# Tunnel trouble



## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

Found out today that there was a drainage problem in one of my tunnels. Train went in, didn't come out. Pulled off the access panel, discovered that water and mud had collected in the middle of tunnel. I had to scoop a lot of muck out from under the track and replaced it with some patio tiles and cement. I got most of the repairs done today, will finish tomorrow.


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

Things are looking pretty good in the tunnel. I built up a small cement berm between the track and the tunnel wall. The seepage is now running out to the end of the tunnel, and the track is no longer sitting in a puddle.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Very prototypical Ray! 

Greg


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

I went out this morning and there's more water than ever coming out of the tunnel -- and more seeping out of the steps and hill. Obviously, this isn't natural and it's not a drainage problem. Turns out the neighbor installed a sprinkler system at the top of the hill just on the other side of the fence, and the pipe's leaking underground!


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## Biblegrove RR (Jan 4, 2008)

I hope you do not own a gun!


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## Burl (Jan 2, 2008)

Any way you could work it into a water feature?


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

At least its not coming from a crack in a swimming pool, seen entire lots and homes taken out by that kind of leakage.


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Maybe dig a trench on one side of the track in the tunnel and run it to one end of the tunnel and then create a small water fall off the the side. Maybe even irrigate some plants with it. Later RJD


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## Mike Reilley (Jan 2, 2008)

Woof....the ONLY fix for a problem like this is to fix the leaking pipe...and address any irrigation (especially over irrigation) issues that may exist. If you have MUD and water, you have earth movement. Earth movement can come from runoff carrying soil or it can be saturated ground passing water through it. Depending on the saturation level, a good rain storm could add enough water in a short period to cause a slide. 

The key thing, the MUD showing up is a very bad sign because it means the water is carrying earth with it. You need to determine whether the mud in the tunnel is flowing INTO the tunnel from the ENDS of the tunnel (run off) or through the hill into the tunnel (pre-slide condition from ground saturation). If you have a ground saturation problem, fixing the water source issues is necessary...but you should also consider installing a french drain system with a sump pump if necessary to keep the water pressure off your hill and layout area.


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

Yeah, fixing the leak is definitely the key thing here. Ground saturation is a major concern.


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

I talked to the guy when he came home from work, and he was able to turn off water to that portion of the sprinkler system, until he can get it repaired. So I can breathe a little easier now. The whole hillside was becoming extremely saturated and I don't know how long it could hold up that way.


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

Wow, glad to hear that Ray, I was worried the whole thing would come crashing down, still some concern, I would think.


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## SailorDon (Jan 6, 2008)

Or you could model the real thing!









Not too many model railroads have a "tunnel with washout" feature.


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## Great Western (Jan 2, 2008)

Water issues? Consider the Severn Tunnel - a railway tunnel nearly five miles long between Western England and South Wales. This tunnel is beneath the River Severn and during its construction, in the mid 19th. century, unfortunately met the Great Spring. Dependant on the surrounding land water table the pumps have to shift anything between 24 million gallons and 40 million gallons + per day!


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## KVBarkley (Jan 9, 2009)

While they don't pump out *quite* that much, the 105 Freeway in Los Angeles is a good example of this. The section between the Los Angeles and San Gabriel River was built below grade to cut down noise. Of course, it goes into the water table so they need to pump out the excess water and flush it down the river. The ironic thing is that a few miles north is a settlement basin where they capture water from the rivers during the rainy season and pump it *into* the water table for water storage. So they pump water into the water table on one end and pump it out on the other. CalTrans *tried* to keep this a secret!


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## Bob Pero (Jan 13, 2008)

Ah Yes- Your government at work!!!


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