question, is this sort of precaution really necessary?  Will it actually be a positive for safety or just cause headache for those trying to run their layouts?  I'll admit that I do see where it's important to get the younger generation involved in this hobby, but at the same time shouldn't we also expose them to the risks as well?  I mean, these model trains could potentially present more hazards if you really wanted to get technical about it.  They have small parts which can become choking hazards, some lubricants and cleaning solutions are poisonous, misuse of equipment could cause a fire, but it all comes down to everything happening given the right circumstances.  Heck, some models out there have the whole "Warning this product contains a chemical known to cause cancer" on the package and not too many people seem concerned about that.  I myself can think of things we use every day that are far more dangerous than model railroading equipment.

So while this change wouldn't have any effect on me, my friend on the other hand says it would cause issues with running his layout.  He runs O Gauge and is currently using  an MTH Z-4000 transformer which he likes since it has no problem running the size of layout he has.  According to him though, should the club decided to enforce the "1 Amp Rule" (as he calls it) he wouldn't be allowed to use that transformer anymore.  He doesn't think a smaller power supply would work for what he's running, which is why he upgraded to something better in the first place.  I'm even sitting here scratching my head and wondering if a system such as O Gauge wouldn't just end up overloading a 1 amp controller and destroying it at some point.

I myself run Large Scale trains and I use 2 different power supplies on my railroad.  A USA Trains Train Power 10 for analog and an MRC Prodigy Elite 10A for digital.  Both of these systems put out 10 amps of power and I've found them to be very adequate for running my railroad.  I've tried running Large Scale on smaller power supplies in the past which put out around 2 amps and they just can't handle the Large Scale models I have, especially if I'm running multiple trains at one time.  I've also had one of Bachmann's 1 amp controllers that came in one of the first Large Scale starter sets I got, and it failed just by running a standard Big Hauler loco.  Maybe these smaller units can run Large Scale and I'm just not doing it right, but if something out there has a better output, then that's what I would prefer to use.

Now in regards to child safety, I've had my Large Scale trains to 2 shows in the past and while that isn't really a significant number, I can still say I haven't had any issues.  Like many of the Large Scale guys do, I set up on the floor for convince sake.  Both times I was using the Train Power 10 (as I did not have DCC at the time) and no one, I repeat "no one" got bit by it.  The kids mostly would just lay on the floor, watch the trains as they went past and sometimes follow them, but they knew enough not to touch anything.  I do have signs around my setups asking people not to touch the trains, but that's only good for those who listen.  In fact based on my own experience going to model train shows and/or diecast shows, it seems the kids actually listen better than the adults.  What's up with that?

Given the right circumstances, yes it is possible to get a shock from the tracks.  I've been bit before when doing something like cleaning or rerailing, but it's basically no different than someone building up static and then touching you.  Other than a quick jolt, I cannot say I've been effected to the point where I'm in severe pain.  Now I am aware that infants and toddlers have softer skin and could experience more of an effect, but again would a shock from one of these systems really cause injury to the point where it could be lethal?  I mean, we're dealing with a 10 amp model train transformer, not a 6 joule cattle fencer.  I wouldn't doubt that even a 1 amp controller would bite you too if the conditions were right.

I'm in no way agents the idea of making train shows more kid friendly, but to say that members running layouts must conform to a power supply under a ridiculous low rating regardless of scale seems to be taking it a little too far.  People participate in events like this because they enjoy the hobby and want to share their collection and/or layouts with the public.  However, when they begin having problems while trying to abide by the rules set in place, it takes all the enjoyment out of the hobby and most people just won't want to be bothered.  Model railroading in general is a dying hobby and in my opinion, the people in charge of this club wanting to implement this new requirement just seems like good way to kill off your 15 year run.  At the end of the day is this really a necessary change for child safety or is just a case of someone who knows absolutely nothing wanting to make decisions?

-Rusty

Hey all,
Recently began converting my models over to DCC and acquired decoders for my smaller locos.  I put one in the Davenport I have and after programing it found that the model runs fine with no issues.  However, the headlight on the model will not turn on.  I've tried turning it on through the DCC controller, but with no luck.  All my other locos have lights that turn on, but the Davenport seems to be a no go.  I purchased a new PCB and headlight when I got the model, so I don't feel that it's either of those causing the problem.  Any help would really be appreciated.

-Rusty

Hey all,
I'm currently converting all my large scale models over from DC to DCC and I'd like to see about adding sound to the ones that I can.  My question is, where can I get sound modules or (in the case that I can't add sound) at least decoders for the following models...

- 2-8-0 C-19
- 1:20.3 2-6-0
- 2-6-0 Mogul
- 0-4-0 Sidetank Porter
- 0-4-0 Davenport
- Rail Truck
- 1:20.3 Long Caboose
- 2-4-2 Lyn
- 4-6-0 Big Hauler (mine would be the one before the anniversary addition I believe)
- Peter Witt Streetcar
- Speeder
- Eggliner
- LGB 2090

I'm not sure if sound can be added to all these, but at the least I'd like to fit them with decoders.  I've looked into a few models and have found that Bachmann recommends 1 amp decoders in models such as the Rail Truck, Davenport, and the Long Caboose.  Models such as the C-19 and 2-6-0 however do not appear to have decoders available from Bachmann.  Any help tracking down what would be best to use with each model would be appreciated.

-Rusty

Dear Mr. the Bach-man,
I recently received a large scale Toby model which is missing the paperwork, including the exploded diagram and parts list for the model.  I've referenced the Product References page, but found that there is information on every Thomas & Friends LS model, except for Toby.  Is there anywhere else that I can find this information?

-Rusty

Hey all, I'm making some changes to my Large Scale railroad later this year and upgrading to DCC.  That being the case, I want to modify all my models to be compatible, but at the same time want to also change out polarity switches while I'm in there.  The first thing I'd like to bring up is some DCC conversions I'm looking into, but am unsure where exactly to start.

Most of my higher end models have the option for Plug-and-Play electronics, but models such as my Bachmann Big Hauler, 2-6-0 Mogul, and Speeder do not have this.  What I need to know is what would be the best option to add DCC to these models.  Sound is not a major concern at this time, but I am curious about what may happen to the speed synchronized sound which the models already have.  Some of the other models I have like the 0-40- Davenport and Long Caboose give the option to install Bachmann's 8 pin decoders which come in packs of 3.  I'm curious also if these same decoders can be used on models such as the 0-4-0 Porter, Rail Truck, and 2-4-2 Lyn.  Also, what would people recommend for a DCC module for the Bachmann C-19?  Something that possibly offers sound as well.

The last thing I want to bring up is that I would like to install 3 way polarity switches in some of my models to allow them to be switched to either NMRA STD or Large Scale settings, but at the same time I'd like to have the option to shut the motor off all together just like with my Spectrum models.  So the question (or questions) here are...

1. Can it be done?
2. What would be the best way of doing it.
3. Can I purchase 3-way switches from Bachmann?

Basically I just want the motor to shut off and not the lights on the models.  As I said before, my Bachmann Spectrum models offer this feature, so I'm aiming for the same results in my conversions/modifications.

Considering I've had very little experience with DCC, I'm still pretty much learning as I go along, so I haven't much of a clue what the easiest way of going about these modifications would be.  Switching over to DCC is something that I've wanted to do the last couple years, and considering most of the model I have in my collection these days are either DCC ready and/or DCC on Board, I've decided that now is time to make the change.  If anyone can help shed some light on the issues I've stated above, please do so.

-Rusty

Good morning,
I recently took another leap and this time purchased the Bachmann 1:20.3 Climax w/ DCC sound, but I've had some issues with the model since I got it.  The first issue I noticed was that when I ran the model for the first time, only one of the trucks on the model would run, which wouldn't allow the model to move.  I just simply tapped the truck on the side frame with my fingers and the model ran afterwards.  However, I've been running the model outside on my garden railroad the last week or so, and the model seems to present more problems.

Occasionally I've started up the model and it does begin to move and the sounds come on, but the model will suddenly stop and then the sounds will start again and the model will start to move again.  I've also had the model running up to an appropriate speed and it will suddenly stop and then start again, or sometimes just stop completely.  Last night I was running the model and it stopped on me twice, and I found that the model was still powering, but the sounds weren't going and only one of the trucks was powering.  Overall the model tends to run find and the issues I've mentioned don't happen all the time, but I'm curious if this is something to be concerned of considering the model is basically brand new.

Something else I should also mention is that I currently run the model on DC power and not DCC.  I have also taken the time to make sure the tracks are clean and have also made sure I have appropriate voltage to run the model.  If someone can shed some light on the issues I'm having and offer suggestions, it would really be appreciated.

-Rusty

Good evening everyone,
Ever since I got into large scale model railroading about 8 years ago, I've wanted to take time and setup some (if not all) of my large scale trains on display at shows.  Last Christmas I had the perfect opportunity to setup at a show a local train club was holding, but I was informed I couldn't setup unless I was a member.  In order to do so, I would have to fill out a registration sheet, pay a $20 membership fee, and was told that afterwards they "may" be able to reserve me a spot for the 2018 show.  In the end, I didn't have the time to be bothered, so nothing ever became of that...

I also had the opportunity back in April to attend a show at the local mall that a group of fellow hobbyists were putting together.  Sadly that show ended up getting canceled after the mall recently changed hands and the new owner didn't want people setting up there.  That was a real disappointment for me being it was only a half hour drive from where I live, it would have been the perfect place to setup.

So the question I would like to ask is, does anyone know some place where I can find information on upcoming train shows?  I'm mainly looking for shows around Pennsylvania and/or Ohio that are about an hour or so drive time from where I live.  I'm also looking for shows that run about a days time where I can setup in the morning and take down in the afternoon/evening.  I also wouldn't mind hitting a few 2 day shows.

If anyone knows where I could find some info, please let me know.

-Rusty

As of fall of last year, I've been buying a lot of things from Bachmann's parts department either for modifications or upgrades, but have been waiting months to order other parts that I need.  The issue here is that Bachmann's parts department (in terms of large scale) has many parts that have been sold out for months and not been restocked.  It has me wondering what exactly is the hold up on more parts and when can we expect these sold out parts to be back in stock?  What concerns me the most is that it's not just a handful of parts that have been unavailable, but that its more or less around the hundreds mark.  Many accessories such as wheels, trucks, couplers, screws, etc are the most common parts that sell, which has me curious why Bachmann has not restocked them in the last few months.  Hopefully someone out there can shed some light on this for me.

-Rusty

Hey everyone,
Just took a big leap recently and bought myself the Bachmann 1:20.3 2-8-0 C-19.  This is the first time I've gotten a model of this quality and I'm very much new to this sort of thing.  To be honest, I'm actually quite fearful of something happening to this model, and want to do everything I can to keep it looking great and running well on my garden railroad for years to come.  However, I've got a few questions in relation to some recent issues I've had after receiving the model yesterday.

My first question is, does the C-19 come with sound from the factory, and can this feature be used on DC?  When I first ran the model on my garden railroad, I was expecting to hear at least the chuffing sound, but the model didn't make any noise.  I looked for a switch or volume knob, but found nothing.  There is a speaker mounted in the tender and sensors in the cylinders for the steam chuffs, so somewhere there should be sound I think.  What gives?

According to the manual, the model also comes with the option to choose either DCC or DC operation of the smoke unit, cab lights, realistic firebox flicker and ash pan glow, and classification lights.  All these features work except for the ash pan glow.  I've looked around under the model, but I cannot see this feature working.  The firebox flicker is working just as it should, but not the ash pan glow.  I'm honestly wondering if there's a bad LED somewhere or if this model possibly doesn't even have the ash pan glow as the manual says?

I guess the last thing I want to ask about is disconnecting the locomotive from the tender.  Because the unit is too heavy to move all together, I've had to unplug the wires from the tender and carry the locomotive and tender separately.  My main worry is that overtime, plugging and unplugging the wires leading to the tender may cause damage to the wires or the connectors.  Is this really something I should be worried about, or is it just a matter of taking care and everything should be alright?

I apologize if I sound a little overly concerned, but as I said before this is my first model of this kind of quality (more used to the Bachmann Big Haulers), and I really don't want to do anything or have anything that might damage or hinder the performance of this unit.  If anyone can answer these questions, I'd very much appreciate it.

-Rusty

Hey all,
Recently I purchased a 10 amp power supply to run my garden railroad, but after testing it out, I found that not all my models are running correctly with it.  I have a Bachmann 4-6-0 and a Bachmann Rail Truck that seem to be the only models I'm having trouble running with this power supply.  The 4-6-0 will not move when I apply power, but once brought up so high will take off like a rocket, but come to a dead stop once the knob is turned down even the slightest bit.  When the model is standing still and power is applied, the headlight is on, but it is very dim.

The rail truck however presents a different problem.  The truck has a 4 way switch located in the toolbox which has the following settings.

Position 0 - All Power Off
Position 1 - Power to Lights
Position 2 - NMRA/NEM
Position 3 - LS/G

When the switch is in Position 0, the lights on the model come on.  Then when the switch is in Position 1, the model will run in reverse, but not forward.  Positions 2 and 3 don't appear to be causing any problems that I can see.

In the troubleshooting part of the manual for the controller, it says that if the locomotive will not run at slow speeds, the motor armature is bad and they recommend replacing the motor.  There's also a part that says if the locomotive has stopped but the lamp in the cab or headlight is on, then the motor is damaged or the switch is not set properly.  In this case they recommend either repairing the locomotive or set the switch to the correct position.  I can see where this may apply to the 4-6-0, but I think the Rail Truck is a different story.

As for the other models I currently have in my collection, I've also got a Bachmann 0-4-0 Porter, Bachmann 2-4-2 Lyn, Bachmann Thomas, Bachmann Percy, Bachmann James, Bachmann Emily, Lionel James, and an LGB 2090.  I've tried running these models with the controller, and they seem to run just fine.  I also have hopes to get the Bachmann Two-Truck Climax, Bachmann C-19 2-8-0, Bachmann 2-6-0 Industrial Mogul, Bachmann 0-4-0 Gas Mechanical, and the Bachmann Speeder in the future, but I'm afraid of having the same problems with these models as I am with the 4-6-0 and the Rail Truck.

If anyone can help me, it would really be appreciated.

-Rusty

Hey there,
I'm looking into purchasing several LGB 16150 electronic switches for my outdoor railroad, but I would like to make them manual instead.  Can anyone tell me if Bachmann's Manual Turnout Switch Stand #94648 is compatible with LGB's 16150 Electronic Switches?  Any help would be very much appreciated.

-Rusty

Considering the fact that several people have asked to see my large scale models (or layout), I've decided to go ahead and post some photos.  Keep in mind that what I show is not my entire large scale collection, as I will only be showing what Thomas/Bachmann related models I have.

To start off with, I've basically got a shelf layout that runs around the perimeter of my room which is about 11' x 12' 6".  A corner of the layout cuts across with a bridge as the door leading into the room is too tall to make the swing under the layout.  Work began on this setup back in the winter of 2015-2016 and to this day is still pretty much a work in progress.  Although I don't have photos of when the shelf was put up, I do have 1 which shows the shelf with a temporary section of track and without the reinforced edges.



The layout only has one track, but provides space behind to store trains and/or rolling stock that is not in use.  I would like to eventually finish laying track (as it only goes half way around at this time) and possibly add a background.  I'm still looking into either staining or painting the shelf as well, but have yet to make a decision.  I honestly don't want to get too much into this layout incase I ever decide to move, because chances are I won't be taking the shelf with me.




Over the summer of 2016, I also took the time to setup a temporary garden railroad outside in my front yard.  This railroad wasn't very large and only measured about 8' x 14'.  The tracks were raised up on chimney bricks and spent about 6 months out in the elements.  Because it was brass track, I had no problems with it.  I wouldn't recommend trying that with Bachmann's steel track which many of you guys who purchased the large scale Thomas and Percy sets would have.  Anyways, here's some photos I took of the garden railroad I built.








My hopes are to set up a larger garden railroad this spring, but whether the funds will be there to do so are another story.  If this does in fact happen though, the new garden railroad will be about 32' x 68' and include sidings so friends and fellow hobbyists can stop by and run their large scale trains as well.  My personal opinion is that if you're going to run large scale, you've got to run it outside.  Don't get me wrong, layouts are nice, but when you model indoors you are dealing with the illusion of reality. When you model outdoors, reality stares you in the face.  That's probably the best part about it.

-Rusty

Hey everyone,
Recently I've wanted to start on an outdoor railroad for my G scale trains.  What I'm planning to do is not going to be permanent (at least for the time being) as I plan to set it up this summer and take it down again in the fall.  My plans are to do a simple oval of track with a couple sidings in places.  The dimensions should be 68' x 32'.  I plan to use Bachmann brass track which will be placed on top of bricks.  As this project is still in the planning stage, I had a few questions I wanted to ask.

1. How many square feet is a 1/4 circle of Bachmann's 8' curves?
2. Is it ok to use Bachmann's 4' turnouts with stock that requires 8' radius curves?
3. Should 3' straights or 1' straights be used for this project?
4. Would a 1amp power supply be enough to power this railroad if only running 1 train?
5. Can the track be cleaned by hand, or would it be a good idea to invest in a track cleaning car?

Here are photos of the area I plan to set things up.  The yellow posts mark out the area for the track.  Please ignore my procrastination on lawn care.




Any helpful advice would be very much appreciated.

-Rusty

Hey there folks,
Earlier this year I managed to get my hands on 3 Bachmann Jackson Sharp passenger cars.  These are the older style of cars that run off a 9v battery instead of track power.  All passenger cars were in need of a little work when I purchased them and I have done a few repairs to them already.  However, I've been having trouble with the lighting in one of the cars.  When you first turn the lights on, they are bright, but slowly start to dim until they go out completely.  I have tried replacing the battery, tapping the cars roof, and jiggling the switch, but the problem still exists.  One thing I should note is that there's a bulb missing on the rear of the car where the road name is. 

So the question is, what is causing the lights to dim and go out like they do?  Has anyone else had this problem and how did you correct it?  I don't really want to go out and buy a whole new lighting system for the car or convert it to track power.  Any help would very much be appreciated.

-Rusty

Hey there everyone,
I'm looking to purchase yet another piece for my large scale collection, this time being the Bachmann long caboose model number 88799.



I'd like to purchase this piece because I feel its more eye-catching than the bobber caboose that I currently own.  However, one thing about the model concerns me and I'd like to get a few options and ask questions before I purchase it.

One of my biggest concerns is how well will the model work on 4' diameter curves?  Bachmann says it preforms best on 8', but my layout has 4' as well.  Bachmann's features on the product state and I quote "die-cast scale knuckle couplers (body-mounted coupler pockets for wide radius use only)".  So does that mean the couplers require the model to be run on 8' diameter curves?  I was wondering if this issue can maybe be gotten around if you have the caboose hooked to anther piece of rolling stock that has the coupler mounted on the trucks?  Has this ever been tried before and does it work?

Another question I had with the model is how good is it?  I've seen reviews on the model and it is highly detailed both inside and out.  What really pulled me into wanting it was the interior.  If I were to point out what draws me in the most, it would have to be the kerosene lamps.  Does anyone else have this model?  If so, can you share your thoughts about it?  Wouldn't mind seeing some photos as well.

Thanks,
Rusty

Hey guys,
I've been looking for Bachmann's Durango & Silverton passengers cars Alamosa and North Star.  The cars I'm looking for are pictured below.



After researching Bachmann's large scale products, I found that all their D&S stock has been discontinued other than the fire suppression tank car.  Since that was the case, I also looked through their passenger car and train set selections, but there's really nothing there.  eBay hasn't really been that reliable either.  Does anyone know where I could find these 2 cars?  I have looked other places online and everyone seems to have the D&S passenger set, but it's since long been sold out.  Any help would be very much appreciated.

-Rusty

Hey Mr. Bach-Man,
I just received my large scale tar tanker today and I must say it's definitely a great model.  Since I run my Thomas stock with other large scale Bachmann products, I have to use the low coupler position extension to allow the models to be compatible with everything else I have.  Sadly when I opened up the packaging I found that there is an extra pair of the high coupler position pieces instead of the low ones.  That being said, I can't change out the couplers on my tar tanker.  Is there any way I can send back the coupler bag without having to send back the entire model?  The bag containing the coupler and position pieces is still sealed and hasn't been opened.  Any help would be very much appreciated.

-Rusty

Hey everyone,
I've been into G scale for some time now and recently I've had an issue with my speed controller.  My first set was the Bachmann large scale Thomas, Annie, and Clarabel set and even though it comes with a controller, I preferred using the Bachmann Spectrum Magnum controller.  This year I added 2 more engines to my collection and found that the Magnum controller is presenting me with a problem.  The problem I'm running into is that when I go to power 2 trains the controller will pop and shuts down for several minutes.  The same thing will happen even if I'm running 1 train sometimes.  Here's a list of the models that I have.

Thomas The Tank Engine
Percy The Green Engine
James The Red Engine
Emily The Green Engine
LGB 2090
Bachmann 0-4-0 Side Tank Porter
Bachmann 4-6-0 Locomotive

My question is, does the Magnum controller have the capability to run the engines that I have?  If not, what controller should I be using?  As an added note, I have also upgraded to Bachmann brass track this year and at this time am using the old power connector that was made for the steel alloy track.  Any help would really be appreciated.

-Rusty

Hey guys,
Recently I had a guy offer me a great deal on the Bachmann 0-4-0 Side Tank Porter locomotive.  The model I'm referring to is this one right here.

http://shop.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=255_433_708&products_id=5317

While its a model I'd like to have, all my large scale models run on DC power and the Porter details say that it is DCC ready.  I know that Bachmann also has products that are DCC on board and these products will run on DC power as well as DCC.  Basically what I want to know is does DCC ready mean the model has the DCC on board or is the locomotive strictly DCC only?  Any help would really be appreciated.

-Rusty

Hey there,
Kind of been out of the model railroading hobby for some time now.  I used to model in HO scale years back, but took up building custom 1:64 scale trucks, tractors, buildings, ETC back in 2011 and been doing it since.  I've also built a few 1:64 scale displays which are pretty much the same as model train layouts.  For those who are not familiar with 1:64 scale, it's basically the same size as S gauge.

Onto the main subject of this topic however, I've set myself a challenge of trying to build a tall steel viaduct.  The one I'm referring too is the Kinzua Bridge in Pennsylvania.  I've supplied a few photos of the bridge I'm referring to.






Now I'm planning to build the bridge in 1:64 scale (or S gauge if you prefer) and I'm trying to figure out if there is a kit available that I can maybe modify or if I have to build it all custom.  In real life the bridge measured 2,052' long and stood 301' high.  Now based on my math that means the bridge should be 348 3/4" long and 56 1/2" tall.  Based on that math, it will be a fair bit bigger than my workshop.

I've looked through several websites and can't seem to find any kits that would seem to work for what I'm doing.  I'm not sure if it's possible to modify an HO scale viaduct or an O gauge one.  About the closest thing I can find in terms of viaduct kits is from stevesdepot.com.  I've also searched around online to see if there's maybe evergreen that might have the same patent maybe (not sure if that's the right word?) as the bridge?

So pretty much what I'm asking is does anyone out there know where I can find a kit to build the viaduct that would still make it fit in with 1:64 scale or do I need to completely build it all from scratch?  Personally I don't think anyone has ever attempted structures of this size in model railroading, so it has me a bit nervous of trying it myself.  Any help or advice would be very much appreciated.

-Rusty