Tunnels : How to make them "Accessible"?

Hey all,

I love the allure that tunnels proved on a model railroad. However, how do you access the track in the tunnel?

I am planning to have some hidden track (tunnels) to make it seem like the local just went some where before it comes back. So, if I have a loop at one end of my layout going under the loop on top of it, I want to scenic it. But I also want to be able to access the tracks if need be. The height of the tunnel would be two inches. That is not enough, is it?

All tips are welcome!

 

This should give you some ideas using extruded foam. This series has been posted here some time ago. It's still worth looking at again though.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1D4KBB_GC4"]YouTube - Model Railroad Scenery using Extruded Foam: Part 1[/ame]

 

I cut access windows in the side of the tunnel. These windows provide the access necessary in case of derailments.

 

If the tunnel abuts the side of the layout, I would cut out access holes.

Another is the removable top. Right now, my train on grade level passes under an elevated township 3" over the level grade. The train passes under the town, but one end is completely open and all I have to do is reach, and it is a blind side to the layout. But the top is removable.

Learn from my errors. I had a huge mountain/hill on one end of my former layout and no access panels, but if a loco failed inside, I used a backscratcher to retrieve it and that worked for a few years, until 1997 when a brand new Kato PRR F3A jumped the track, and out came the B unit pulling my train. I reached and looked in vain with flashlight and no loco. I then removed all of the junk TWICE underneath the layout, and went through the household garbage for two days, and my garage garbage every day for a year. I even had my young son reach inside the tunnel several times from both ends, which overlapped. I gave up and by then of course, all PRR F3A's were off the shelves so I searched.

I finally cut an access hole on the side panel of my layout, way overdue, and at the point where I cut through, was the F3A, which was sitting there for just under a year. You can imagine how stupid I felt. But learn from my stupidity.

Either removable, or access hole, or even make the inside walls close to the track to the loco is retrievable.

Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

 

Mine's a modular layout, so this may not apply. But I just left the back part of the tunnels open so I can take the facia off to get at them.

 

Mine are slightly more than 2" from track top to top of tunnel beams. This is enough to run most intermodal equipment but I have to remove two of my portals when running my tallest containers. I installed the portals removable anticipating that the openings would need to be taller someday. Will eventually ream the openings a little larger/taller, one of those 'round tuit' things.


Ben

 

My tunnel has a couple of "skylights" in it that are covered over by structures.
if I need to get into the tunnel I just move the building.

 

That's easy... just "daylight" them like the big boys are doing:bear-tongue:

I did not just say that...:tb-wacky: