Neat Ideas                  

Cut Away Tunnel

 The hardest part was to find a product that could be used as the tunnel walls and roof. Plastic downspout was finally selected. The 12' long piece of downspout was cut along its length to form the back wall, roof, and part of the front wall.  As you see, it look like a letter J. Drill small holes, about 5/64, so that just the tip of a  Christmas tree bulb will go through. Spray paint the tunnel black. Lay the track and ballast it. It is hard to work on the track when the tunnel is in place. Provide a piece of wood behind the track; the tunnel will be glued to the wood. 
The bulbs are attached to the back of the tunnel wall with black electrical tape (not shown). Leave access; you may need to change a bulb some day. The series string of bulbs is connected in series with a standard screw base for a house light bulb. Experiment to determine the wattage of the standard bulb that will produce the most realistic light level in the tunnel bulbs. I used a 40w bulb.
When you glue the tunnel in place, make sure you have adequate clearance. I used a piece of 2" × 3" lumber set on the track to hold the downspout in place while gluing. Use Liquid Nails for Projects. Notice that the downspout doesn't come down to track level. The wood must also be painted black.


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