David Marconi said:Unless I had a good bright flashlight, Ken's arms wouldn't be anywhere near that thing................;)
Lot of work there Jon looks good. 38" deep you'll need steps out, even Ken's arms aren't that long. :) ;0
Women’s work
OK, Jon maybe you wrote this before and I missed it but why the BIG cut and tunnel? Your going to derail in there as sure as the sun rises and it will be very hard to get it out. I know that some people like the water level route be some grade makes for a challenge for your locos.
Paul
E. Paul Austin said:
OK, Jon maybe you wrote this before and I missed it but why the BIG cut and tunnel? Your going to derail in there as sure as the sun rises and it will be very hard to get it out. I know that some people like the water level route be some grade makes for a challenge for your locos.Paul
Hi Paul - Back on Page 1, Dave M asked the same question, to which I said…
Jon Radder said:I'm not afraid of a grade. Most of my main line is between 2 and 5%, but there is no way I could have reached this point without the cut. Originally it would have been a 30 inch rise in just over 10 feet - a whopping 25% grade :o As it turns out, the cut became the tail of a wye, so it's important that it be close to dead flat for staging cars during switch moves.
It's pretty simple really. When I first started building the railroad, I came to a point where the slope of the yard raised too fast to follow, so I began to dig the cut to hold the grade to a minimum. It was always intended to be a dead end. At one point, see the 2004 photos, it was the only track in the front yard. If you dare venture over to MLS, the link above (1st post) leads to my original 2004 post on the cut.
I’m not extremely worried about derailing in the tunnel. This is a low-speed operation. I will need to be diligent about shining a light inside to check for obstructions before use. Maybe I’ll include a 12V auto bulb mounted to the tunnel ceiling that I can light with some D Cells or a drill battery.
Dave M - True, and my arms are even shorter, but even if I were to include a ladder, I can’t fit down a 16" square opening 
38" is to the bottom of the foundation excavation. From the hatch to rail tops will be about 24 inches. I expect I might need one of those grabber tools.
David Russell said:If I could find any women who would crawl down in that mud hole, bend over and scoop out the dirt for me, I'd be happy to watch :D
Women's work ;)
Jon, You said - “I will need to be diligent about shining a light inside to check for obstructions before use. Maybe I’ll include a 12V auto bulb mounted to the tunnel ceiling that I can light with some D Cells or a drill battery.”
Sounds like the perfect use for one of those lights with a seperate remote solar panel on about 15 feet of wire.
I think your pictures and narrative are telling the construction story very well. Thanks for sharing. Will the tunnel naturally drain?
Ric Golding said:
Jon, You said - "I will need to be diligent about shining a light inside to check for obstructions before use. Maybe I'll include a 12V auto bulb mounted to the tunnel ceiling that I can light with some D Cells or a drill battery."Sounds like the perfect use for one of those lights with a seperate remote solar panel on about 15 feet of wire.
I think your pictures and narrative are telling the construction story very well. Thanks for sharing. Will the tunnel naturally drain?
Great idea on the solar powered light. I’ll have to see what I can find at Wally World.
To answer your question - In theory, yes. The plan is for there to be an ever so slight grade draining toward the portal. When I set the pad for “the box” I used a laser level to place it just a 1/4 bubble higher than the existing switch pad. The pad itself is pretty close to dead level, but the pipe will have a slight pitch. There is really no place for water to go except down grade on the ROW.
Inside the pipe, a small amount of residual water or ice shouldn’t be a problem. The track will be laid on roadbed that will just sit on the pipe floor. I’ll probably use some composite decking I have on-hand for that. The idea is that the track will be screwed to the roadbed, then slid into the tunnel. Allows for easy removal if maintenance is needed.
See, there you are following the prototype. The EBT put doors on the tunnels to prevent ice on the rails.
Well, just like any construction project, the guys doing the work never get it done quite according to plan. The over-engineering department spent lots of time figuring out how each course of block should be laid so that joints always over-lapped. But in the field, the job super did the test fit the way he (incorrectly) remembered the plans, and never went past part of the second course… [url=lsc.cvsry.com/Post/DeepCutTunnel-4-1200.JPG]
(http://lsc.cvsry.com/Post/DeepCutTunnel-4-800.JPG)
[/url][color=blue]Tunnel Test Fit-Up - FF: Click to Enlarge - IE: Right Click Photo and select Open Link in New Window to Enlarge[/color] Of course, when the laborers started construction, they did it just like the job super had laid it out in the test fit. Once it was all down, the engineer came by to inspect, took look and said - OK smart guys - NOW how are you going to get the second course to lay out ??? As expected, the site super just stood there scratching his butt while the laborers ran for the hills. So now it’s up to the engineering department to develop a fix or recommend demolition of the first level. Being a very intelligent and thrifty bunch, the over-engineering department came up with what they hope is a workable fix. Some ties will need to be inserted in the one place where the second course will not overlap the first. IF the job super can find new laborers AND if they execute the plan correctly THIS TIME, the third course should lay out correctly. Fortunately, it was too dark by the time work stopped yesterday to get photos of the screw-up.
When will it be done?
Lots of progress today. I cut out of work early. Got the second course and half of the third laid before dark. I have some additional mistakes to work out, but I should start back-filling the end box on Sunday. I was going to have to quit early tomorrow because we were going to a concert, but they called tonight and said it was canceled - so I gain 3 more hours.
Concert/working on the railroad? Concert/working on the railroad? It would have to be a really good concert.
Hay Ric what about if they were to be picked up in a Limo and driven to the concert?
Jon Radder said:Must have been Aerosmith or Axel Rose. Wait?? Was it Slim Whitman?
I was going to have to quit early tomorrow because we were going to a concert, but they called tonight and said it was canceled - so I gain 3 more hours.
Slim Whitman! When is he playing?? I thought he was dead 
Actually it was Kieth Emerson & Greg Lake doing an acoustic show. Was really looking forward to it. This is the second time in a year they have canceled this show. They hope to reschedule in May at the end of the tour.
I got all of the block done for the East end. More errors though, so tomorrow I’ll build a form and correct it with a pour. While I’m at it, I may actually cast in a matting flange for the pipe.
Absolutely beautiful weather this weekend. I made quite a bit of progress on Saturday, but Sunday was filled with family obligations. Breakfast with my oldest and his girlfriend while passing through on their way to her parents in NH - Then an afternoon/evening at my Brother-In-Law’s with Marilyn’s brother, sister and their kids. The block / cement work on the East End should be done - but a few more errors mean an additional pour will be needed. It’s starting to look like a chimney 
The front edge of the block was supposed to be flush with the foundation pad to create a flat mating face for the pipe, but once again the laborers failed to follow the plan. What time I did have late Sunday morning was spent designing and buildings forms for a new face that will be poured next week. [url=lsc.cvsry.com/Post/DeepCutTunnel-08-1200.JPG]
(http://lsc.cvsry.com/Post/DeepCutTunnel-08-800.JPG)
[/url][color=blue]FF: Click to Enlarge - IE: Right Click Photo and select Open Link in New Window to Enlarge[/color] I thought that I had done a really nice job molding a recess for the 16x16 patio block that will cover this access hatch… [url=lsc.cvsry.com/Post/DeepCutTunnel-09-1200.JPG]
(http://lsc.cvsry.com/Post/DeepCutTunnel-09-800.JPG)
[/url][color=blue]FF: Click to Enlarge - IE: Right Click Photo and select Open Link in New Window to Enlarge[/color] But as the cement cured, the two pours began to separate. I ended up removing over half and may end up removing it all. I’ll pour it again with different mix and use some anchors to attach it. Maybe I can combine it with the face pour. If the weather cooperates, I’ll be moving on to pipe soon.
Nice!
I wanted to do outside work this weekend but didn’t prepare and had no materials! I don’t know if Slim is dead or not don’t even know his music just remember seeing lots of his cassettes in a customers Porsche 20 yrs ago.
I actually have an Emerson Lake and Palmer cassette…
Last time I saw Emerson, Lake and Palmer…they synthesized me to sleep 
Glad you had some nice weather too.
If I ever need some over engineering, I know who to call
Ralph
Had a beautiful weekend here, too.
I was installing some drainage to the new part of the layout. Need to get one more load of stone today to finish it up…
Nice work Jon, you might want to try thin set for that rim