New Product Announcement: Concrete Tunnel Portals

[AlkemScaleModels]

Alkem Scale Model announces our  latest products: concrete tunnel portals

Using laser cut technology these models simulate concrete tunnel portals used by the B&O, C&O and D&RGW railroads. The models use multiple layers of various thickness acrylic to create accurate prototype based renditions of the actual tunnels including engraved letters appropriate for each tunnel. The inner layer is designed to accept a thin styrene sheet (not included) to allow more realistic modeling of the tunnel lining.

If you wish to customize, we can engrave other names on these tunnels for an addtional charge.

For more info see    http://www.alkemscalemodels.com

[GaryHinshaw]

Nice idea Bernie.  Could you elaborate on just how customizable are these kits are?  Could you, for example, handle Tunnel 9, with its rhomboid face,

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=244763&nseq=75

or Tunnel 2, with its wing walls,

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=144123&nseq=60


Gary

[AlkemScaleModels]

Nice idea Bernie.  Could you elaborate on just how customizable are these kits are?  Could you, for example, handle Tunnel 9, with its rhomboid face,

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=244763&nseq=75

or Tunnel 2, with its wing walls,

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=144123&nseq=60


Gary

Gary,

Sure, we can make them.  If you send us a drawing of the tunnel you want, we can get you an exact quote. I would guess the price would be comparable to the C&O style tunnels. Wing walls etc are easy to add. My Brookville Tunnel was a wing wall.

Capturing the concrete form lines might be tricky. They might best be simulated with paint and weathering.

BCK

[AlkemScaleModels]

Nice idea Bernie.  Could you elaborate on just how customizable are these kits are?  Could you, for example, handle Tunnel 9, with its rhomboid face,

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=244763&nseq=75

or Tunnel 2, with its wing walls,

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=144123&nseq=60


Gary

We added Walong Tunnel (Tehachapi Loops) to our line of concrete tunnel portals.

[GaryHinshaw]

Whoa - thanks Bernie!  This must be some kind of record: less than 2 hours from concept to market!  Now I've got to get to work.

Cheers,
Gary

P.S. Hey Russ (tehachapifan), what's taking that spine detailing set so long??  Bernie would have had it done by now. 

[James Costello]

hehehe....nice work Gary!

Now we've got to find a photo of Tunnel 10  ;D ;D ;D

[AlkemScaleModels]

Whoa - thanks Bernie!  This must be some kind of record: less than 2 hours from concept to market!  Now I've got to get to work.

Cheers,
Gary

P.S. Hey Russ (tehachapifan), what's taking that spine detailing set so long??  Bernie would have had it done by now. 

Sometimes we can do a project quickly, but usually it takes a bit more time. In this case I had photos on hand and modifying the drawings was fairly easy.

We would like to continue to expand this line, so if you have a tunnel portal you'd like to see modeled, send us a photo or a scale drawing. We will do our best to get it converted to the laser.

We can do brick, and some stone portals too. Cut rough cut stone requires a different base material, but it can be done also.

Thanks,
BCK

[GaryHinshaw]

Now we've got to find a photo of Tunnel 10  ;D ;D ;D

Ok - this page ought to do the trick:

http://hewgill.com/photo/trips/tehachapi-loop/

Bernie, I'll give you 4 hours this time, starting..... NOW. 

If my current plans hold up, Tunnel 10 will be "exit, stage left" where my mainline heads into a helix to get back down the hill, so I only need the loop-side portal.  I hope this layout plan comes to pass... My plan also has Tunnel 5 and what would be really cool is to find a way for the tunnel to belch black smoke as an upgrade train exits:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=219130&nseq=35

 ;D
Gary

[AlkemScaleModels]

Now we've got to find a photo of Tunnel 10  ;D ;D ;D

Ok - this page ought to do the trick:

http://hewgill.com/photo/trips/tehachapi-loop/

Bernie, I'll give you 4 hours this time, starting..... NOW. 

If my current plans hold up, Tunnel 10 will be "exit, stage left" where my mainline heads into a helix to get back down the hill, so I only need the loop-side portal.  I hope this layout plan comes to pass... My plan also has Tunnel 5 and what would be really cool is to find a way for the tunnel to belch black smoke as an upgrade train exits:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=219130&nseq=35

 ;D
Gary

OK, that's pretty easy.  I'll add it when I get a chance. I'm working on another project right now.
BCK

[ednadolski]

I've got lots of Tunnel 10 pics if you want   However the trick with the Tunnel 10 wing walls is that the outboard sides have that stair-step sort of construction.  Altho mostly buried, it's still noticeable in places:




On Tehachapi many of the portals have noticeable crumbling/cracks, how hard would it be to replicate that on these portals?

The 6" concrete form lines would be great if it were at all possible to reproduce these.  They would probably have to be engraved somehow.  I'm not sure how to replicate them with just paint/weathering.

[AlkemScaleModels]

I've got lots of Tunnel 10 pics if you want   However the trick with the Tunnel 10 wing walls is that the outboard sides have that stair-step sort of construction.  Altho mostly buried, it's still noticeable in places:

On Tehachapi many of the portals have noticeable crumbling/cracks, how hard would it be to replicate that on these portals?

The 6" concrete form lines would be great if it were at all possible to reproduce these.  They would probably have to be engraved somehow.  I'm not sure how to replicate them with just paint/weathering.

Where did you get those portals. They look pretty good!

[GaryHinshaw]

Dynamite shots Ed!  You've been holding out on us.   >

[tehachapifan]

That really is terrific looking scenery!

Russ

[ednadolski]

Thanks all.  These portals are hydrocal castings from an RTV mold.  I scratchbuilt the masters using 6" scale stripwood to get the form lines.  I sealed the raw plaster and painted/weathered using acrylic washes and I used a file to add the "notch" for the double-stacks.  I couldn't find lettering small enough for the date stamp that the prototype has.   

I don't have a good pic, but on Tunnel 9 I had a "happy accident".  I covered the painted/weathered portal with masking tape to protect it during scenery installation.  When I pulled off the tape, some of the paint came with it.  My touchup job wasn't perfect but ended up looking more like weathered concrete than my original work 

[Caleb Austin]

sweet stuff Ed!