How To: Make model railroad tunnels

Tunnels can help make your model railroad set-up come alive. But professionally made tunnels can be expensive, and they lack character. In this tutorial you'll learn how to make your own, customized tunnels.

Materials needed:
Styrofoam, either in two-inch thick sheets or large blocks.
Cutting tools, such as X-Acto knives.
Glue, if you're assembling the two-inch sheets.

1. First, measure your trains so you'll know how big your tunnels should be. 2-inch foam works well as-is for N scale trains, but for HO scale trains or larger you'll have to stack the 2-inch sheets.

2. Glue the sheets together and then carve and color them. Make sure the tunnel is wide enough for your train to easily pass through.

3. Alternately, you may choose to buy a large block of foam and use it as a solid hill or mountain, carving the tunnel through it.