Large Scale Central

West Loop Tunnel Nears Completion

Track and Trestles
#1

After a little over a year, the excavation and tunnel work at the west end of my initial track nears completion, and thought I’d share. Plan for now is to put a steel industrial water tower somewhere near the sprinkler pipe, maybe up on the ‘hill’, and to eventually load down the rock with topsoil, etc., so it looks more like an outcropping of rock rather than a retaining wall.

The narrow gauge track you see emanating from the left portal will be cut off at the portal, as all of the exposed trackage is handlaid NS in more of a standard guage scale.

#2

Nice rock work. I tried doing something similar on my pike but ended up with a much shorter tunnel and a decent sized hill it went thru.

How long is your tunnel? Sure hope you have access there in the middle. Always seems to be the exact spot something will derail or some animal will crawl into and pick to die.

Andre’

#3

Yup Andre, everyone has told me that (about the inevitable derail mid-tunnel). There is no access. If anything derails in the tunnel, it’ll be the taste of a 10ft prod it’ll be gettin’! It’s about 18Ft long as I recall.

I’m depending on two or three main things to prevent derails: 1) the track is bolted down to concrete and basically can’t move, 2) there is no ballast in the tunnel, and 3) I can plug each portal when not in operation to keep out sand and other debris, and finally 4) I can get a high pressure hose and a shop vac hose thru the tunnel.

In addition to these basics, I hope to enforce a speed rule, plus a special rule for pushing which limits tunnel speed even further. I’m confident that any derail will be caused by debris or stringlining. Pray for me. I have my fingers crossed. I trust the advice others have given me, it’s just that I had to get this thing done and didn’t see any way to provide access on my schedule. No guts, no glory!!!

#4
Kirk Fleming said:
[i][/i] I trust the advice others have given me, it's just that I had to get this thing done and didn't see any way to provide access on my schedule. No guts, no glory!!!
Good luck with it. What is the tunnel itself made from. If you find that there must be access, could you dig down from the top and install something like a manhole?

Another option is some type of flexible rod with a grappling hook on the end to drag derailed equipment from the tunnel. Gets kind of rough on the details, but will do the job. I use a broom handle with a hook on the end to reach derails in the far corners of my indoor layout so I don’t have to climb on the benchwork.

Good to see the tunnel completed in any case. Mine is still just a cut. The sides are falling in after two years in the weather. Perhaps I’m letting the sides of the cut seek their own natural slope?

Jon

#5

For the overhead hard to reach and tunnel storage areas in the basement, I have a 4 ft fiberglass cb antenna with a rubber tip on one end and an LGB hook to a hook and loop coupler wire tied to the other end. Who says I don’t respect the quality of LGB equipment? My testimonial is that I have never had to replace that hook.

#6

I bet that’s only because you tested it by pulling a boat in to dock with it .
Mike M

#7

I also intend to build plugs for each portal, to be put in place whenever I’m not putzing around. Idea there of course is to keep the sand from blowing thru. Haven’t tackled that project yet.

#8

Kirk,
Styrafoam would make some quick temporary plugs to get it closed up today or for that matter, the permanent plugs could be made from styrafoam, also.

#9

Think of the host of “Tunnel Maintenance Vehicles” this kind of situation could inspire …

The blower car … leaf blower mounted on steel weighted flatcar, trailing extension cord for power and retrieval…

The Inspection car … wireless TV camera and bank of floodlights. (wired or wireless!)

The cleaner car … heavy steel weighted flatcar with garden hose nozzle set to fan pattern … push through by feeding hose into portal.

The wreck car … weighted flatcar with remotely operated claw … again retrieved by wires/cables supplying claw.

Or a combinaton … R/C M1A1 tank with turret replaced by mount for camera, floodlights, and choice of claw, or dual “ducted fans” etc.

Think of the fun…

Matthew (OV)