Model Railway Forum

I want to place platforms either side of my station set-up. Due to the design, I have a siding between the two tracks -- this mirrors the set-up at Harrogate railway station, for those that have visited the heart of God's Own County. I digress. Anyway, for the passing tracks outer edge to outer edge is 19cm. I guess that a 24cm span, or thereabouts, is needed.

I haven't been able thus far to find a footbridge that will span that distance, so was thinking of cutting a subway section into the platforms. The Gaugemaster GM455 straights are cheap enough to experiment with, and I was planning on using the Peco LK-7 subway kit. However, the subway is 2cm deep, which means that I'd either have to cut holes in my baseboard, which having next to zero carpentry skills I'd rather not tackle, or try and reduce the depth of the subway steps by cutting them down, which may end-up looking rubbish.

Does anyone have any suggestions here? A footbridge would be easier I suppose, but it would probably involve cannibalising some kits, and there's no guarantee that the end result would work, let alone have a whiff of authenticity.

At present, I'm stumped. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hmm

Even the Scalescene subway needs in OO around 39mm of depth! https://scalescenes.com/product/r006-platform-subway/

I used the Ratio 548 Modular footbridge, though my need was to reduce its width unlike your need of extending it. The Dapol C004 footbridge can be extended with careful surgery! Costs around £7 per kit Example https://therailwayconductor.co.uk/model ... footbridge Or perhaps something from the LCut range possibly? https://www.lcut.co.uk/index.php?page=p ... s&gauge=OO They also sell extension sections for their GWR footbridge!

I looked at the Dapol bridge. I think that I'll have to take a look at that. I think that the first thing to do is get the platforms so that I can get an accurate width measurement. That Dapol bridge will take a lot of painting though!

The Metcalfe footbridge spans up to 17cm, but their website says it is straightforward to extend by combining two kits. They are about £12.50 each though.
Their underpass kit needs 16mm depth below platform height.

Maybe practice cutting a suitable slot in an offcut of baseboard material?
I don't have an underpass, but I did have to cut into my baseboard to install an inspection pit kit in one of the tracks in my locoshed area.

Good luck!

I looked at the Metcalfe model. It's a bit ugly. I've ordered the GM platforms and the Peco subway kit. I'll see how that pans out. I might have a go at chopping the bottom of the subway steps off and fudging the entrance with black painted card. It all seems to simple in my mind, but I know damned well that it won't be! Cutting a couple of holes in the baseboard is possible, I suppose, and will have the benefit of keeping the platform in place. It's days like today that I wish that I hadn't got back into this hobby. All I want to do is play with my trains!

Cut the bottoms off the Peco subway, that’s what I did. Simples.

On one of my layouts I extended the Dapol footbridge by using two. I used the left over parts for a narrow bridge elsewhere.

Cheers. That’s encouraging that the subways will work. I like the idea of the chopped-down subways, if I can make them work, but being able to join two Dapol bridges together is a useful fallback. I’ve ordered the Gaugemaster platforms and Peco subway kit. I’m just playing the waiting game for my Postie to deliver my order.

This is an extended Dapol footbridge, some additional styrene stiffeners added out of sight.

I added a roof to my bridge.