Michael,
Painting the back side to match the water was a neat trick. Definitely created th illusion that the pond was larger. What kind of material is under the foreground tracks? If they're mounted on foam or something fairly workable, maybe consider carving a feeder stream under the trackage, emptying into the pond? You could place culverts or short timbers carrying the tracks across. Just a thought. Anyway, I think you've got some good ideas going.
Chuck
Grand River & Monongah Railroad and subsidiary Monongah Railway
selectorWe need to see a realistic surface realistically reflecting a credible sky blue. This means we need to have nearby panels or a backdrop able to reflect the appropriate blue back onto the surface.
Sean
HO Scale CSX Modeler
MotleyI'm not sure how I can extend the pond outwards more naturally with those other sets of track in place. Any suggestions how I could accomplish this without major surgery?
You could raise up the track closest to the bridge by 1/4 to 3/8 inch (hopefully not too great a grade to do this), then extend the pond closet to the other two tracks. Span the water with a plate girder bridge or two on the close track. Add a culvert under the other two tracks for a stream to flow into the pond.
The water could be done in place, make a dam out of plaster or silicone sealer. then do a new pour of water. You probabaly would have to remove the existing water because it would be difficult to do a color match from the existing to the new.
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
richhotrainMichael, That latest enhancement looks pretty good. One possibility is to place a mirror under and behind the bridge to give the illusion of any even bigger body of water. The bridge would hid the mirror from view. Might be worth a try. Rich
That latest enhancement looks pretty good.
One possibility is to place a mirror under and behind the bridge to give the illusion of any even bigger body of water. The bridge would hid the mirror from view. Might be worth a try.
Rich
Thanks Rich! That's a great idea. I will see what it looks like after a put the cornfield backdrop in, then I'll experiement with a mirror.
Michael
CEO- Mile-HI-RailroadPrototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989
Alton Junction
OK so I painted the far shoreline to give the illusion the pond is bigger off the layout. And I also made the track shoreline more irregular shaped, and some grass/weeds. Once I ballast that part of the track and more scenery around the bridge it should look pretty good.
Let me know what you think now.
I think it looks good. Before it was placed under the bridge I couldn't see it but it once there the color matched.
Springfield PA
Medina1128Michael, starting from the edges, try brushing some straight white glue on top of the pond, making it a more irregular shape. Once you get it to the shape you want, sprinkle on some of the same material as the surrounding landscape. Build it up slowly, and once you've planted some weeds, tall grass, etc. in the new area, it should all blend together.
OK I'm doing what you suggested and I also painted the far side shoreline blue so now it's a bigger pond going off the layout.
MotleyThanks for the feedback. It should look alot better with the cornfield/farm background. I still plan to do more work on the shoreline, like adding some dirt and grass along the edge near the track.I'm not sure how I can extend the pond outwards more naturally with those other sets of track in place. Any suggestions how I could accomplish this without major surgery?Maybe I could paint the shoreline far edge of the pond against the wall to make it look like the pond is bigger off the layout?Thanks,Michael
Thanks for the feedback. It should look alot better with the cornfield/farm background. I still plan to do more work on the shoreline, like adding some dirt and grass along the edge near the track.
I'm not sure how I can extend the pond outwards more naturally with those other sets of track in place. Any suggestions how I could accomplish this without major surgery?
Maybe I could paint the shoreline far edge of the pond against the wall to make it look like the pond is bigger off the layout?
Thanks,
Michael, starting from the edges, try brushing some straight white glue on top of the pond, making it a more irregular shape. Once you get it to the shape you want, sprinkle on some of the same material as the surrounding landscape. Build it up slowly, and once you've planted some weeds, tall grass, etc. in the new area, it should all blend together.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
doctorwayne Turning the "water" ninety degrees to the bridge would make it look better, as it would more closely represent what you'd usually see in real life. This would also give you an opportunity to install bridges under those foreground tracks, which would increase the visual appeal. Wayne
Turning the "water" ninety degrees to the bridge would make it look better, as it would more closely represent what you'd usually see in real life. This would also give you an opportunity to install bridges under those foreground tracks, which would increase the visual appeal.
Wayne
I have to agree, I'm by no means a "rivet" counter (for lack of a better term) but the pond just jumped out at me, and you have a very substantial bridge above it
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein
http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/
While I think that your water looks pretty good, I have to agree with Archer regarding the size and shape of the "pond". A real railroad would have either skirted the pond or filled it in. Turning the "water" ninety degrees to the bridge would make it look better, as it would more closely represent what you'd usually see in real life. This would also give you an opportunity to install bridges under those foreground tracks, which would increase the visual appeal.
I don't think we would be able to see the bottom of a pond unless the water were routinely treated with floculents...which is highly unlikely. Ponds get warm faster, are subject to surface run-off from nearby agricultural facilities, and will almost always have a bloom or some turbidity that makes them largely opaque at depths greater than about 2'.
Secondly, it is how they look at the surface that is something like 60-70% of the realism that we seek as modellers. We need to see a realistic surface realistically reflecting a credible sky blue. This means we need to have nearby panels or a backdrop able to reflect the appropriate blue back onto the surface.
I think you have the right idea, and generally the right execution in terms of the 'water', but I would agree that now you need to figure out how to make the shoreline look more natural.
I'm not showing photos of my first water course. I have moved on... My second is many times better, but took some thinking and about two years before I knew what it needed to bring it up to a level of realism that even I could appreciate.
-Crandell
Michael -
OK, somebody has to ask... Why would there be such a regularly shaped "pond" directly under a bridge and nowhere else? I'm hardly a rivit counter and usually do things in modeling, "just because", but that seems a little out of place.
Archer
When you add paint to Realistic Water, it only takes a couple of drops.
I usually dip a disposable swizzle stick into the paint and then into the water and stir it with a quarter inch flat bit in my cordless drill.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
richhotrainMichael, I'm not sure which one I like better. That first photo of the water looks great too. I suppose it is all about what effect you are looking for. Very nice work. Rich
I'm not sure which one I like better.
That first photo of the water looks great too.
I suppose it is all about what effect you are looking for.
Very nice work.
Rich,
Oh really? Ya the first pour was also more clear, and you could see the bottom of the pond better. I painted the bottom with dark grey and green to try to give the illusion of depth. But when I adjusted the color with dark blue, it just covered the bottom.
I appreciate the feedback guys, thanks!
The final color looks great. I used an alternative method of coloring my pond. I painted the base, feathering each subsequent color. That way, I had a pretty good idea what it would look like once I made the pours. I used the gloss version of ModPodge. I also tried my hand at drybrushing highlights on the final pour. I just checked, and I don't have any pics of it. Oops!
Looks good!!!!!
This was my first time working with water. I needed a pond under the bridge. I used WS realistic water. I ended up with 4 seperate pours of about 1/8".
I used some sheet styrene and clear caulk around the edges so I could work on it without the bridge in the way.
I mixed some testors paint into the water before I poured it. It was too green, so I had to adjust the color and do another couple of pours. The paint mad it dry with a dull-ish finish, so the final pour was clear and the finish was glossy.
Got the bridge peers painted and installed.
This is the final result, (I still have to finish ground scenery and ballast)
Let me know what y'all think.