Clinics

While few model railroads require a bridge over troubled water, most of us want to incorporate bridges on our layouts, both for functional and scenic reasons.  Few modeling elements pack the scenic punch of an impressive bridge. Wooden trestle bridges, with their spindly elegance, exude a special aura all their own.  This clinic explores my simple, straight-forward approach to creating various styles of wooden trestle bridges, including mainline trestles, a dual-gauge transfer trestle, and a lightweight logging trestle — all while ensuring a smooth transition from roadbed to bridge deck.  Like Johnny Cash, I build ‘em “one piece at a time,” although they don’t take years to build and do cost a tad more than a dime.

About the Presenter

Dean Smith has been a model railroader since his early teens, when he could be found literally lying on a basement floor under a four-by-eight sheet of plywood propped up on his friend’s shoulder, armed with nothing but a soldering iron and a flashlight.  From these humble beginnings, Dean has spent forty years modeling the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina—Vida Division Railroad, a twenty-three by twenty-nine foot HO/HOn3 operation-based layout, in his South-Central Missouri home.  While based on the prototype ET&WNC and highlighting numerous prototype scenes, the Vida Division also has its whimsical side as Dean’s love for fantasy makes him incapable of taking anything too seriously.  Over the past several years, Dean has presented clinics covering the operational aspects of his railroad, dual gauge operations, and scenery techniques, both at live conventions and virtually on NMRAx and on Off the Beaten Track.  His railroad has been featured in the HOn3 Annual magazine and in The Cowcatcher.  He is a founding member of the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad Historical Society and presently serves as the treasurer.  He became a Master Model Railroader in 2022.  His favorite part of the hobby is the many friendships he has made along the way.