Tunnel Construction

[Anonymous]

Here's a thread on my tunnel project:
http://www.mylargescale.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=20558

[Anonymous]

Tim,

Make sure and post pictures of your finished tunnel. Looks very interesting!

Thanks,

BTH_RR

[Anonymous]

i use cement block, with a metal cover over top,
or use concreate caps.
then pain the inside black, after you are done mudding it up,
then attach your portals to face of cement blocks.

good luck, andy

[d4fal]

Treated wood, depending on how they were treated, could harm plants, I'm afraid. Creosote if used certainly can. Check to see what method was used to treat the wood, and if leaching into the soil is a problem. Untreated wood might be useful for very temporary tunnels. I've even tried slopping a layer of cement/sand on top of the plywood construction once, but I did not notice if this trick worked, as the line was later replaced when I had re-aligned the right of way and built a more permanent structure.

[Anonymous]

concrete block worked well on our garden railroad, we put concrete 2x2 paver sections with geofabric on top of that to prevent dirt falling through paver joints.

-Hammer

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Butzer

concrete block worked well on our garden railroad, we put concrete 2x2 paver sections with geofabric on top of that to prevent dirt falling through paver joints.

-Hammer

Does the geofabric work well, and how much dirt escapes without it?

[Anonymous]

try useing 4x8x16 cinder blocks standing on its side then topping off with 1x8x16 for the roof then cover with plastic or rubber pond liner and cover with dirt, rocks, ect to your liking

[markperr]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that PT wood will not harm your plants. I have several anecdotal reasons for saying this. One, I have seen lots and lots of PT planters with beautifully flourishing arrangements growing in them. Two, PT wood is made for direct burial as it is the wood of choice for use in deck building. Even decks made from cedar and redwood generally use PT lumber for structural elements that will not be seen. And three, with all the tree huggers employed by the EPA, if there were actually a credible threat to both the North American Cockleburr plant (that thing that everyone's dog's love to run through) and the Milkweedus Profundus, then the use of PT wood would be history.

Creosote, on the other hand.... in the words of the Emerald City Taxi driver as he said to Dorothy Gale..... "That's a horse of a different color!!!!!"

Cynically and with all due respect to the non-tree hugger EPA types,
Mark

[markperr]

On the subject of tunnel liner material, here's what NOT to use. Pink foam, the rigid stuff used on concrete walls. I used this in one of my tunnels and covered it with chicken wire and then rags soaked in morter. The tunnels are just not rigid enough to put any weight on them without their collapse. I would highly recommend the use of more permanent materials like wood or concrete.

Mark

[Anonymous]

Oh my god, John, the pet rabbit was killed by the toy train? That's something I hadn't ever eard of before.

Here's a tip about keeping things from living in your tunnel: I hear that some people use removeable plates, plastic curtains, or whatever, across the entrances to their longer tunnels. They just move the plates/curtains into place when not running trains. Might save a lot of hassle of an infestation.

[Anonymous]

Hi figure8
An Aster 4-6-2 and a train of 16 Basset Lowke scale model (for thier time) G1 tinplate coaches.
Adds up to a fair bit of weight traveling at express speed.
the rabbit didn't stand a chance no where to run too.
the train did not suffer any damage.and the rabbit did not suffer but the locomotive got its frame bent.
regards John

[Anonymous]

I used three metal mail boxes mounted on a treated board and covered them with plastic. The size is perfect and so is the shape. I bought plastic tunnel portals which fit the openings perfectly, confirming the dimensions and shape of the mailboxes. I cut off the rear ends of the mail boxes and used duct tape to cover the small gap between each. I nailed each box to the board below for stability. Looks great, works great.

[Capt Bob Johnson]

Everything i read says to make tunnel bigger than you really need in height & width, that way you can accomodate some new type of car that comes out 10 years from now, and easier to manipulate derailed cars to get them out. I'd go with a minimum height of 12 inches and width of 8 inches. You just make your portals the size you want people to see.

Much wise advise has been given here on length. that is unless you have some way to put manholes into it and figure out a way to hide them in the scenery.

Keeping wildlife out? Try the 4 inch thich upholstery foam cut about 1/2 to 3/4 inch bigger on all sides, with a chunk of plywood on the back and a knotted string thru plywood, foam, etc. and sticking out to use to pull with. When not running insert plug; and just pull out to run. Had a friend used that to keep birds from nesting in airplane engine cowling. Worked very well.

[Anonymous]

We used treated wood painted with waterpoofing paint then made the tunnel portal with belgin stone. Our tunnel is curved and we almost used cement blocks, but chose the wood since we had the wood on hand. Flue liners would not have worked well for us because of the curve.

mikadousrp

[dandylines]

Don't forget about one of the simple, cheap and easy ready made shapes for a tunnel out there. The standard #2 rural mailbox.