Building tunnel portals - tips & tricks

Are those the Scenery Express portals? I was looking at those but wasn't sure how easy they were to modify. 

I think I have used the same tunnel portals discussed here.  I'm not sure who made them, but the two tunnel portals below were made from three of them, cut and extended, etc.  As I recall they were made of a cast plaster rather than hard foam.  But they looked the same, as I recall, as in the photos above.

The second photo below shows my most recent tunnel portal (to the right of the parking garage) - made last week.  It is 1/4" plywood with JTT cut stone plastic sheet contact cemented on and then cut to shape.  Worked out nicely in this location.

We couldn't find anything pre-fab that really fit our track spacing or curves so we are making our own. You can use plywood, MDF, Masonite, foamcore etc etc and some small trim moulding. These are concrete portals but we are going to make a couple rock face portals as well.

Some weathering still need and smoke stains for finishing touch are still needed.

The double portal below (which was made to match the Lionel portal at the right) is made of pink foam:

A description of how it was done can be found in this thread:

SSS 1-27-2013

Pete: 

Once again I'm blown away with your layout skills. My existing portals are all Lionel so matching them would be ideal. Thanks for posting this. 

One quick question: how did you achieve the final texture? Did you just scratch at it with a knife? Pretty new to working with pink foam.

NICE Pete!!!! I have a triple track tunnel planned.....good idea!

do they have mold kits that you could pour a plastic resin into?  that would be cool!

You can buy RTV and make your own molds.....

once you make your own molds use plaster it takes stains really well.

Nice work all

Don't scratch. Press in the pattern with a smooth, blunt instrument. It is easier than it looks--just practice a little first.  I use the tools from an old manicure kit.  I think you can find them at the dollar store. 

Here is a thread that also deals with tunnel walls.

I wound up ordering the concrete double portal from Scenic Express. It appears to be made from a cast rigid foam, similar to the pink foam insulation boards. It was very easy for me to use my Japanese fine tooth pull saw to cut off the top and bottom to make it fit my opening and also to cut out two sections to make it narrower. Got my new mountain into place this weekend and now I'm working on elevated track supports. Hoping to get those done today.