A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…
My parents gave me TLC's first full train set (#116) for Christmas. It was my favorite toy – all I ever asked for was more LEGO, preferably more track to make a bigger layout. I especially loved making layouts where one train could pass over another on a bridge. Back in 1995, set 8880 ended my "dark age" and I sold my 4.5V LEGO train sets in order to upgrade to the new 9V standard. (LDraw creator James Jessiman was the winning bidder, but his untimely passing prevented him from receiving it.)
As the millennium was ending, I noticed that most LEGO train fans - and TLC (The LEGO Company) - focus almost entirely on the trains themselves. Bridges are usually (non-existent, or) of simple construction, and nobody had ever made a true (free-standing) arch out of LEGO, yet arches are literally foundational to the most beautiful bridges and other architecture throughout the world. Having already "broken the rules" by making a monorail spiral, (to take the place of incline segments) I realized LEGO arches weren’t going to exist unless I made them...
I discussed it with my brother Dallas, and together we developed a way to make an arch out of LEGO. (I knew his M.Sc. in Mech. Eng. would come in handy some day. J ) If and when I get my arch bridge finished, it may be preferable to ship the arches already assembled - the pre-stressing makes them tricky to build, and even harder to make instructions for. You won’t find this "Technic" used by TLC or for a real bridge, because I’m pre-stressing the arch "backwards".
I unveiled my first prototype arch bridge at GETS (the Great Edmonton Train Show) in September of 2000. It was a single arch with four monorail segments above it. With Technic beams so hard to get, I incorporated it into my first train bridge, which made it's first public appearance at Supertrain 2001 in February of 2001. I was unable to complete the bridge in time for the show however, so I supported the bridge deck with a series of temporary pillars. I have modified the photo below to more accurately represent what the bridge would have looked like if I'd had more time.
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