What If !

[Anonymous]

What would I need to do if a train (a model one) derails inside a tunnel? What can I do to prevent it?

I havent build the layout yet so anything is a posibility.

[Anonymous]

The best prevention is good trackwork. But accidents do happen[:(] If your tunnel is too long to reach in and retrieve the wrecked train, Then you need to build in an access point. This can be a liftout. or if you mountain is big enough, a hole in the base of your layout where you can reach in and grab the train. Hopefully you will never have to use your liftout. But if you dont build it, and a train derails inside a tunnel. Youll regret it.

Good luck on your new railroad[:D]

[Anonymous]

What is best for a mountain 9ft. 2in. long and 1 1/2 to 2 feet wide? and how do I build it?

[Anonymous]

well, if its high enough you could put in a duckunder and just pop up in there with a flashlight, to do this you just cut a hole big enough to fit through and long enough to reach the whole tunnel

[Anonymous]

I would recommend,
a) building benchwork high enough to allow access from underneath.
b) some sort of hardshell scenery over the tunnel, to allow room for your arms to work. (no solid foam mountains)
c) Open frame benchwork, with either "cookie cutter" plywood subroadbed or spline, with homasote on top to form a 4-5 inch roadbed (single track, wider for double). To this add "guardrails " of either heavy cardstock, foam core or 5mm luan plywood about 2 inches high,so that if a derailment occurs, it gets contained to the rails, not the floor.
d) if the trackplan will allow for it, rerailers inside tunnels are not a bad idea. Could set a single car that is off the rails back on, before it becomes a bigger problem.
Just my [2c]

[Anonymous]

Here are a couple of pics from the underside of the 4X9 section of my layout.





I had no real access to the back and sides of the layout as it is actually built to fit snug into the room. I bought the lights at a craft store, they are for the ceramic villages that come out at Christmas time.

Hope this may give you a few ideas to help you in your planning process. Oh the actual length of track underneath is 13 feet plus 2-5 foot staging tracks.

Jeremy

[coal drag]

Add some rerailers just inside the tunnel where you can't see them . I put 2 on each level of a helix to help avoid such a problem.

[Javern]

some people put rerail track inside tunnels, or like on bridges sometimes they use a inside guard rail to help prevent derailments. here is a link to a photo of a inside guard rail track. http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/948-899

[cacole]

Build the mountain out of styrofoam that is not fastened down to the layout -- if you have a derailment, just lift the mountain off. I have done that on modular layouts and a friend is building his home layout that way using styrofoam packing blocks out of a shipping box. If you don't have any of this stuff layout around in an old computer box or something, you can sometimes find it by scrounging around behind stores. Sheet styrofoam that is used for building insulation can also be used by layering and carving it into the desired shape. If you don't need a whole sheet, check areas where houses are under construction.

[Anonymous]

My mountain is up aginst a wall so I will go with what "kbfcsme" said:

QUOTE: I would recommend,
a) building benchwork high enough to allow access from underneath.
b) some sort of hardshell scenery over the tunnel, to allow room for your arms to work. (no solid foam mountains)
c) Open frame benchwork, with either "cookie cutter" plywood subroadbed or spline, with homasote on top to form a 4-5 inch roadbed (single track, wider for double). To this add "guardrails " of either heavy cardstock, foam core or 5mm luan plywood about 2 inches high,so that if a derailment occurs, it gets contained to the rails, not the floor.
d) if the trackplan will allow for it, rerailers inside tunnels are not a bad idea. Could set a single car that is off the rails back on, before it becomes a bigger problem.
Just my [2c]

Then add rerailer track and then add gardrails.