Water

[Anonymous]

I hate to ask thisk becouse I beleive someone may have not to long ago. How do you all think I need to make my river? It's problemly 4ft long and 5" wide. It also has a Waterfall that maybe 1' to 1' 6" tall. Ho modeling in HO scale. I'm leaning toward using toward useing real water like Wayne Roberricks did on the Teton Short Line. (http://www.ida.net/users/tetonsl/railroad/water.htm) I'm would really like another opinon. Should I use real water or some fake water?
Thanks in advance,
Pierce

[Anonymous]

I have seen many pictures of 'synthetic' water scenes that looked fantastic to consider the logistics of real water practical. Just my 2 cents. - Ed

[Anonymous]

Personally I'd stay away from real water. I had a friend many years ago who used real water on a
Lionel layout. It presented soooo many problems with humidity rust, etc.

[Anonymous]

The builder of the Teton Short Line is fully entitled to believe real water is worth having on a layout. I wouldn't even consider it, and neither would most model rairoaders. The main reason is that water does not "scale down". It has certain properties, including, but not limited to mass / density and surface tension, that prevent it from looking "real" in a scaled-down setting. Even if every problem with it's containment, treatment, purity, and moisture-borne side effects are somehow addressed, it is not possible for the water to look "real".
The late, great John Allen tried real water, didn't like it, and scrapped it.That decided me more than anything, back in the 60's, not to even try it.
I suggest you get the Kalmbach book "How to Build Realistic Model Railroad Scenery" by Dave Frary...every proven artificial water method known, covered very well.[ along with other excellent scenery methods & ideas]. Good Luck./ Mike

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the help! I Didnt even think about causing rust or mildew. I belive im trying some kind of atificial water (nit sure yet im goin the read the book) Thanks Again,
Pierce

[Anonymous]

One thing to keep in mind with real water is that if it isn't kept moving, it will become stagnent and then you could have a big problem on your layout. I'm trying to figure out just how to approach constucting a 28 foot river with a waterfall of about 18 inches. One thing I was told about modeling moving water was the following: Paint your suface purple and then lay out Clear bathtub caulk on ceran wrap. Put some grooves in the caulk and let dry overnight. Then pull off and attach over your purple background and you are supposed to have the appearance of moving water. I haven't tried this yet but I will. I sugest that if you want to try this method, test it first with a small amount. Good luck. tomasch

[Anonymous]

Hi Pierce!
I agree with Mike Meaford...forget real water...get Dave Frary's book. It contains everything you will ever need to make all of your scenery.
Good Luck!

[n2mopac]

Here is a tip on synthetic water. Stay away from Woodalnd Scenics' E-Z Water--the pellets you melt and pour into place. I used it on my N scale layout about 4 years ago. The initial effect looked gread, but I had to use a heat gun after pouring it to get all the bubbles out. This is delicate to do without burning/melting any surrounding scenery, etc. The real porblem came with time. As the seasons changed and the temperature changed it started to pull away from the banks. Then one January our electricity went out and it got pretty cold in the house (about 40 degrees) and the stuff cracked all over like a windshiled hit by a rock. This can be fixed with a heat gun again, but it is hard to do without damaging surrounding scenery.

On a more positive note, Woodland Scenics has some out with a new pour-into-place product that I have heard raves about. I've not used it myself, and I can't remember the exact name, but I hear it works well without all of the difficulties associated with E-Z Water.

Ron

[Anonymous]

I asked the same question about 4 months ago. The Dave Frary book is really great, but to purchase current products you might try going to http://www.manhattantrains.com/ and click on scenery..then water...They sell Envirotex Casting Resin AND the CASTING RESIN CATALYST...the description on the website specifically talks about wave effects, etc. I've been researching this for hours at hobby shops,craft shops, and on the web. While I haven't actually made the water...when I get time, I'm sure this will work...They also sell water tinting colors..and I'm kicking myself for not buying them too.