Hi all, Frist time poster here. :teeth: I am looking for some ideas on how to put together a tunnel for my son's Lionel G scale train set. I have already purchased a set of portals (Lionel post war square design) and was wondering what I might could use to create a tunnel that is removable. We haven't had a chance to put the set on a board yet, as I am terribly new to all of this and haven't had the time or resorces (or space for that matter) to put together something that large and stationary. Any advice on (cheap) materials, and design ideas would be much appreciated. Thanks bunches. Gscale_MOM
Quite honestly, for a tunnel on the cheap, a cardboard box is simple and easy enough for kids to further decorate. There are beaded-foam premade tunnels available, but you don't get that "I made this" feeling from them. Besides, you said you've already got the portals. A little Elmer's white glue should be enough to hold it to the box end; if that doesn't work, take a look at Liquid Nails for Projects (the "for Projects" part is important here as it won't attack foam based products).
Thanks so much. That was what I was thinking myself, but I was unsure of what to use to as a bonder.:teeth:
Another cheap but slightly more time-intensive approach (but one your son will probably love) is to glue the portals to a sheet of cardboard so they stand upright. This 'base' should be as wide and long as the base of the mountain you want to make and the portals located on the centerline of the ends of the base. For reinforcement of the tops of the tunnel portals, run a dowel between them and use some glue to hold it in place. To build the mountain, cut some strips of cardboard about 1 inch wide. You'll need quite a few of these. Staple one end of a strip to the base and bring it up over the tunnel and down the other side. Staple multiple strips together to get the length you need. Repeat until you have an irregularly shaped structure that begins to look like the mountain you wish to build. Then weave some strips at right angles to the uprights. Bend and shape to give the mountain some relief. Now comes the fun part. Dip some strips of paper bags (remember those?) or newspaper in some thin wallpaper paste and drape them over the cardboard framework you made (you can even use strong paper towels for this but be careful of the texture which may show). Do this in different directions and for strength go for at least two layers everywhere. When dry it is time to paint your mountain. Acrylics will work well. You can even use spray paint. If you want you can cut away most of the base so your son can just place it over a section of track. It will be sturdy enough. Messy? Yes. Just the right project for a boy and his mom! It will be light weight and look like a great mountain to your son.
