Working on my river valley.

Looks really great!

That looks great so far!  I can't believe somebody got pulled over already!

Thanks guys.

Mike - That's the Iowa Highway Patrol, they have always seemed more aggressive to me.  And yes, I have the tickets to prove it. 

Art

Art, how are you going to do up the river bed and sides?....foam, plaster....? I want a river thru our layout too, so I'll be watching for ideas.  

Bob - Good question.  I'm thinking that I should do plaster for my riverbed.  I worry that the Envirotex Light will seep through a foam bed.  I want to use foam as much as I can but we'll have to see.  I just have to be careful that I don't use this as an excuse to procrastinate about it. 

Art

Well, somebody has to ask that question{me!}...I was hoping you had a definitive answer/plan!

My thoughts were 2" pink insulation foam and dremel it out as I went along...messy...yes, but I also planned on a shop vac hose being by the dremel working area.....well, that was/is my plan. As for covering that foam, you could use latex house paint{harmless to the foam} or a thin coat of plaster if you wish- my plan was to get the texture with the dremel and add trees/bushes/grass/small real stones and the like to highlight the area. Maybe a layer of a "sand and elmers glue" mix{think ballasting} to add texture if you don't carve what ya like....a "water" covering could be either the 2 part pour in stuff{I think they still have that}, a glass sheet sandwich{bed sides/layer of glass/bed bottom under it}... 

Art 

your instincts are right . Coat foam first, durhams water putty, plaster, etc.   much more consistent results.  Sometimes foam has been known to gas and turn a water scene black Over time.  Use can also use luan painted and scribed to fit the area.

Art:

What is the width from the road to the platform below? From the picture, it looks about 1".

Looking good Art!

Looks like another great scene in the making!  I’m really enjoying watching the progress of your impressive varied locale layout.  

-Duncan

Thanks guys.

Brian - The road is made of 1/8" Masonite and it is resting inch lumber.  So it about 3/4" off the deck.  The railroad track has 3" risers. 

Art

Art I am overjoyed that you are back on the forums as a frequent poster. Your layout is definitely in my top 5 where I am always eagerly awaiting updates. 

Your river scene should be great, I can't wait to see how you tackle scenery. May I suggest EJ&E for your branch line... Heehee

I could 2nd that one...nothing like modeling local railroads I say.

Looks good Art.

Alan Graziano

Art...I almost missed this post!!  Looking good!!  I was wondering if you had considered some of the various "water" patterned glass that is available for your river?  The other day, I saw some glass that had swirls, etc. in it that looked just like moving water....almost wish I would have seen it before using the shower door glass in my harbor and canal!!

Alan

A great start.

Looking good Art. Its been a long time since I saw your layout. We need to set up a time for me to come see it again.  Like I said before it's looking good..

          Scot

Zett & Bob - EJ&E is a very good suggestion, thank you.  I don't think it ran along the Mississippi but it is a local railroad that I like.

Alan - Thanks, coming from such a great modeler as you that is a real compliment.

Alan - I was planning on using Envirotex Light, but I'm not opposed to using patterned glass.  I know your looks really good in your harbor.  Where did you see this, in a Home Depot or similar store?  Now is the time that I need to make that decision before I move on.

Spence - Thanks a lot.

Scott - It has been a long time, we will have to do that.

Art

Art:

There are several glass patterns that come to mind that would work. I think Alan makes a good point and I would suggest that you go to one of the larger glass suppliers in the Chicago area to get a better idea of what is available.

If you were to create a pattern for your waterway, I am sure that the glass supplier would cut it to fit your circumstances with no seams.

Brian & Alan - Thanks for the tips.  I have a favorite glass supplier just west of me on the BNSF mainline. 

Art

Art:

You will have to keep us posted with what you come decide on. Many out there in Forum land are contemplating a water scene and can learn from your research.

I hadn't thought of a stained glass shop, that's an interesting idea.  Thanks.

Art

The stained glass is a very unique idea. You could easily get color variances along the shore verses a deeper part of the river. The installation would be like plug and play.

Certainly worth exploring. 

Can't wait to see the water Art. Nice job so far.

Art....My wife, LaKeeta is a stained glass artist and so I had a heads up on that idea.  I tried it and to be honest, the colored glass reduced the look of depth so I rejected the idea even though it was a great thought on my wife's part. 

You will have a wealth of glass choices in your area.  My Father and his brother were glaziers by trade and had a large Pittsburgh Paint and Glass shop.  As a matter of fact, they had part of the contract on the John Hancock Center, Standard Oil Building, Harris Trust Bank, and a few others.  I was around glass my entire life and thus exposed to all kinds of neat patterns, etc.  The best for water is any version that is used as shower door glass.  There is even a variety of glass patterns called "water glass".  Don't get the tempered versions, just ask for the annealed (heat treated) type.  It can be cut to order and it is not expensive at all as compared to the poured types used by many modelers.  I would make the main part of my river out of glass and then use the Envirotex for the edges, etc. and blend making the shore look "wet".  You will then also be able to mix in a little "garbage, limbs, tires", etc. that one would see along the shore of a typical river in a populated area.  Some folks paint the bottom of the glass.  I found that if you paint the surface upon which the glass is going to sit, it gives a little more depth.  I used 1/8th inch masonite attached to a frame for the glass to sit on. For color, I would take a picture of the river that you want to model, and then take the photo to a paint shop and have them match the photo. 

Hope this helps...

Alan

Stained glass will be much more expensive than just paint...a darker area makes
"water" look deeper...great idea though!  Very creative!

Art

That is certainly going to be a first class scene. I look forward to its completion.

Thanks again for the comments and suggestions.

Yesterday I went to my local glass shop on the BNSF mainline and had good news and bad news.  First the good news.  I saw a ethanol unit train sitting at a red signal with two NS engines on the front.  The bad news, he didn't have a good selection of patterned glass. but suggested I try a couple shops in Naperville, IL. 

My plans are to try to hit the larger shop of the two for sure this week when I'm in town tomorrow if the snow storm isn't too bad.  We have 4 to 8 inches of snow forecast with 40 MPH winds.  On Sunday I will be visiting two layouts on the O Scale Convention layout tours that had some of the best water scenes that I have ever seen and will be asking a lot of questions.  Am anxious to get this next phase underway.

Art 

Ok, so I have to ask at this point- how do you plan on this layering? On the road side of this proposed revine it seems you have a 1" height and towards the tracks you have what looks like 3"....are you going to raise the roadside area an inch or so to gain workable depth, or will you be planning on plywood sheeting removal as well? Inquiring minds wish to know...

BTW- too bad that lil vette can't have an open trunk full of scale boxes of doughnuts...

It is a "fluid situation" if you allow the pun.  What I mean by that is that I have the roadway laying on 1" lumber but not secured yet.  If I decide to raise the height of the road, it will be easy to do.  I envisioned the railroad being noticeably higher than the road.  I'm not exactly sure why, but it just seemed to me that they should be different heights?  I originally had the railroad at 4 1/2" and decided it was too much higher and lowered it to 3".  I like to "try" different scenery elements and look at them for a few days to see if they still look correct.  There may be a better way to do it, but I haven't discovered it yet.

Art 

-"fluid situation"...he should sent up the river for that one...well, when the river is put in.

- A floating road next to the river might be a bad idea too...it might float away!

The nice part about the "fluid situation" is all options are still on the table. There have been excellent recommendations so far, and knowing Art, he will make the best choice that works into his overall design elements for his layout.

We often say that one of the best parts of our hobby is the fun of the chase.

Before choosing Aquatex, I experimented with various other pattern samples. None of the others looked as good to me. Also, you'll have to go to a major glass supplier to get Aquatex. As you've found out smaller glass shops don't carry it.

Thanks for the tip, Dennis.  We had a snow storm here over night and I didn't make it to the glass supplier today.  Maybe tomorrow.

I am getting track laid today so that is turning out to be a good use of a snow day.

Art

Chug, I suggest painting the bottom of the glass rather than just the surface that's supporting it. I'll let my photo show you the difference between painted and upainted glass.