Tunnels!?

[Anonymous]

I hate this Tom, but you and i agree once more, there is no best way. Different methods suit different people in different situations.

Do me a favour mate and say something i can disagree with!

On to Tunnel portals, I have a Jigstone kit and as my layout is European between the world wars; i have my tunnel portals made of concrete in a stone pattern, I willpost a photo if i can.

It is the arch span mould pattern modified so its really the same as my viaduct project but used differently.

Rgds Ian 

[ttrigg]

Mike;
In your photo:

It looks to me as if you went that extra step and put in some "timber framing" to "support" the walls of your tunnel.  Looks good, I like it!  If that is timber framing I see, did you put it in while building the tunnel or later?

[Mike Dorsch CJ&M r.r.]

Those bricks come in many colors . I just used regular mortar mix . Heres a few photo's I took today of the tunnel .

[Anonymous]

Looks GREAT Mike would like to get the engine and the tunnel at a lower shot. You think smaller crushed creet would look ok or higher the effects? Just asking!? Paint it brick red then tint it to older mossy red? Sorry just got to excited about your train there, dang it looks great!

[Mike Dorsch CJ&M r.r.]

I used 6"x12"x2" pre cast concrete bricks that you can get at Home Depot for around a dollar apiece . Stand them up on a compacted base and mortar them together next to each other . Then use them to form the roof . Then I covered the roof with a landscape fabric and covered it with dirt . Its easy to form around curves or straight sections .

[ttrigg]

I am in the process of expanding my layout and have plasn to add several tunnels. What is the best way to build a tunel? What are the best materials to use to close in the tunnel? 

David
"What are the best" Man do I ever hate that question!!!!!!!!!!!!  What is best for me could very easily be the worst of all possible choices available to you!!!!!!!

Two Tone says to keep it light.

I'm going to tell you a way to make it VERY heavy and durable.

In my case, the tunnel had to travel under the waterfall box for my Koi pond.  I used 8x8x16 cinder blocks, re-bar, concrete, 2x8x16 cinder block top caps, and about a thousand pounds of rocks and over a dozen bags of mortar, and about 20 boxes of different concrete color powders.  To build the tunnel I laid down two rows of cinder blocks twelve inches apart on a concrete foundation.  I dry stacked a second row of block using a half block at each end to get the normal staggered stack.  The top row of block had 4 notches cut out of one side of each block.  I bent re-bar into a "square U" shape large enough that it would reach from the bottom of one wall, span the gap to the other wall and down to the bottom of it.  I then mixed concrete and filled the slots in the blocks, securing them via the re-bar.  I then spanned the gap between the two "walls" with the cinder block caps, these sit directly on top of the re-bar.  Since I needed to waterproof the tunnel, remember it goes under the water fall box, I then covered everything with several layers of roofing felt (tar paper), then a layer of pond liner membrane.  On top of this I put the waterfall box along with the required PVC pipe.  Then I covered everything with rocks held in place with mortar.  As you can see I needed to go heavy and strong.



Now on the other extreme, get some hardware cloth (very heavy screen wire), some burlap, and some mortar mix.  Build a framework for a mountain by bending, cutting the hardware cloth into a rough shape of a mountain, cut the burlap into strips, soak in the mortar mix and start coating the wire frame with these strips to create a mountain. (Much like is done with paper towels and plaster for indoor layouts.)  Add some color and you have an outdoor version of the paper mache tunnels available from most vendors of the indoor scales.  Light enough it can be carried (by two people) and sturdy enough to withstand some weather (but not high winds.)

Some folks use large diameter plastic pile or chimney flu tiles, flop them onto the ground and cover with dirt.

Now I'm going to ask you, "What is your intent for this tunnel?  Is it just to have some place to drive the train under?  Or will the tunnel be a support for something else within the layout?"

"What is the best way to build a tunel?"  That depends on what you intend to do with it.  Restate you question with a bunch more information describing your needs and desires and what you want it to do, and we should be able to come up with several recommended solutions that will fit your needs.

[Anonymous]

As usual i largely disagree with what has been said mainly about the two arms length stuff.

I can speak with some authority as i have 4 tunnels and they are all different, for different reasons. One is 1.9 m (6.3') another is 200 mm (8") and the other is a double decker 2.8 m (9.3') long and i have used 3 different construction methods which suited the situation at the time. The little one is two overlapping holes bored through a concrete (cement) wall. The double decker was a cutting betwen the pool pumphouse and the back fence, that we covered in and the other is most interesting in that i used a 220 mm (9") plastic storm water pipe and i cut a 150 mm (6") section out of one side over its entire length and that become the bottom through which the track passes.

The amount of trouble i have with 3 of them is not worth talking about and if anything gets stuck i send my big Mallet through and it will push just about anything out and in the rare occasion that doesn't work, i use a bit of wood and push it out, even a mop used backwards will do. The other one the storm water one; i did have trouble with but it was my own fault as i didn't do the job properly in the first place.

Rgds Ian  

[two tone]

Hi remember rule 1 do not make tunnel more than 2 arms lenth so that you can reach a loco if there is a problem.  2 tunnels can be made by bending strng wire tothe shape you want then cover shape with small mesh chichen wire.  3 Cover this with any thing that will hold the shape IE old bed sheets blankets. 4 To make a hard finish and to shape it talk to your local biulders merchant he will advise you on what to use, remember you do not want a lot of wieght it the construction     Hope this helps

[dukebasketballer`]

Hi guys,

I am in the process of expanding my layout and have plasn to add several tunnels. What is the best way to build a tunel? What are the best materials to use to close in the tunnel?

Thanks