# Tunnel through house



## Michael (Jan 6, 2008)

Hello,

I am planning a new garden layout around the perimeter of the premises (house not yet built). At one side I'll have to go right through the house for a length of 9 meters/30 feet. Has anyone ever done this with live steam and no grades? I am going to meet the architect next week, so I am hoping for some ideas. Any comment appreciated - thank you.

Michael


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## eheading (Jan 5, 2008)

It sounds awesome, but what will you do if you have a derailment or other problem in the middle of the tunnel?

Ed


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## iceclimber (Aug 8, 2010)

A derailment is always possible due to something either track or engine related I guess, but if the tunnel would use straights for the majority, I would guess you would be fine. Would be nice to have a hatch to get to a derailment if that happened though. Sounds like fun.


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## Michael (Jan 6, 2008)

Well, that why I need your ideas...
Inside the house the tunnel could be "daylighted". If I built the layout at waist level (outside) the track inside could be running along the wall like a display shelf or be part of an indoor layout section. But what about track near ground level? However, ground level outside could be waist level inside if the house is built accordingly. Unfortunately the the garden is flat like a pancake... 

Michael


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## iceclimber (Aug 8, 2010)

Out of curiosity. Will this layout be for electric or Live Steam? If for Electric, I guess the derailment issue is not as bad, but for Live Steam you would have to clarify whether you would use meths or gas fired locos. If Live steam and you have a ground level track, your back may wish you had put in an elevated layout all around. You may get more responses at the track and layout forum on this site's main page.


I see you mentioned live steam in your initial query, but didn't know if that meant you were planning this for live steam yourself, or simply asking if anyone here did a layout like that with live steam before?


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## afinegan (Jan 2, 2008)

Make sure you can get to your engine at any time(within a few secs or so), especially with live steam,
Remember, there is a little fire going on that could potentially lite other things on fire. Also, live steam engines can stop at any time due to a number of reasons.


What happens if you had an engine do this underneath your house? house fire??
(at 51 secs, of course this is a worst case scenario, but better be safe then sorry)


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

I'll have to go right through the house for a length of 9 meters/30 feet. Has anyone ever done this with live steam 
Michael, 
I've run live steam indoors, but not in a tunnel as you are proposing. 

I think the local building inspector will consider it a fire risk - if he realises what you have built. And it will be a fire risk - your live steamer could run out of water right in the middle, and the fire will keep making everything hotter and hotter. 

My outdoor layout had a tunnel made from chimney flue pipe, which is square and large enough to handle a 1:20 train. FLue pipe is (coincidentally) fireproof so you might consider that option. My tunnel was straight, and the track was laid on a board that could be removed without too much trouble. The track floated on the board, with two strips of wood down either side to keep it in the middle. 

An open track along a wall is safer, but the wall openings will have to be very critter-proof. You don't want squirrels or raccoons all over your layout.


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Michael, 
DON'T do it! 
Two examples. 
1) Dan Pantages will give you the details, but he had his Daylight fuel line disconnect in a tunnel. FIRE = melted plastic Aristo passenger car. 
2) The G1MRA in the UK get to run at the Bekonscot model village each year. A few years ago a train with a bunch of freight cars derailed in a very long tunnel causing the loco to come to a halt. Things got hotter and hotter until the whole train of wooden wagons was ablaze. 
Also, I find it very scary when you can't see your loco for a long period of time, especially when running slow. 
I know - It's your railway, and you will do what you want! 
All the best, 
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## steamtom1 (Jan 2, 2008)

You remember *Murphy's Law?* It applies here.

We here in Detroit have a corollary to that law. "_*With respect to the auto industry, Murphy was an optimist." *_


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## Michael (Jan 6, 2008)

Posted By David Leech on 23 Mar 2011 09:04 AM 
...
Also, I find it very scary when you can't see your loco for a long period of time, especially when running slow. 
...


Thank you for all your comments!
Besides safety aspects - David has a good point here: there's no real benefit to be gained from a longer main line run if it's completely out of sight: first the train is in the tunnel, then behind the house and still disappeared...

So, with hindsight - stupid idea!

Michael


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## 212 degrees (Jan 13, 2008)

Why not run your line through a shed in your yard? The shed can be a main-line tunnel with easy access via a door and, if large enough and secure enough it can be a place to store all your rolling stock. 

Ten wise men have said it couldn't be done, but I've been doing this happily for years. I'm just not smart enough to know it is impossible. 

Okay, they were referring to running through a house and that actually be a poor idea, but with a shed you get the benefits without the drawbacks.


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## du-bousquetaire (Feb 14, 2011)

I built my indoor terminal before I made an extension to my house. Then when I built the extension I had to have the line to the indoor terminal run on a shelf in my living room and through the indoor-outdoor wall of the house (I had to make a cat door for the trains to keep the winter weather out), and the line actually runs through the john adjacent to the living room. It is actually no problem to have a track on a shelf run on one wall of the living room. But running live steam indoors is strickly prohibited because: 1) of the fire hazard (you never know when a meth tube is going to burst.) and 2) because of the likelyness that a steam loco starting a train (out of the yard in the indoor terminal) would most likely spurt out a good deal of steam oil and spray it all over the living room's white walls. 
But it is convenient to exhibit some new rolling stock or one of a visitors new locos. Electric running feeds the main line outdoor running tracks with trains just as Sunniside yard feeds Penn station with the necessary trains. This set up has been working for years succesfully, of course all is very accessible. Only hitch to this is when electric running is going on outdoors making sure no loco indoors starts off. i once put a friends NYC Hudson tender on the floor that way. Thank god only the trucks side frames were broken and Aster sent us replacement ones. Since I have installed cab contol switches to turn off unnecessary tracks when outdoors, with DCS digital I have had to develop a protocol to turn on or off engines as needed and use the cab control as part of that protocole. I call the engine before turning on the juice then as soon as it starts off I shut it down, then I turn it on again and it can run. Only one engine per track though. It still is pretty nice way to get real smooth operation out of doors.


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## Phippsburg Eric (Jan 10, 2008)

Can you run the railway just outside the wall of the house at or near ground level, perhaps passing under front steps or the like? 

If you have a narrow lot with little or no clearance between the house and the street and the house and the sides of the lot this may be tricky, In that case could your cut the corners of the house so it doesnt have square corners, as with a bay window or architectural turret? 

if you need to, you could make inlet the track into any driveway or walk way...using steel structural shapes rather than brass rail like a grade crossing. also, you could make raised portions swing out of the way when not in use. 

Certainly, you could have the train enter a basement window or similar for storage.

If the line were to pass through a garden fence or the like, it should do so near a gate where train operators can easily pass while watching and controlling their trains. 

If the line passes along the side of the house, could you tuck it right against the foundation? you could have the house overhang the foundation above...remember you should be able to get to all sections of track easily. if you are in a row house setting where houses touch this wouldnt work, but if there is room for a walkway, it would.


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## Steve S. (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Michael on 23 Mar 2011 06:08 AM
Hello,
 
I am planning a new garden layout around the perimeter of the premises (house not yet built). At one side I'll have to go right through the house for a length of 9 meters/30 feet. Has anyone ever done this with live steam and no grades? I am going to meet the architect next week, so I am hoping for some ideas. Any comment appreciated - thank you.
 
Michael


Lets see here, we have gone from a thread with 46 post's about running live steam in houses, garages, and basements to now questions about running Live steam through a tunnel through the house. Do you see what is happening here. Folks are starting to act like these fire breathing loco's are like running an electric train. And most seasoned veterans around here at the other thread encourage running Live Steam indoors.......So, what the heck.....lets just run one through a tunnel through our house. I will say it again, other then running indoors at a huge facility (D.H., Summer National Steam UP..etc.), it is down right irresponsible to run indoors. As a poster that I highly respect around here has said, "Murphy's law can always kick in". And lets not start getting into its dangerous to run your heater, power tools, lawn mower, weed eater, blender, micro wave, Big Brother is watching, etc. You all know what I mean.


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Steve S. on 11 Feb 2014 07:31 AM 
Posted By Michael on 23 Mar 2011 06:08 AM
Hello,

I am planning a new garden layout around the perimeter of the premises (house not yet built). At one side I'll have to go right through the house for a length of 9 meters/30 feet. Has anyone ever done this with live steam and no grades? I am going to meet the architect next week, so I am hoping for some ideas. Any comment appreciated - thank you.

Michael


Lets see here, we have gone from a thread with 46 post's about running live steam in houses, garages, and basements to now questions about running Live steam through a tunnel through the house. Do you see what is happening here. Folks are starting to act like these fire breathing loco's are like running an electric train. And most seasoned veterans around here at the other thread encourage running Live Steam indoors.......So, what the heck.....lets just run one through a tunnel through our house. I will say it again, other then running indoors at a huge facility (D.H., Summer National Steam UP..etc.), it is down right irresponsible to run indoors. As a poster that I highly respect around here has said, "Murphy's law can always kick in". And lets not start getting into its dangerous to run your heater, power tools, lawn mower, weed eater, blender, micro wave, Big Brother is watching, etc. You all know what I mean. Considering this is a thread resurrected almost three years later from the OP........... he has probably already built the new house and burned it down by now!


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## Phippsburg Eric (Jan 10, 2008)

OOF! 2011 ... didn't notice that! oh well!


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

I doubt if your house insurance would cover a fire due to it.


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## Michael (Jan 6, 2008)

Hi,
I just noticed that my old threat has been re-activated.
Thanks to all who replied.
In order to wrap things up:
Yes, the house is finished, we moved in in May 2012. 
The garden railroad re-opened in November that year - without any tunnel because of all the potential hazards involved.

Regards
Michael


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## Daniel Peck (Mar 31, 2009)

goto my youtube account sothenspencer and you will see videos of a layout that goes Thur a house...


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## cape cod Todd (Jan 3, 2008)

I have about a 20' long section of track that goes under my house. We have a addition that was built on sona tubes. There is about a 2' clearance under there so ti wasn't easy to lay the track but I used 2x4"s screwed together to form a "T". I don't have too many troubles in there but when I do it is a pain to climb under. I run track power no live steam. It would be a bit scary to have a live steam mishap under there.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Umm... this thread STARTED about a tunnel through a house...

Someone is confused...

Greg 

(really just checking to see if my login works on the new forum s/w)




Michael said:


> Hello,
> 
> I am planning a new garden layout around the perimeter of the premises (house not yet built). At one side I'll have to go right through the house for a length of 9 meters/30 feet. Has anyone ever done this with live steam and no grades? I am going to meet the architect next week, so I am hoping for some ideas. Any comment appreciated - thank you.
> 
> Michael


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

I think I would pass on trying to run through the house and especially at that long of distance. To may if and and buts than can occur. Later RJD


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