issue of Outdoor Railroader and was written
by Russ Reinberg
Everything he touches is terrific. The man is an artist.
"He," "the man," is Mark Smith, the proprietor, designer
and chief craftsman of Lone Star Bridge. No, I have no
prejudice. If Mark built mediocre stuff, I would tell you.
Unfortunately, if I am to add zing and color to this re-
view, I will have to be creative. Mark has left nothing
to criticize; his work is flawless.
Look at the wood-to-wood joints. If you can find
them. The arch on the bridge has six layers, but the
lamination is so tight and the finish so outstanding it
looks as though it is a single piece of wood. Try to find
a nail hole. You may find some wood filler, but no hole.
And even the filler joins seamlessly with the hand
finished, teak oil treated mahogany. No bump. No de-
pression. It's disgusting.
Yes, I even sighted down the guard rails to see
weather the nut/bolt/washer castings lined up. They did.
Perfectly. Nor do the little countersunk holes in the arch
where the truss rods terminate have any evidence of
chipping. And the paint on the metal parts is perfect.
And Mark put a nut and washer everywhere one be-
longed. What's a reviewer to do ?
Mark purposely cut the ties too wide to form a plat-
form for sectional track. We might nitpick, but we also
must recognize such a choice belongs to the artist. Be-
sides, he now says scale cross-timbers will be available
as an option.
Let's go to the demensional stuff: The bridge measures
8 inches wide, 36 inches long, and at the apex of the
arches is 8.375 inches high.
Finally, as much as I hate to pull the rug out from
under any further attempts at criticism, Lone Star has
made no attempt precisely to duplicate any particular
full-size bridge. The through arch and its deliberate
approximations are about as accurate as most of the
model trains that will cross it. As a consequence, their
character melds beautifully with that of most outdoor
scale using 45mm Gauge One track.
So, once again, if you want a superb product,
attractive in design, striking in coloration, unpara-
lleled in craftsmanship, and reasonable in price,
look to Lone Star's latest. But if you want a juicy,
critical, biting review, look elsewhere.
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