This quiet stream flows under a trestle at one end of my layout.
Beyond the trestle, it gets narrower:
On the other side of that stone road bridge, it becomes a mill pond.
At the other end of town, there's a swampy area. The beavers have built a dam and created their own swimming hole.
All of these were dug out ouf pink foam. I covered the rough foam with plaster cloth and then sealed that with white glue. Next, I added a skim-coat of Gypsolite to provide a gritty surface, and painted that. I typically used 3 or 4 thin layers of Envirotex. Each layer was tinted a bit differently with a drop or two of craft paint - dark colors for the deeper water, up to a light green for the top.
I added various flora and fauna as I went along. Envirotex is quite reflective, so having overhanging trees gives a nice effect. For the final shot with the beaver swimming, I took a Musket Miniatures casting of a beaver and shaved the "hull" to produce a "waterline model." I glued that to the previous pour of Envirotex and then did the final pour around it, so that most of the animal was under the murky swamp water. Preiser makes the waterfowl, which are just glued to the top layer.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Motley Nice river scene Rich!!! I still can't believe how great the turned out, with the tugboat.
Nice river scene Rich!!! I still can't believe how great the turned out, with the tugboat.
Thanks, Michael, I was pretty pleased how that all turned out.
Rich
Alton Junction
A view from the north shore of Lake Erie:
...and the same area from a different perspective:
...and from overhead:
A river scene:
Another river:
...and the same scene as viewed from the air:
All "water" is Durabond 90 patching plaster on plywood. It was worked with drywall knives to create ripples, waves, etc., then brush-painted with latex house paint. "White water" effects were added with a small brush and Pollyscale paint, then the entire surface was given three coats of high gloss water-based clear urethane, applied with a brush. The surface is very tough and has withstood several years-worth of cameras placed on it for pictures like the ones shown.
Wayne
Michael
CEO- Mile-HI-RailroadPrototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989
John,
You will get replies from people who are both much better modelers and much better photographers than I am, but I'll start things off:
This was a diorama that I made for a demonstration a couple of years ago. The river is made from acrylic gloss medium over painted plywood. The stream coming down the hill is made from acrylic gloss gel, dry-brushed with white gloss acrylic paint to simulate rapids.
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
No takers for their lakers? I guess I'll go first, then...
This river was gouged out of extruded foam, and the riverbed was then lined and sealed with hydrocal. While it was still sloppy, I sprinkled some pebbles over the pour to keep the pebble tops clean.
The hydrocal had a dollop of tan paint in it, maybe a bit of burnt umber, I forget which. Maybe a mix of both.
Once it was dry, I sealed the edges with masking tape and then poured two layers of a two-part finish quality epoxy available at paints stores and hardware stores. Each pour was about 1/8" thick. A couple of years later I added one more layer (got tired of the glassy unrealistic water surface that was also drinking water clear), but this time I added a half drop of Hauder Medium Green acrylic craft paint and a pinch of plaster of Paris powder. It foamed a bit during the mix, and went on opaque. It dried nicely with no bubbles. When it was set up, I covered the surface with a thin layer of gel gloss medium and stippled it with the side of a small foam brush applicator.
I am building a lake and a wide river on my layout. I would love to see photos from everyone's lakes and rivers on their layouts. Got any lakes and rivers photos? Please show them off and give me some ideas! Thanks!