broadbent Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 I am very new to model railways, and have looked everywhere for an answer to the question of how to do with long tunnels with virtually no access. I have built a double loop, and above part of this loop, I am building a railway station and sidings etc. My concern is how to deal with derailments, though so far I have run trains for a number of hours on the loop without problem. I also am concerned about cleaning the bottom loop. So I have started the yard above by building its baseboard in sections and screwing them down onto a frame, which is set just high enough for a train to run under. I thought that it will need to be in sections, for ease of removal, and so I am thinking about the joint in the rails, which are Peco 75. I hope to make this part of the layout quite complicated with motorised points etc. Any advice please? Stuart Nathan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RailWest Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 1. Built the top part with sections which can be removed for access. 2. If you have access underneath the lowest baseboard, with sufficient 'hidden' space, then create some access holes so that you can get your hands in! 3. If the hidden area is near the edge of the baseboard, and you have access to the edge, then put access holes in the backscene. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJS1977 Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 And for cleaning you can always use one of the modern track cleaning vehicles, or - if you're not using DCC - an electronic track cleaner. Still definitely advisable to have the access, but reduces how often you need to use it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
broadbent Posted July 30, 2013 Author Share Posted July 30, 2013 Thanks! Never thought about an access from below. I will see if I can make this work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJS1977 Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Perhaps the ultimate access from below is on Julian Evison's Khan layout, which features a 4-turn spiral underneath the scenery, which is only accessible by ducking under the baseboard and going up inside it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gwiwer Posted July 31, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 31, 2013 My philosophy for awkward areas is KISS : Keep It Simple, S****d If possible avoid points and motors in places you won't be able to reach. If you have to have them bear in moind they can be a source of derailments, stalling and power loss and will require cleaning. and servicing. It's OK to have minimum-headroom hidden areas but you need some sort of cattle-prod to encourage anything which stalls or to retrieve a derailed item. So almost by definition you will need to have a straight line of access (which does not have to equate to straight track) to everywhere. A length of dowel with a soft tip such as padded cotton or even sponge will serve as a "shifter" and if the other end has a small hook it can be used to recover anything which is "off". Cleaning can be effected by a CMX or Dapol rail-mounted device puhsed through by a locomotive and supported if necessary with a spray of IPA from a bottle. If you can also get a small vacuum cleaner nozzle in there as well so much the better as it helps top remove dust Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Lurker Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 Perhaps the ultimate access from below is on Julian Evison's Khan layout, which features a 4-turn spiral underneath the scenery, which is only accessible by ducking under the baseboard and going up inside it! I guess that if you're planning this for your layout, you have to allow for personal expansion over time Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold unravelled Posted July 31, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 31, 2013 A small wagon mounted cct camera might be useful to have. It can be used to monitor for problems, and to help decide the best way to remove any derailed vehicles if that happened. Would there be any benefit in filling between the sleepers and outside the rails to provide a smooth surface for flanges to run on? It would make it easier to remove vehicles in case of derailment? Taking this a bit further, what about sidewalls to keep vehicles in line in case of derailment. Another approach which has been used is to arrange it so that the hidden section can be lowered for access, but this might not be an easy retrofit. Thanks Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
broadbent Posted August 10, 2013 Author Share Posted August 10, 2013 Thanks for all your responses! I don't have any points hidden in the tunnel, just 2 tracks. I have been running trains around this loop before attempting to cover it, and so far all good. Cleaning may become the problem so 2 holes seem to be the answer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeOxon Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Bits sometimes fall off in tunnels and can be hard to find. I have mounted a small torch and video camera on a wagon, which I can send through as a 'search party'. More info. about the mini video camera at http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/74284-mini-video-camera/ Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judge Dread Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 I observed, a few years ago now, a certain layout at a certain show, where a coach had been thrown off the rear of a train, unnoticed, as it passed through a tunnel. This tunnel was built over a curved track which had a radius of about 15" by the way. The loss wasn't discovered until pack up time and that baseboard section was turned vertical and the lost coach fell to the floor! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium kevinlms Posted September 9, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted September 9, 2013 I observed, a few years ago now, a certain layout at a certain show, where a coach had been thrown off the rear of a train, unnoticed, as it passed through a tunnel. This tunnel was built over a curved track which had a radius of about 15" by the way. The loss wasn't discovered until pack up time and that baseboard section was turned vertical and the lost coach fell to the floor! A late friend of mine had an N gauge layout. At an exhibition he lost a BR brake van, he assumed it had been stolen. About 3 years later, having been taken to a handful of other exhibitions in the mean time, while handling the layout to take to another exhibition, an object fell out which I picked up - the missing brake van! Presumably it had caught up by its coupling and stayed sight unseen for all that time. In fact he'd sold the rest of his British N gauge by this time! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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