# Tunnels or Forests?



## QueenoftheGN (Dec 10, 2019)

Well, I’m back, probably;

Do you prefer tunnels or thick forests to obscure trains in the back of your layout to make it seem larger than it actually is? I’m thinking I’ll do a forest but I do wonder if a tunnel would be better.


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## SF Gal (11 mo ago)

How about a backdrop to hide the return track? That way you could incorporate both!


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## Fire21 (Mar 9, 2014)

A tunnel would certainly be easier, especially if you make your own trees. How about a forested mountain with a tunnel?


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

On my previous N layout I had a backdrop on the wall, and a mainline directly adjacent. So I built a half-hill… straight vertical on the back (track) side and sloped on the front, tall enough to obscure trains. Populated the top with trees. I kept it removable. The ends were just dense trees obscuring the lack of portals. Other than being along a straight wall it seemed to disappear behind the hills, rather than enter a mountain. But from the end of the layout you could see all the way down that mainline for any unforeseen need (derailments, power issues, etc).


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## Viperjim1 (Mar 19, 2015)

Well with a tunnel on an edge says it might be on the backside of the layout. If any track or train problems may be a little problematic to retrieve anything in the tunnel or fix it if it’s not removable. But half tunnel with trees , then you can still have the illusion of a tunnel and have access in that area as it will be open.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

QueenoftheGN said:


> Well, I’m back, probably;
> 
> Do you prefer tunnels or thick forests to obscure trains in the back of your layout to make it seem larger than it actually is? I’m thinking I’ll do a forest but I do wonder if a tunnel would be better.


Annie;

I use removeable backdrops, and lift off "city blocks" to hide my trains on the tracks I don't want to show. My layout is set in Seattle, and that city actually has a lot of short tunnels & overpasses where the railroads are below street level.
Besides the track you can see, these photos show some of the ways I conceal track. There is visible track behind the rock face in photo 1, hidden track behind the backdrop in photo 2, and semi-obscured track behind the trees in photo 3.
There is a yard full of track under the city buildings in photo 4, and Photo 5 shows the track disappearing under a street bridge, around a curve, and ultimately into that staging yard under the city blocks shown in photo 4.

Regards;

Traction Fan 🙂


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## Andreash (Dec 30, 2018)

I like the idea of a backdrop I’m the middle. It’s gives you the opportunity to model two different scenes.….


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## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

I would do a Forrest to conceal. Perhaps obscure would be a better word. It will be simpler to clean the track in the edge of a forest than inside a tunnel.

I vote Forrest.


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## pmcgurin (Sep 7, 2010)

I remember reading in one of the RR modeling magazines than one modeler recommended building tunnels with removable tops to facilitate cleaning and clearing derailments and other accidents in the tunnel.


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## BigGRacing (Sep 25, 2020)

QueenoftheGN said:


> Well, I’m back, probably;
> 
> Do you prefer tunnels or thick forests to obscure trains in the back of your layout to make it seem larger than it actually is? I’m thinking I’ll do a forest but I do wonder if a tunnel would be better.


Welcome back Annie,
I had noted that I hadn’t seen any of your posts lately, may I ask why the ‘probably’? I know on the other forum, I am also reading about the step up method with the back track being raised a little more as a different sight line possibly?


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## Jscullans (Jul 8, 2019)

In the end the decision is up to you and I’m not sure where your layout is supposed to be based but I would say if you’re modeling a mountain railroad then use tunnels. If you’re modeling the flat lands a Forrest would be more prototypical. I don’t have any tunnels on my layout but I’m modeling central Illinois so a mountain wouldn’t quite look right


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

pmcgurin said:


> I remember reading in one of the RR modeling magazines than one modeler recommended building tunnels with removable tops to facilitate cleaning and clearing derailments and other accidents in the tunnel.


pmcgurin;

You're right. A model railroad tunnel that doesn't have good access is simply a bunch of problems waiting to happen. By "good access" I don't mean reaching into the tunnel portal with a stick .
A model tunnel needs to have a generous hatch for cleaning & maintenance. Lift-off top (or entire tunnel) or an access hatch on the back side of the tunnel, the bigger the better.

Traction Fan


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## Mixed Freight (Aug 31, 2019)

QueenoftheGN said:


> Well, I’m back, probably;
> 
> Do you prefer tunnels or thick forests to obscure trains in the back of your layout to make it seem larger than it actually is? I’m thinking I’ll do a forest but I do wonder if a tunnel would be better.


Hi Annie!

I was thinking about you the other day, hadn't seen or heard from you for awhile. Glad to hear from you again!

Here's a few pic's from one of my N-scale layouts........................

Split-Rock Tunnel. A real, live tunnel that still exists to this day, on the old Rock Island line in Illinois. About half way between Chicago and the Quad Cities area in Iowa/Illinois. Although the trackage no longer exists *through* the tunnel, the outside trackage DOES still exist, and the Iowa Interstate Railroad still makes regular trips on this trackage........................










And with the top removed, for easy track access...................................









100% pink foam mountain construction. Hope this helps a little bit!


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Most model railroaders build a tunnel when a real railroad would just cut through a hill. For this reason, I like backdrops used as scenic dividers with strategically placed hills and trees.


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## 5kidsdad (Nov 28, 2021)

Make a tunnel of trees. This way the top is open for track maintenance. If something does happen, no need to remove a cover. Leave a small opening on the sides so you can watch the train pass by. If you place a scene divider, the trees will help hide it.


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

The hill in the back ground along the wall, not near the door, was just 2-3 inches tall. The vid was before trees were added and the base of the hill blended, so you can see a strip of exposed blue foam in the vid. The mainline was between that and backdrop down a 4 inch wide “corridor.” The backside of that hill was flat, so the mainline was in a sort of U channel. I did things kind of like a movie set. I still have some structures done in a similar way (foam/wood back wall etc).

Ancient vid from my old N layout.


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