It is comforting that the prototype offers dramatic situations which can be realisticly created on our layouts even with their highly limited spaces. Here is an example on the WP&Y with a vertical rock cliff, tunnel portal, and wooden trestle.
Here is a view looking below the trestle, which includes details of the gulch. The track from Skagway is in view across the canyon. On a model railroad, we’ll probably have to settle putting it across an aisle.
Mark:
That’s really spectacular. It’s always refreshing to have an example of a real railroad with so much ‘condensed’ scenic effects in a little space (tunnel portal/short showshed/trestle/deep gulch) . It gives one a good argument against people who insist that you crammed ‘too much’ scenery in on a portion of your MR.
Tom [:D]
Another good example is Milwaukee Roads Eagles Nest Tunnel in Montana.
EDIT:I didn’t realize because someone embeds a picture in the forum that it’s assumed the poster took the picture, obviously I didn’t take the 2 pictures I posted below.
The 1st picture was taken by Ron Nixon, the bottom is unknown.
No, the tunnel is not 16 miles long, but rather 250 feet through solid granite. (It is 21 miles from Skagway to White Pass.) It is located at milepost 16. The location is also known as Tunnel Mountain, and the gulch below the trestle is called Glacier Gorge.
Mark
Maybe not quite as dramatic as the first two examples, but on the East Coast we have the B&O’s Ilchester Tunnel which opens ~30ft from a truss bridge:
http://beyondtherim.meisheid.com/wp-images/TrainsTrainsIMG_0991a.jpg
Good picture.
[:)]I see the bridge ties.
[:)]I see the guard timbers out side the rails.
[|(]But I don’t see the guard rails inside the running rails. Strange.
[:-^]So now I can omit some of the guard rails on my short bridges and still be correct.
I never hiked it, but I know it WAS there on the Penn Canal where the Connmaugh River dumps into the Alleganhy(sp) River there was a viaduct that used to carry the Canal across the River. One side was anchored to the shore and the other to a cliff face and tunnel. The viaduct that took the canal across the river was built by Roeblings father, I think (It’s been a while). The tunnel is still there, but the PRR blew up the bridge in the 1860’s by packing the causeway with black powder, and the cutting the support cables. By local legend it was loud. Very loud. The pilings might be still be there, I have conflicting reports about that, but the tunnel should still be there.
Thanks Mac. I didn’t shoot the pic myself though, that’s why I only posted a link to it instead of embedding it.
.
on the old clinchfield, there is actually a bridge that extends INTO a tunnel.
once again, a prototype for everything…
Looks like this was formerly a double-track line. Perhaps the limited vertical clearances of the tunnel was impetus to make it single track down the middle of the tunnel with its greater clearance.
Mark
Mark, the B&O removed the 2nd track back in the early 1960’s IIRC; that was when they decided to convert the entire Old Main Line to single track. They may have centered the track in the tunnel at a later time though…