What follows is my first attempt at cutting a tunnel through pink foam.
This is the tool I created out of #12 copper wire and an old Weller 140 watt soldering iron.
I still have some finish sanding to do but overall I am satisfied with the results. I carved it out in the garage with the doors open and the fumes were not a problem.
Looks good, but I hope you are not glueing the whole thing to your benchwork. You need to be able to reach your trains inside!
As Styrofoam is not really a cheap material, there are other ways of building tunnels and mountains then to stack various boards on to of each other. Pelle Soeeborg describes an interesting method of making contoured "ribs", thus saving a lot of expensive material. Instead of stacking up, he positions the ribs vertically. It is described in his book about "From Mountains to Desert" .
I have a couple of tunnels to create and was tentatively planning to carve them out of foam as you have. I just happen to have one of the same soldering irons you used. Thanks for the tip.
Mlc
JCasey, sure cannot say it looks bad, but there is a lot of foam that will never see the light of day. I make my foam hills like a box. Say two to three at the portal or you can add a liner. Sides would be only as thick as I need to make the slop I want.
Inside my K-10 mine. Whole mountain can be be taken apart.
I used a steel stud I bought from Home Depot, light yet strong.
Mountain is 9 feet long and 2 to 3 feet wide (add 2 more feet for the mine it self) and I only used 4 sheets of foam.
Another tip I pass on to everyone. If you find a damaged sheet of foam at Home Depot, ask the department head for a discount, I normally get 75% off!
Cuda Ken
I hate Rust
Looks like some train crew will be taking a vacation - referencing the Frisco hopper in the top picture
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I love your tunnel cutter. What's the wattage of the old Weller? (Oops, just re-read the post. It's a 140.)
The ability to shape the cutter and thus define the shape of the tunnel is a big plus. I've been looking for a way to created a subway tunnel with a more circular cross-section, and I think this would work.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
As others have mentioned, you will need some sort of access to that buried track. Full stacking of the foam isn't nec. Ken mentions his method of stacking the perimeter. This is a wise choice for construction as the solid secery areas can remain only to allow some section to be removable top/ hatch if track access is needed. The seam can be disguised by rock statta, or misc brush if desired. To have the entire mountain removable would impact the quality of the overall scenery.
Great job on the cutting though, some sculpamold and paint on the tunnel liner where visable would be great.
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
Now just cut the "frame of the tunnel out of the big stack of foam.
I'm inclined to agree with Ken. I've discovered how to build up a mountain out of layers of foam, all cut out of the same sheet.
Each layer of foam you see is about an inch wide, and cut in an arc. Each successive arc is narrower as the hill goes up. Inside is hollowed out, like an inverted bowl. While there's not a tunnel through this one, the same technique can be applied over a track. To get the effect of a tunnel interior, you simply have to build a short area near each portal that creates that illusion.
And no matter how good you think you are at laying track and operating your trains, you want to keep access to your tunnel tracks either from below or behind your hill, or by making a lift out section above.
Lee
Route of the Alpha Jets www.wmrywesternlines.net
If at all possible, it would be good to have some sort of access off to the side or back of the hill/ mountain. If not cut out that middle portion and cap w/ something removable. As Lee mentions, even the best laid track and running equipment can fail. Recently at our show and open house my 40 car coal drag derailed on some debris. I built this mountain w/ full underbenchwork access and lexan guardrails. Rerailing or removal was made easy. Of coarse you look like an idiot during a public show when "Murphy" strikes......
Of coarse this has since been finished. If access from below was feasable, reach from the backdrop would have been used. We have incorporated some areas w/ removable backdrop sections just for this reason. Removable "cap/ top" of a mountain is the last resort, but if you have no other options, it's still good to have.
bogp40Rerailing or removal was made easy. Of coarse you look like an idiot during a public show when "Murphy" strikes......
When you have a derailment inside a tunnel and you can correct it quickly, you look like a genius.
What a waste. As others have mentioned, there are more efficient, cheaper, and easier ways to do it.
The Earth isn't so stable one usually sees perfectly horizontal strata. Usually it is bent and/or at an angle to the horizon. Remember, that land was once under the seas.
Mark
Thanks for the comments and advice. Especially about the tunnel access. But, thanks to having read this forum for several years and all the previous warnings about tunnel access, that was one of my main considerations. The pics may be deceiving as to the length of the tunnel but I can reach the center of the tunnel from both ends. The below pic may give a better conception of the actual length. I do realize that all that foam seems like a waste but I had it laying around from another project and figured it would be better to use it than just have it laying around. And it was the concept I had in my head so I went with it. I am sure the more experienced builders have figured out a lot of ways to be more efficient and I am sure I will too, but I am a rookie on my first layout, so I have a lot to learn.
Thanks again,
John