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Illinois Live Steamers!
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Illinois Live Steamers!
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| ILS Bridge Project - Part 2 or... The Trusses Go Marching Two by Two By Carl Baskin When you have a good plan and a little bit of practice, assembly moves along faster and smoother than before. As such, it didn’t take as long as expected to weld the second side truss together. When the second truss was completed, a come-a-long was hung from the ceiling and used to pull the side truss upright. The first truss was dragged out of the shop to make way for the second truss. It was now time to drag that first truss back inside and tip it upright for the next assembly step (see photos #25-#27). With both trusses upright, 1”x3”x48” rectangular tube spreaders were inserted between the side trusses. Spreaders across the bridge ends were made of 3”x3” square tubing. Cross measurements were made to ensure the base of the bridge structure was “square”. Spreaders were placed in the center and at the ends of the span. Clamps were used to hold all parts together. Another tube spreader was temporarily clamped in place across the top of the structure. Measurements checked the vertical square of the two side trusses. A temporary “X” brace was welded in to maintain side-to-side square. And then, the bottom spreaders were welded in place. These will ultimately support the track and bridge decking (see photos #28 & #29) And so, progress moves along…. |
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