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Anyone model rain?

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  • Member since
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  • From: Rimrock, Arizona
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Anyone model rain?
Posted by SpaceMouse on Monday, September 26, 2005 5:14 PM
Lots of people model sunshine.
Fewer people model cloudy.
Fewer people model snow.
I even hear tell of a person who models a tornado.

Anyone know of someone that models a rainy day?

Just curious.

Chip

Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.

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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 26, 2005 5:22 PM
Chip,

I had never even thought of it untill I picked up Kalmbach's The New Scenery Tips & Techniques( ISBN 0-89024-621-1).
On page 16 of the book Mr. Rand Hood talks about and shows some methods to model a 'rainscape', including etched back lit 'lighting' strikes and bolts.
Although its only a couple of pages of info for the project it is a good read and has me wanting to put it in my layout design plans... hrmmm maybe over Canyon Diablo...

Peace.
Coyote
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Posted by SpaceMouse on Monday, September 26, 2005 5:28 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by grandpacoyote

Chip,

I had never even thought of it untill I picked up Kalmbach's The New Scenery Tips & Techniques( ISBN 0-89024-621-1).
On page 16 of the book Mr. Rand Hood talks about and shows some methods to model a 'rainscape', including etched back lit 'lighting' strikes and bolts.
Although its only a couple of pages of info for the project it is a good read and has me wanting to put it in my layout design plans... hrmmm maybe over Canyon Diablo...

Peace.
Coyote


Uh, Coyote, uh YOU'RE MODELING THE FRICKIN DESERT!

Chip

Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.

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Posted by SpaceMouse on Monday, September 26, 2005 5:32 PM
Two codgers sittin on the stoop in Winslow Arizona

"Think, it'll rain? Kinda looks like rain."

"Now what'd ya say a thing like that for."

"It's not for me. It's for my boy. I've seen it rain."

Chip

Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.

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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 26, 2005 5:46 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by SpaceMouse

Uh, Coyote, uh YOU'RE MODELING THE FRICKIN DESERT!


QUOTE:
Two codgers sittin on the stoop in Winslow Arizona

"Think, it'll rain? Kinda looks like rain."

"Now what'd ya say a thing like that for."

"It's not for me. It's for my boy. I've seen it rain."




[(-D] yes yes I know ! [:P]

But Imagine a flash flood coming down Canyon Diablo as a train is passing over the bridge.. now that's Action! [;)]
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Posted by Curmudgeon on Monday, September 26, 2005 5:54 PM
Sure, I have for about 12 years.
Quite effectively, too, I might add.
In fact, it's so realistic, my operators wear rain gear and we have to engage helpers as traction goes to sXXt when the track is wet on grades.

TOC
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Posted by SpaceMouse on Monday, September 26, 2005 5:57 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by Curmudgeon

Sure, I have for about 12 years.
Quite effectively, too, I might add.
In fact, it's so realistic, my operators wear rain gear and we have to engage helpers as traction goes to sXXt when the track is wet on grades.

TOC


Any pictures? It's not for me it's for Coyote.

Chip

Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.

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Posted by Curmudgeon on Monday, September 26, 2005 6:05 PM
Sure, but when it rains it gets dark, and photos are hard to see.
I can give you a shot of it dry, but around these parts, nobody takes any pix when it's wet.

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Posted by Curmudgeon on Monday, September 26, 2005 6:39 PM
Here's just after a squall, climbing out of the 4%, double-headed.....
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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 26, 2005 7:05 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by SpaceMouse

QUOTE: Originally posted by Curmudgeon

Sure, I have for about 12 years.
Quite effectively, too, I might add.
In fact, it's so realistic, my operators wear rain gear and we have to engage helpers as traction goes to sXXt when the track is wet on grades.

TOC


Any pictures? It's not for me it's for Coyote.


*blinks* It's for me? Oh umm yeah, right.. yes.. *nods* ummm certainly *coughs*
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Posted by Tracklayer on Monday, September 26, 2005 7:09 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by SpaceMouse

Lots of people model sunshine.
Fewer people model cloudy.
Fewer people model snow.
I even hear tell of a person who models a tornado.

Anyone know of someone that models a rainy day?

Just curious.



Hello Chip.

I modeled rain one time on one of my other layouts to some degree several years ago. The way I went about it was that, I took an old, stiff, 3" paint brush, dipped the tip in silver paint and made one gentle sweep at an angle on my sky blue back ground which left about 20 or 30 streaks that looked like rain falling from a cloud, then spray painted the flat white clouds above it and a little primer gray under the cloud an wa la...

Tracklayer
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Posted by Texas Zepher on Monday, September 26, 2005 8:42 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by SpaceMouse
Uh, Coyote, uh YOU'RE MODELING THE FRICKIN DESERT!

Thunderstorms & rain in the desert are a whole lot more dramatic and intersting than rain in Seattle. And then there are the double and triple ring rainbows. Even here in Denver (semi-arid) we get rain in the bright sunshine. Then there is the (umm what is its official name?) rain that evaporates before it reaches the ground.
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Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 26, 2005 9:00 PM
For puddles I have read, and I know some on the forum have mentioned floor wax. I have yet to try.
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Posted by ereimer on Monday, September 26, 2005 10:27 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by SpaceMouse

Uh, Coyote, uh YOU'RE MODELING THE FRICKIN DESERT!


i recently read a book about the construction of the ATSF line across northern Arizona from New mexico to California , and another about the construction of the line from Phoenix to the ATSF line . both books were filled with alternating flash floods from rainstorms washing out trestles and tracks , and fires burning down half the towns . it rains in the desert , just not very often . and because it's so dry the water runs downhill rather than soaking into the ground . you don't want to be in a 'dry wash' when it rains
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Posted by ttrigg on Tuesday, September 27, 2005 8:55 PM
When I want to model rain, all I do is sit down by the fish pond, bring out the D&RGW Rosebud Falls Branch.

And turn on the lawn sprinklers.

Tom Trigg

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Posted by dknelson on Wednesday, September 28, 2005 8:11 AM
Not modeling per se but years ago (20? 30? heck issues from 25 years ago still seem pretty new to me) a very excellent photo appeared in Model Railroader where the guy had simulated a rain storm. The scene as I recall was as if the photo was taken of a train from inside a lean-to or open sided shed.
The guy had taken a sheet of plexiglass and carefully scribed parallel vertical lines into it and the plexiglass was between the camera and the train. The effect was very realistic, as if the train was in a driving rain storm but the photographer was dry.
Of course that was for photography purposes only not permanently modeled on the layout itself. But with these rain storm sound effects CDs being available, I wonder if an isolated "viewing area" could be constructed using this same idea where it would be like seeing the layout through driving rain.
Dave Nelson
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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 28, 2005 12:57 PM
While we are discussing rain? How about a blizzard?
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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 28, 2005 2:35 PM
The layout that used to be at Cypress Gardens had dark clouds painted on the backdrop in the corner and a detection switch that would trip an old answering machine. When the train came by the tape would play thunderstorm sounds and I think flashed a light. I don't know if the layout is still there since the new owners came in. Anyone from the Winter Haven club here who would know?
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Posted by robengland on Wednesday, September 28, 2005 2:39 PM
Since the setting for my line will be Wellington, where it does rain a bit, I've been thinking that nice dry sunny scenery may not be too prototypical, so there will be lots of puddles etc as if it had just stopped raining.
The nearest I heard of actual rain, indoors, was a club who spray down their scenery to wa***he dust off. Most models are painted so they can stand a brief spray of water. If your scenery is realistic it should have provision for runoff anyway. So all you need is some drains at the lowest points to take the runoff. Those culverts will have to be working ones now. Presto, clean scenery.
Rob Proud owner of the a website sharing my model railroading experiences, ideas and resources.
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Posted by cheese3 on Wednesday, September 28, 2005 2:44 PM
I think I remember reading about how john allen modeled rain. If I remember corectly he took a 2 liter bottle, put some oil in it, turned it horizontal, and had it hooked to a motor so it would spin, shine some light through it and have it spin, the oil would want to stay down (gravity, duh) and the bottle would spin backwards so it would bring the oil up the side but it would run down so when the light went through it looked like rain.

Adam Thompson Model Railroading is fun!

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Posted by grandeman on Wednesday, September 28, 2005 2:44 PM
I think modeling a rainy day scene is a great idea. A setting with storm clouds on the horizon would be easy to do with some backdrop work and muted lighting. How about a body of water being whipped by the wind of a moving storm front? On a large layout, trains could travel from sunny areas to rainy ones, suggesting distance between scenes. The same could be done with snow to suggest higher elevations and distance.
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Posted by MAbruce on Wednesday, September 28, 2005 3:37 PM
I don't model rain, but I've taken a couple of pictures of my layout that would give the impression of rain.

The first was not intentional. I'd chalk it up to a poor digital camera and lousy lighting:


This one I photoshopped a storm in the background:


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Posted by cnw4001 on Wednesday, September 28, 2005 8:21 PM
Haven't thought about it but at the recent Cincinnati National Train show there was a module on one of the modular layouts which featured a tornado , it was really interesting and unique!

Dale
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Posted by JohnT14808 on Wednesday, September 28, 2005 11:30 PM
So what would one wear when running trains on this layout where it may rain or snow, or blow, or whatever??!? I think its a great idea, but would prefer to run ops in my casual shirt without being encumbered by a rain or pea coat. (That's a Navy jacket that few new recruits have seen...)[8D][8D]
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Posted by grandeman on Thursday, September 29, 2005 8:43 AM
Ya know, there's an MRC sound unit that does wind, rain, thunder, ect. Just a thought.

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