Frozen Harbor

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

For one scene I would like to represent a forzen harbor. What techniques should I use for the water (ICE)

2

This is a view of my harbor. Not frozen. But it is just blue paint on a wood surface with Gloss Mod Podge on it as the final coat.

I would think that the same technique could be used for ice. The paint would be mostly white with some light blue swirls mixed in. Then paint it with a Gloss Medium and sprinkle on something that might look like snow in places.

3

I modelled a small amount of ice on the edge of my epoxy resin river.

If you wanted ice all over I guess the resin would be a needless expense. Mine is painted mostly white with a touch of blue plus some acrylic gloss gel medium [as Elmer suggested] all swirled around with brush and fingers.

Mike

4

That looks great!

5

Thanks for the quick response!!

I also just thought of the scene from where Cody poured some black paint into his expoxy to represent deep water. The wight paint could be used to make the expoxy opaque.

Nice Harbor, similar to my thawed one though I skipped the ore dock. I am also think of scratchbuilding ferries from the walther carfloats.

6

Thanks, the idea of partially frozen is something I had not considered, but that would be a really cool contrast. Thank you also for the quick response.

7

A couple of things to think about as you do your coloration.

Sea ice, (salt water ice) is grayer than freshwater ice.

Depth of water would not show through solid ice.

If you are where there are tides, there is a lot of broken ice at the shoreline.

Have fun,

Richard

8

Why not plexiglass painted on the backside with the appropriate color that frozen water would look?

9

I haven’t modeled anything yet but the idea of just making normal epoxy water as usual and simply painting it an ice color would work. Toss some water effects on top to create little ridges like drifts. Living in northern Wisconsin I see plenty of ice, and as mentioned some can be froze while parts of the water body can be thawed out. I have also noticed how ice in the same area can have spots of full white color and spots of opaque, where one can see through the ice to the water. Some more things to think about.

10

Since you specified, “Harbor…”

Any place where there was wave action during the initial freezeup or ship movement since will probably have slabs of broken ice stacked haphazardly atop one another, like sheets of broken glass. Then snow and small stuff gets drifted around them. Depending on when it happened, those sheets and/or blocks could be anything from a few inches to several feet thick.

If an icebreaker moves through, it will leave a wake of crunched-up ice on both sides of the channel it makes. Depending on temperature, ice the thickness of window glass can form almost immediately in that channel. In a couple of hours it will look like a plowed and re-snowed road on land.

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - 'way too early for ice)

11

It would depend on if the harbor were on an ocean or on a lake, like one of the Great Lakes. Harbors on the ocean are generally kept open year-round…and of course salt water doesn’t freeze as readily as fresh water.

12

Sounds like a great idea, modeling ice. It would look neat having ice near the shore line then eventually breaking up to open water. Just don’t forget to add the poor fella ice fishing, floating away on a sheet of ice.

Jon

13

You could have a crab fishing boat all surrounded with ice like those guys on the TV show Deadliest Catch.

I love that show. I miss Captain Phil, he was a good guy.

14

I would also go with a partially-frozen harbor. I’d start with a flat base, painted black or dark blue, or green if it’s ocean water. Then, I’d get a sheet of white styrene plastic, perhaps a quarter-inch or so thick, and break it or cut it to get jagged edges. Glue those pieces of “loose ice” to the base, and then pour Envirotex Lite (epoxy resin) between the “ice floes.” Trim the bottom of the ice pieces so they’re not all flat, but some tilted. The ice could be placed around the boats, and the empty spaces would fill nicely with “water.” You might want to look into some “snow” ground cover on the surface of the ice.

The Walthers Car Float kits are retired. Yeah, they will “un-retire” them again at some point, but that will likely be a number of years. If you hurry, you can still get them at some dealers. Trainworld’s web site still indicates that they have them. That’s where I got mine a few months ago.

15

Trainworld is out of stock on the car floats. I tried to order one but the order was cancelled due to being out of stock.

16

first put down Realistic Water from woodland scenics and then get 2 or 3 bottles of Water Effects and layer it on and blend it in to make it look like ice.

robert

17

Thanks, I like yor suggestion for the jagged pieces of ice.

18

Well, those of us advising new modelers to read (me included), should listen to ourselves and don’t give up reading. I’m sure I have read this book in the past, but now have found at least two things I didn’t remember.

In Dave Frary’s, 'How To Build Realistic Model Railroad Scenery" 3rd addition, there is a section on modeling winter scenes, ice, snow, icicles, winter trees and all.

If you can find this at the library or elsewhere, maybe you can find some more ideas.

Good luck,

Richard