Build our Elevated Railway Structures

Elevated Explained...

Our Elevated Railway Structure products are intended to represent Chicago and New York Elevated system specifications, however they can represent any prototype you choose.

"Chicago style L" kits incorporate open web truss components in 2 track widths.

"New York style L" kits include solid plate girder components in 2 and 3 track widths. (see product photos for clarity).

"STARTER" kits come with 4 support columns and 2 main end beams - used to start off your Elevated Railway System (approx. 9.5" long in HO, and 5" long in N scale).

"EXTENSION" kits come with 2 support columns and 1 main end beam - used to add onto the Starter kit and additional Extension kits (approx. 9.5" long in HO, and 5" long in N scale).).

The kits include our wood tie strips, walkways, etc. and are intended for hand-laid rail of your choice. Rail can be spiked to our ties (you just pre-drill the spike holes), or super glued.

Commercial flex track of your choice can be used on top of our basic elevated structure with or without our wood tie strips.

(Sorry, flex track and rail are not included in our kits)

ROLLING STOCK...

A unique Chicago & North Shore train can be represented by the HO Scale Concor Electroliner model ... it's prototype shown below.

Also, please see Island Model Works, manufacturer of N, HO & O scale commuter & subway models HERE.

Web Trusses and Girders - Layered Assembly...

Connecting Girders to Main End Beams and additional Elevated sections ...

How we make a curve with the "straight" Elevated sections ... pictures are worth 1000's of words. Please contact us with any questions.

To curve the elevated section, have your tools and worksurface ready...

Create a paper / cardboard template of your curve replicating the inner & outer radii. You'll be building your Elevated "steel structure" on the template as shown below.

Use green painters tape & weights to hold the position of the Main End Beams onto the template.

Start with one Girder Beam and use its full length as the outside radius of your curve. Scribe and angle the ends of the Girder Beams to fit between the two Main Beams... just "gunsight" the alignment along the inner girder face as shown below. "Dry fit" everything before committing to glue.

Here's a photo log of how we notch and angle the Girder Beams. While hand tools work well, a belt sander is even better for "truing up" the ends of the girders, at any angle you cut.

Not to worry as a liberal amount of glue will account for any minor fit issue in the Main Beam to Girder joints...

Once your Elevated "steel" structure is complete and matching your template, you can install the tie strips. To curve them, cut or nip the webbing (similar to a section of flex track) as shown below...

Cut out every other tab along one side of our wood tie strips, you will be able to gently introduce a curve into the strip which can be glued and weighted / clamped in place on top of the Elevated structure.

If you purchased an Extension kit, lay the tie strips at the half way mark of the starter section and overlap onto the next Elevated section. Continue in this manner with each Extension kit giving added strength to the Elevated System.

Now that you've read this far, here's a quick photo log example of an S-curve we built to fit a specific intersection on a model railway...

Looks simple enough! Just take your time, create the joints and let the glue completely set.

You'll have a unique and accurate Elevated Railway structure to be proud of!