Thanks for the input. I really like what you've shown.
Great looking layout!
Fred
I made for my Nscale Maclau River this breakwater years ago.
Port Allen is the first part I build for the layout; at this time I didnt had many space for the layout so it was necessary to work whith congested space.
The water along the rock wall is only 3cm or a few more than an inch.
The rock wall is rock mold plaster by Woodland Scenic; at this time I had only one mold, so the whole wall is made whith this mold.
The molds cover a foam base; I was inspired at this time by an article in MR published by Jhon Olson.
They are painted whith acrilycs wash, the water is a plywood base, painted gloss enamel deep blue, whith a few gree along the wall to simulate low water, the wave are heavy body acrilyc gel brushed on the base color, when dry the whole thing is brushed whith a clear epoxy, two coats in my case.
The breakwater rockwall,
More close view of the rock wall, Close view of the rock
More close view of the rock wall,
Close view of the rock
I've seen three types in passing on the Great Lakes.
The first is a concrete structure on cribbing, possibly with steel piling facing if built in the last 50 years.
http://www.uscoles.com/bikepix/dlthrogerbloughincanall.jpg
The second uses large placed rock to form a relatively smooth surface. The rocks are 5 to 10 foot in each dimension.
http://www.uslhs.org/images/tour_photos/2008_lake_superior/035.jpg
http://boondogsworld.phanfare.com/4989848_5592500
https://www.flickr.com/photos/23711298@N07/4465874576/
The third is random piled large rock of similar size.
http://daydreamslakesuperior.blogspot.com/2013/07/silver-bay-minnesota-atvs-fog-bonfire.html
Links only, these are not my pictures.
A breakwater made of concrete ships:
http://www.concreteships.org/ships/kiptopeke/
Dave
Just be glad you don't have to press "2" for English.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ_ALEdDUB8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hqFS1GZL4s
http://s73.photobucket.com/user/steemtrayn/media/MovingcoalontheDCM.mp4.html?sort=3&o=27
Depends on location, when it was built, where they got the rocks, etc.
In Hawaii, black lava rock is used, on top would be crushed rock so you could walk, possibly drive to the end so the channel marker could be serviced (unless a buoy is used instead).
I would advise using a foam core and covering it in gravel that is the appropriate color for the prototype. I would then add something like powder or dust on the top to create a smooth path. At the end I would use styrene to construct a channel marker and install a light on it.
West Coast S The outer break water at Los Angeles harbor is simply rip-rap and was constructed in the 20's for the express purpose of providing the Navy a calm water anchorage for the Battle fleet. An aside, where would one locate accurate models of a half dozen or so tri-pod masted battle ships and cruisers to compete such a scene? Dave
The outer break water at Los Angeles harbor is simply rip-rap and was constructed in the 20's for the express purpose of providing the Navy a calm water anchorage for the Battle fleet. An aside, where would one locate accurate models of a half dozen or so tri-pod masted battle ships and cruisers to compete such a scene?
I'm sure you're kidding, but museum quality ship models are for sale, starting around $225 and going up fast from there. Unfortunately, most of them are 1/200 scale, slightly large for anything byt your z scale layout. The USS Arizona would be 30" long in Z scale, and a whopping 7 feet in HO -- a real layout buster!
More to the point, I have built "authentic" New England stone walls using Woodland Scenics very fine and fine talus, locked together with matte medium. The same effect could be achieved using the coarse and very coarse talus, or even broken rock castings. You could even use coarse stone dust from your local landscape store.
Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford
Another suggestion I had received was to imbed stone into plaster. The clay seems like the way to go. I won't have to worry about plaster moving while setting up.
Also, great photos.
Thanks,
If you want a rocky breakwater, for my causeway I broke rocks into smaller pieces and piled them over a pine base that was covered with air-drying clay. I pressed rocks into the clay and I spread more rocks over the top of them to hide the pudding-like look of it and to make it wider at the base. I used a roll of masking tape as a steamroller to compact the rocks.
Then I used loads of diluted PVA to secure them.
Then I painted them dark below the high tide line and lighter above.
I made the tide line as straight as I could, given that I was painting over a very uneven surface.
Mike
Modelling the UK in 00, and New England - MEC, B&M, D&H and Guilford - in H0
Having lived in Gloucester, Mass for a number of years, my wife and I would take an evening walk out on the Dog Bar jetty and watch sunsets during the summer. It was made of large cut blocks of granite brought in from New Hampshire.
I have tried molding blocks in ice cube trays and wooden molds to no avail.
I like your idea about embedding different size stone into plaster and will try it.
Welcome to the forums.
I'll go along with Elmer on this one. The ones in the harbor where I went to HS had bunch of large bolders dumped in a long line. To make one I have thought of two ways that might work. First is to get some crushed rock the right size and attach them into a thick plaster or caulk layer on the base. The other is to carve a piece of foam to an approxomate shape and cover with broken up chunks of plaster, stained to the appropriate color.
The Rutland RR crossed Lake Champlain on a causeway made by dumping large chunks of marble in the lake, then putting roadbed on top of that. Similar idea to a breakwater.
Good luck,
Richard
There was a very well done breakwater at a train show I attended that was made out of "Birds Eye" gravel. Glued and dullcoated and weathered with painted tide lines, it looked great.
You can probably get a 2 Kilo bag at Home Depot. Also if you go to a landscape supply and ask for their various sample packs ( they are usually free) they go a long way in our hobby.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Kibri makes a Dockside Accessories kit that includes a stone breakwater and some dock casing plus misc. items. I used it to build a small harbour and with some painting it turned out well.
Walthers had it but I see they are out now but perhaps you can locate it in a shop. The item number is 405-38528.
CN Charlie
gandydancer19I always thought that a breakwater was something that was at the opening of a harbor that broke up the waves coming in. They are usually made of dumping large rocks in the water to make a low wall of sorts.
Growing up in New York along the Hudson River, the local oil supply facility had an old wooden sailing ship hull (a large 3 masted ship) sunk in the shallow water about 100 feet from shore. The hull was filled with rock and it acted as a breakwater for their facility. The ship was named the 'Buccaneer' and we used to row out to it and climb around on it, some kids used the bow sprit as a diving board. It was a very unusual site and in late evening the three masts were sihlouetted against the sunset. Just a memory that I thought I would pass on.
-Bob
Just found this article about the Buccaneer. The building in foreground is a boat club and the oil supply facility was/is to the left and out of the photo.
http://www.hastingshistorical.org/newslettercovers/90W.gif
Life is what happens while you are making other plans!
I always thought that a breakwater was something that was at the opening of a harbor that broke up the waves coming in. They are usually made of dumping large rocks in the water to make a low wall of sorts.
The photos I have seen in this post so far is of bulkheads.
So what does the OP (original poster) really want?
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.
The styrene sea wall looks great. You've given me another idea!
Thanks.
The aluminum foil is a really unique idea. I will try playing with that.
Thanks for the response. I am having difficulty posting a few photos. When selecting "Insert Image", an edit screen comes up and askes for source. I have tried entering the path to the photos as well as cutting and pasting to no avail.
I'll keep trying to figure it out.
I'm not sure exactly what you're looking for. I built this waterfront bulkhead with a piece of flat styrene and some styrene strips for the ribs.
It turns a corner to the carfloat terminal on the right side.
The bulkhead in the second picture is part of the carfloat apron kit by Walthers. When the carfloat is not in port, it looks like this:
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
fredn I've tried a number of different things but just can't seem to come up with anything that looks realistic. Any ideas would be welcome.
I've tried a number of different things but just can't seem to come up with anything that looks realistic. Any ideas would be welcome.
Scenery on my layout means essentially the rock face along the coastline. On a small and narrow shelf layout, there isn´t much room for anything really dramatic, so this scenic feature is the highlight of the entire layout.
I started out by filling the gaps between the two levels of the benchwork with chunks of Styrofoam, roughly shaped to the slope of the coast line. I managed to cut those ribs with a sharp knife without cutting myself!
Next, I covered this with a thick layer of quick drying plaster, to which I added cheap black latex paint to pre-color it. Immediately after covering the foam with plaster, I gently (and I mean really gently) pressed crinkeld tin foil into it to give it a rock texture.
Shortly before the plaster´s "official " curing time had passed, I carefully lifted off the foil, avoiding it to stick to the plaster. The result was quite pleasing.
Next was adding the tide lines, but that job isn´t yet finished.
from Saskatchewan, in the Great White North..
We have met the enemy, and he is us............ (Pogo)
Got a pic of what you are looking for????????? Breakwaters are not all the same.