HELLIER | THE ABANDONED RAILROAD TUNNEL
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Inspired by Planet Weird’s series Hellier, I created a half-scale replica of an abandoned train tunnel.
So just what is behind this miniature build? Appalachia.
It has a way of drawing the curious into its mysterious realm.
The landscape's beauty overshadows tales of strange occurrences, with many involving
mine, cave, and tunnel entrances.
It is here that our long-abandoned tunnel sits quietly in a pocket of forgotten time.
And it is here that our story begins.
It all started in 2012 when Greg Newkirk received an odd email.
A man claimed he and his family were frequently being harassed by goblin-like creatures around his home and near mines on his property in rural Hellier, KY.
Greg requested more information and after a few more messages, the man vanished, never to reply again.
With no more info to go on, the case was shelved for years.
In 2016, many synchronicities led filmmaker and researcher Karl Pfieffer to reach out to Greg - igniting the spark that reopened the case. With that, a team was assembled and they headed to Kentucky to document their findings regarding the man behind the email and more bizarre claims in Appalachia involving mines, caves, and tunnels.
That is what brings us here today.
All reference images for this project are contained in the series' episodes. Examples can be found in:
Continue the story...
Continue the story...
The Appalachians are comprised of ancient mountain ranges that were separated as the continents shifted. Included are the Scottish Highlands, a place where “The Good Folk”, or “The Little People”, were said to call their homes. These merged lands would strongly suggest they never left, and there may be more here than just the aforementioned beings.
Blasting through a mountain to create a new pathway is both physical AND metaphorical, contributing to the strange sensation of navigating the in-between. Some say anomalous activity is attracted to the liminal.
Much like this process shown with XPS foam, the stone is ripped apart, permanently rearranging the landscape. Destruction was a necessary evil to facilitate movement over extremely rough terrain.
However, the land and its unseen guardians refuse to let that evil go unnoticed – and perhaps unpunished.
This area is rich in its history, legends, and folklore; with many strikingly similar accounts. Most commonly reported are whistling, disembodied voices, and tommy-knockers; stories absorbed into the bloodlines of generations.
But notably, small child-like figures with characteristics akin to the Kelly-Hopkinsville goblins have been reported; though witnesses have often given them a variety of different names through the years.
Over time, these inherited tales shaped the fears and habits of working folk, communities, and even visitors.
Superstitions became woven into the fabric of everyday life.
However, tunneling and mining operations required workers to push those aside to financially support themselves and their families.
During the team's visit to Hellier, a local man gave the crew directions to this hidden subterranean site. Images of the tunnel's interior reveal that both left and right sides bear subtle differences in appearance, suggesting that extra bracing was required after its initial construction. It’s likely the structure evolved over time; adapting to withstand shifting weight and geological strain.
Here, missing and misaligned elements were incorporated on a miniature scale, based on what’s visible.
*All reference images for this project are contained in the series' episodes. Examples can be found in S1 E5 and S2 E6.*
The tiny timbers were sanded down, stained, and secured to the main box structure.
These days, this old skeleton stands in silence, listening for the occasional visitor, enticing... but not exactly inviting.
These bare bones remain as a testament to the precision and resilience of a bygone era.
Once a bustling, industrial railway, the remnants of track were either removed or are long-buried under tons of fallen rocks and beams.
(I chose to leave the rails to the imagination)
Dangerous debris is everywhere, as the tunnel is no longer safe for operation. Here, pieces of discarded craft materials were upcycled into something entirely new - while honoring a representation of something old.
Burrowing into the lore, the crew sought answers by conducting experiments in this decaying dome.
Meanwhile, only tens of feet away, a disheveled mound sat menacingly; watching in tense silence, rapidly becoming an area of interest... and potentially harboring an unsettling presence.
In acclimating to this man-made monstrosity, the investigators observed their environment. For them, ambient noises were familiar and easy to recognize since they were no strangers to caverns and the like. However, they were unable to identify the source of loud bangs, shuffling, and whispers near or just beyond the towering mound.
Though these tunnel walls have been altered by man, there is a sense of something more; something more than just the physical reminders of pick axe marks and hand-hewn timbers.
Countless reinforced cavities puncture this beautiful landscape, continuing to hold their breath to prevent collapse.
With this tunnel showing its age, there is a considerable amount of proof that this passage was well-traveled and well-worn.
Additionally, the exterior rock face boasts foreboding, even sinister shapes; indiscriminately using the lights of high noons and full moons to their advantage.
Many decades-old alterations are visible, as decaying boards and excavated rock are tightly packed into the gaping wounds of terra firma.
Regardless, the Appalachians are breathtaking, showcasing varied rich and muted earth tones. But beyond the beauty and history, the focus of the mission was the investigation.
The initial communication attempts in the heart of a dark earthen passage yielded very interesting results, yet no definitive answers.
The investigation was well-rounded, well thought out, and employed a variety of methods, taking into consideration any relevant mythology and folklore.
Were the emails just a hoax? Or perhaps a lure? What did it all mean?
Dana's vintage Hoi Polloi tarot deck played a role, tapping into the area's subconscious as divination can play an integral part in paranormal research. In addition, the Ganzfeld Experiment and The Estes Method were used to gain more insight.
So who - or what - exactly, was behind the cryptic messages?
Was it paranormal? Ultra-terrestrial? Extra-terrestrial?
Even so, something felt "off", and it definitely felt like they were not alone.
Many questions still hang heavy in the air, blanketing these old hills and valleys.
The superstitions and hushed warnings continue today, retaining their original potency and impact. And despite the plethora of tales old and new, the stories seem to be just as elusive and concealed as any creatures cloaked in the crevices.
At 1:24 scale, this diorama was by far the most difficult to build, knocking Greg's office out of the #1 spot.
I found this art set at the thrift store and decided to use the case as structural walls.
Here is a rough layout. The finished structure's dimensions are: 19.5" tall x 17" long x 15" wide.
XPS foam insulation is a great source for making any kind of rock formations due to its ability to be textured in a myriad of ways.
Here, the foam was ripped apart and redistributed into the wooden case sides to create the tunnel walls.
This, by the way, makes a GINORMOUS mess. Please utilize precautions when working with XPS foam and its dust. Next steps included painting and weathering.
I don't show it here, but if you're working with foam, I do suggest mixing your paint with mod podge to seal it.
This wash looked too dark but the color ended up evening out after a light dry brushing. It seeped into the cracks for a great effect.
Light greys and white were used to dry brush the texture, creating stark highlights and more depth.
I wanted to make a removable dome so it would be easier to get inside to tend to small details.
I've never done this before and it was an insane challenge to figure it out.
I cut up sections, marked out the dome's shape on each piece, and cut them out. This would allow me to stack and shape them more easily.
It's a good idea to use a foam-safe super glue for this material. I don't have any, so I used hot glue.
With that, it's better to use a lower heat setting so the foam doesn't melt on you.
Engineering is not my strong suit, LOL, but I'm sure you all are aware of that if you've gotten this far with me.
Shaping the dome was actually harder than I'd thought it would be. I was originally going to leave it "square" so that it would sit better on a shelf. That, however, didn't pan out as my family took a vote and "suggested" that I make the entire exterior out of "stone" to simulate the mountain.
Either this stuff is difficult to cut, or I needed a new craft blade. I'm going to go with the latter.
Fortunately, this packaging from something came in handy as it makes a perfect archway guide for the rest of the entrance build.
Let me just say that I had an image in my mind that I was working towards but I didn't really have a plan. Mostly because I've never made anything of this magnitude before.
I mean, it couldn't very well stay rectangular, so... in I went trying to shape this thing into something usable.
Sculpting the outside was harder than I thought. Who knew such a rugged-looking piece of terrain could be this involved? I learned a lot and actually ended up enjoying it.
I used a softer foam from packaging, most likely EVA. This also makes for great stones and stone textures.
If you rip foam apart, you get a much better visual result than using a craft knife with straight cuts.
Yes, I used hot glue again affixing foam pieces to the interior of the dome (please don't @ me, LOL).
I could have made this better, but hindsight is always 20/20. I felt it needed a smoother look with simulated pick axe marks for realism.
This is the only in-process exterior shot of the "rocks" that were held to the exterior dome with toothpicks and eventually glued down.
I originally was going to attach this humongous topper by using dowels and drilled holes in the frame. It just didn't look right, so that idea was scrapped.
Joint compound was used to fill any toothpick holes or gaps, smoothing out the surface to paint and seal it.
I had no idea at this point if it would work, but it actually started to look like something.
With that, a batch of Plaster of Paris, white PVA glue (pretty much the same as mod podge here), water, and paint was mixed up and applied to the "rocks".
The mixture was applied in one even coat over the entire interior of the tunnel dome.
I used a stippling motion vs. a brushing motion in order to create more texture.
When it dries, the Plaster of Paris makes it lighter in color and absorbs excess moisture.
More paint mixture was made in a beige base color to coat the exterior. I don't have the exact measurements, but Plaster of Paris, PVA, water, and paint is mixed until I get a good consistency.
I tried to follow the slanted gap marks I carved, mimicking the Appalachians mountain's presentation. At this point, I don't really think the direction of the paintbrush mattered so much.
Of course I was dissatisfied with the results and had to fill in some of the more obvious gaps with joint compound. It then was coated with a multi-color wash.
These are 1/2" x 1/4" strips cut to the length of the interior. These were the correct approximate dimensions for 1:24 (or half) scale. They will serve as the side bracing.
I marked out where to drill evenly-spaced holes, again according to old plans I found for this type of train tunnel.
A hand drill was much safer to make holes in the ends of these pieces than using the drill.
The best way I could think of to attach these small pieces of wood without them splitting was holes + wood glue + match sticks.
The holes were drilled to match the circumference of the match sticks.
The dry fit went well, so I went ahead and got out the wood glue.
All attached and set out to dry overnight.
According to reference images seen in Hellier, both sides of the bracing in this tunnel had subtle differences in their construction.
I'm sure they reinforced these beams as needed.
Here is the right side of the beam structure, as seen in the reference material.
There were other boards that were used between the beams as extra bracing but as you can imagine, it was very difficult to attach them in a traditional construction sense. Glue it was!
I don't know what these overlapping boards are called, but I was determined to match the videos of the tunnel.
The holes were marked out where they were to be "hammered" into the beams.
I tried to use a brad nailer but it wasn't accurate and would split the wood from sheer force.
I had to drill holes to place the brad nails in, hoping they'd resemble life-size ones.
So far so good?
Anything can become a hammer if you try hard enough.
And voila!
Now it was critical to get rid of all the sharp, new edges and make the structure look worn.
It actually took a lot more sanding than I thought it would.
After the glue dried, I remove the remaining pieces of match sticks and sanded the top smooth.
This is just acrylic paint as a dark wash. More weathering was done later, adding a water line, mossy green color, dry brushing, and general weathering.
Now, since I had no plan, how exactly were these going to stand up straight in the box structure??
XPS foam to the rescue! I marked out where the beams needed to sit so the bottom could be attached.
Punching out holes...
It fit pretty well, and my plan was to camouflage these with debris and paint later on.
Yes, I used hot glue.
The sides of the art set with the carved rock were attached to 1/4" MDF board as a base.
This is after the first coat of acrylic wash dried.
The base color for the bottom layers of debris was grey, of course using the same mixture as before.
I had to make broken beams and boards stand out to look like old wood, contrasting the grey surroundings.
And here is the floor, base debris, and side supports drying. Another piece of 1/4" MDF was attached to the back of the structure, completing our box. A mirror was installed for a later infinity effect.
I had to construct a debris pile that sits in the middle of the tunnel. It was located just beyond where the investigators were sitting.
Using a base of styrofoam, I built up layers of "beams", "boards", and "rocks" using various materials.
This piece fits in the center of the tunnel. Later on, I cut it in half to put it against the two-way mirror that was placed in front of the back mirror to make an infinity effect.
A friend of mine was getting rid of some art supplies in 2023. This bag of sand has been sitting in a box untouched and not much attention paid to it. When I remembered I had it and could add texture to a paint mixture, I pulled it out of storage and stopped in my tracks. There is no shortage of synchronicities when dealing with anything Hellier related.
This got a nice dark base coat but later on I realized I should have used a lighter color. I made it work in the end.
Fallen beams were cut to scale size and weathered accordingly.
These fallen beams will come into play in the next section.
Weathering with a dark wash, making sure the crevices soak up the paint.
A light colored dry brushing was used to highlight the details of the beams as well as simulate a dusty environment.
I'm happy with the size of the debris pile.
Adding PVA glue, then tile grout.
I learned in this project that I now *despise* tile grout.
Here I'm just brushing the tile grout down to eliminate any lumpy spots.
You can't see it here, but I have a spray bottle with watered down PVA glue to activate all of the tile grout.
...aaaaaaand here it is mid-air as I dropped it.
I used the same method as the brace structure for these arched beams.
I used the hand drill to make holes and attached these together with match sticks and wood glue.
After drying overnight, I was pretty pleased with the results.
Although not perfectly aligned, I was OK with that since we are building an abandoned tunnel that is falling apart.
Dark wash, weathering, and dry brushing before installation into the top of the tunnel. Notice where the wood glue dried outside the joints - that's where the paint won't stick. I learned to be more careful in the future.
I didn't get to record the installation process, unfortunately. I can tell you it was an extremely difficult process for someone who A) hasn't done this before and 2) had no viable plan. I ended up using pieces of bent black craft wire which simply held them in place into the foam. I added glue for extra strength and did my best to camouflage the wires with additional debris.
The interior was treated with PVA glue and tile grout. I wish the arches came out better, however I did end up learning a lot.
I don't know if I'd have been better off doing this first when it was flipped over or like this. Either way, tile grout is stupid and I had no idea how to apply it in this position. I resorted to an empty syringe to shoot it out onto the glue then wiping off any excess. It was fixed into place with the spray mixture of watered down PVA.
This is the front of the tunnel over the main archway. I wasn't able to record the process with the foam, but it was about the same as before. The slight difference was I used flat pieces of foam to simulate the layered rock of the Appalachians. I had some camera issues that made it difficult to record the painting process at this point in the project.
Here, I'm coating the rest of the bottom section of the exterior. I was literally using one hand to hold the camera as I was painting with the other. Not super ideal, but at least I got some of the process. I'm still working all the kinks out as far as being a "content creator".
These are EVA foam "rocks" (very soft) but they have a very similar appearance to XPS foam.
I used a painting technique from the world of model railway terrain. I didn't capture it on film either, but I will say there are a ton of great tutorials on YouTube about it. The one I watched was from a few years back on Woodland Scenics' channel.
Basically, you have 3 colors and a wash. You use a foam brush and dab the colors in random places so they run down the rock. Repeat with the other two and they blend together beautifully. Then apply your wash to tie it all together.
Here, I used yellow ochre, burnt umber, burnt sienna, and a greyish wash followed by a dry brushing and the addition of foliage.
"Boards" and "rocks" were used to pack in the crevices of the archway and the interior above the wooden beam bracing. I used a combination of match sticks, coffee stirrers, bass wood, and foam followed by washes and dry brushing.
This was beneficial in keeping a semblance of stability when rocks on the mountain shifted or fell, often giving way to geological strain.
This is a great example of the texture created with XPS foam.
Last step to tying it all together was dry brushing.
Here you can see disconnected "wiring" (thread) affixed to a support beam and ran down the length of the tunnel.
Also, there is a 3-toed bird track symbol that Greg drew when they visited the tunnel. It's probably not on the right beam, but I tried my best to be as accurate as possible.
There were details that I really wanted to stand out - the little things that you barely notice at first but enhance the aesthetic and sense of realism when you do.
The intricate placement of "debris" as well as how the structure is held in place was an extremely challenging task.
I did design the instruments the crew was using, however - some were just too small to print and I had to make them in an alternate fashion. What did come out decently were the lanterns, headphones, tin can, and a small round speaker.
Painting the "tin can" silver before weathering it.
Prior to this project, I meticulously made a 1:12 scale Hoi Polloi tarot deck. Yes, I had to alter all 78 of the cards' images and attach the backs to print out on a sheet.
They were folded in half and glued together so they not only had a front and a back but more strength than just flimsy paper. Cardstock is too heavy at this scale.
I realize these are out of scale for this diorama however, if I made these any smaller you'd likely not be able to tell what they were.
Dana did a spread with these cards in the tunnel. They were The Ace of Pentacles, The Emperor, and the Hanged Man. I also added The Devil card prominently sticking out of the small wooden card box because for the Newkirks, this deck in particular kept providing that card with nearly every spread.
So with some of the 3D printed items not turning out fantastically, I printed some decals on sticker paper.
The decals were then affixed to a square white styrene rod so that light could filter through and illuminate the items.
This one in particular is a Tri-Field meter. Included in this bunch were: SB-7 Spirit Box, Tascam recorder, and a MEL meter.
I don't deny this was extremely difficult to pull off, but I'm happy for the most part and if I ever make these small pieces again I'd do it differently.
Using a battery compartment from Dollar Tree fairy lights.
Drilling a hole in the bottom of a section of "fallen beams" to insert lighting. This end is where one of the lanterns were positioned next to where Greg was sitting.
Threading a bright white nano LED through the beams.
Testing out a blue nano LED for the SB-7 Spirit Box.
Testing out the wiring. I did notice that the red nano LEDs didn't play well with the white or blue ones.
Some of these items are so incredibly small that it's hard to get good photo and video. I am actively working towards creating better content and using better photography techniques.
Putting the "lid" on the tunnel... This diorama is *HUGE*!
Here is the final, haunting shot - located directly next to Greg's office. Please keep in mind that the office is 1:12 scale and the tunnel is 1:24 scale, meaning the tunnel would be twice as big if done in the same scale as the office.
Here, like shown at the beginning of this page, is the Pepper's Ghost effect used with a cell phone and a piece of plexiglass placed at a 45 degree angle. The phone is hidden behind the "debris" pile and reflects video into the background.
This was the infinity mirror effect. It was only after the fact when getting ready to install the two-way mirror that I thought about how it needs a BRIGHT light source between them. Ummm... well? Tunnels don't have bright light sources. So there's that.
Remember...
Season 3 of Hellier is highly anticipated as the mysteries continue to unfold.
This dio rama was just a symptom.
Remember: high strangeness is elusive; look around, lead others in efforts to research the phenomena.
Thank you for reading and feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or comments!
To Planet Weird, Greg & Dana Newkirk, Karl Pfeiffer, Connor J. Randall, Tyler Strand, and Rashad Sisemore: THANK YOU for your continued efforts and research.
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