Making Rivers

[CPPedler]

I wonder if anyone has used Plate glass as a basis to make a river and what conclusions they have come to? I am currently building my layout which includes a river crossing and need to install the river first so that the central bridge pier can stand on it. The river is about 2feet wide ( 180ft in H.O.) and 8feet long. I was thinking of 1/2 inch toughened glass. Any thoughts would be welcome . PLS

[twhite]

Glass will work, but it's more generally used for lakes. If you want to really give the impression of moving water, I'd suggest you take a look at Woodland Scenic's Realistic Water, which is a product that you can pour on in 1/8" depths and gives a really good impression. What I do is prepare the river bed with plaster cloth, then paint it for depth with their earth colors, put in any rocks or boulders that you might want, then pour the Realistic Water on. To keep it from flowing off of the layout, I've found that masking tape on the edge of the layout makes a good 'dam.' The water will 'set' in about 24 hours, and you can add more after that for depth. I've used it on my layout very succesfully.
Tom

[CPPedler]

Thanks Tom,
What quantities does the Woodland Scenics stuff come in , as we are looking at 16square feet or so to model.?? PLS

[rockythegoat]

I've seen glass used on two different layouts and the problems that both of the guys stated they had were:

1. Anything on top of the glass (such as a bridge pier) looks like its sitting on the water.

2. You can't make anything look like its in the water (see #1) without using additiong scenery techniques, in which case, skip the glass and use the other technique.

3. Weight became a factor for one guy, as it was a fairly large piece of glass on a small module.

I agree with the advice twhite gave you and take a look at the Woodland Scenics stuff. It may be what you are looking for. Good luck!

[dave9999]

QUOTE: Originally posted by PenLocoSuper

Thanks Tom,
What quantities does the Woodland Scenics stuff come in , as we are looking at 16square feet or so to model.?? PLS

I have only seen it in small bottles (8 oz ?). And it can get expensive covering
a large area. On the plus side, it only needs to be 1/4" or less in thickness. Dave

P.S. I have read where a lot of folks use Envirotex instead. I have not tried this
product, but others swear by it.

[hminky]

Realistic water won't work because of the shrinkage factor in that large of an area. There was a NY harbor layout in RMC in the mid-eighties that used the ripple glass that is found in shower enclosures and that worked well.
Just a thought
Harold

[Don Gibson]

The nost realistic rivers I've seen were created with 4 foam riverbanks .. See EL PASO MARK on Atlas Foum

[retsignalmtr]

i have a bottle of woodland scenics relistic water that i'm going to use tomorrow. it is 16 oz bottle and is supposed to cover a 17" diameter area at a 1/8" depth. the bottle was $16 at a lhs. build your bridge, secnic the river bed then pour the realistic water on and let it spread out by itself. brushing on is not recommended.

[Anonymous]

USing WS for that wide and long river will take so many bottles of that stuff. Shoot on my river I used 5 bottles!!! at Like $15 a bottle is $75. Imagine the cost for yours. I have a see thru river that is "clean" water so you can see the bottom. The water is about a 1/4 inch deept too so that is what it took to make it look good. Then I used WS Stuff that made the water look like it is moving, thats another $10

[randybc2003]

You don't say what kind of river you are modeling. Mountain torrent, or flatlands meandering. I have seen effective work done with "sponge" finish on a "river bottom", then paint the deep and shoreline. Finish with several coats of Acrylic Gloss Medium. Get the economy size at your art & craft store. MR has had several articles on this, and it is written up in their scenery books.

[CPPedler]

Hi randybc2003,
The river that I am modelling is the Bow River , 9 miles or so west of Calgary in high summer so the river is quite low and still with sand bars exposed. I have managed to find some aerial pics on a web-site of the area. The reason for thinking of using plate glass was that I could paint the under side with a mix of pale blue and greens with a paint designed for making stained glass. PLS

[twhite]

QUOTE: Originally posted by hminky

Realistic water won't work because of the shrinkage factor in that large of an area. There was a NY harbor layout in RMC in the mid-eighties that used the ripple glass that is found in shower enclosures and that worked well.
Just a thought
Harold

Hminky--actually, I've got a spot on my layout where two rivers come together and flow into a lake that is about 2x2', and I haven't noticed any shrinkage at all. Is this shrinkage over a long term, or immediate? Someone else posted about this problem on another forum topic, and it made me wonder. But like I said, I've had no shrinkage problem whatsoever.
Tom

[DigitalGriffin]

I wonder if anyone has tried using a very dark smoked mirror glass for a riverbed bottom.

Calm streams and rivers have a natural tendency to show reflections. It would be a "neat" effect to see a dull image of your train from the water reflection.

Anyone?
~D

[hminky]

Tom,
I have noticed shrinkage more in a depth prespective. Maybe it is more noticable because my base is gravel with a large number of submerged rocks. I used it for a rushing water effect and that shrinkage makes it better. I would probably pour another layer if it were to be still water.



For my experiences with Realistic Water:

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/rushing_water/

Hope that helps
Harold

[CPPedler]

Thanks Harold and Tom. I think I'll give the Wodland Scenics Realistic Water a try , just a shame it doesn't come in larger quantities. PLS