hey guys, and gals… i got one question, pertaining to rivers. i have a 11’ x 8’ “L” shaped layout. the base is 2" extruded foam and then i added 4" more of extruded foam so i could form my rivers, etc. my question is… what is a good width for a river in ho scale? also, how deep should it be, ive got 4" to work with. im going to use the realistic water from woodlands scenics. also, does anyone have any ideas on bridge abutments? how to make them, and out of what?
thanks
steve[:)]
I model in n-scale, but I’m pretty sure the principal regarding depth is the same in all scales. You don’t need to make your river deep. It should be the same depth (and no more than a quarter inch deep). It’s how you paint the river bottom that will give the illusion of depth.
The only reason to go below the quarter inch depth is to perhaps create the effect that the river is at a low water stage (the banks would be higher and the sides of the river normally under water would be exposed).
Here is a pond I have on my layout. It’s physically the same depth, but it has the illusion that it’s deeper in the middle (darker for deeper effect, light for shallow effect):
I can’t speak for how wide it should be. I suppose it depends if you want to model the Mississippi or a small local river.
[#ditto] to MAbruce post
Hi Steve (click on highlited words)
I like to add be sure the paint you use isn’t affected by Realistic Water. (see Yellow Water).
To make your own bridge abutments, make a master out of wood then made a one part rubber mold from it. I use Hydrocal to cast the abutments.
you can make abutments, however, I prefer to buy them ready-made like the ones from Chooch. To make them, you can just carve them from balsa wood.
Steve:
On the point of appropriate abutments I suggest you buy or borrow a copy of Model Railroad Bridges & Trestles. Its loaded with both scratch building ideas and information on prototype practice, including extensive discussion and dimensional drawings of various periods and types of abutments.
The prototype width of a river will depend on such factors as how much flow, the grade and the terrain material it flows through. Certainly 4", 29ft in HO, is sufficient to craft a good effect. You might consider an impoundments or canal as an alternative to fast flowing water.
Final word of advice, be sure when you pour your water the EFFECTIVE GRADE of the stream is 0. You achieve this by tilting your layout in the opposite direction from the water flow, otherwise you will have all your water at the lowest point of the water course. A carpenters level is helpful to get things correctly out of plumb.
Good Luck
Randy
I have used realistic water and I love the way it works and looks. It is the best water modeling product I have used. However, I must reitterate the point above. your base must be PERFECTLY level in EVERY direction. The first time I use this procuct I had a slightly low corner and I ended up with a total redo as nearly 1/4 inch of this product pooled in that corner and would not dry.
Also, pour the product very slowly as it is thick and you can easily pour too thick an amount if you are not careful. You do not need a deep pour to simulate depth, do this with paint as described above. Do not pour more than 1/8 inch of realistic water at a time. If you need it deeper than this, do an 1/8 inch pour, let it set up completely, then pouranother layer on top.
WARNING: this stuff dries slow!!! I have a pretty dry basement with a dehumidifier running all the time and a 1/8 inch pour takes nearly a week to complete cure. The reason is that the top dries and then does not allow air to flow to the product underneath, so it takes a long time to dry. This is especially true when poured on top of foam as I did and as you plan to do because the foam is also designed to prohibit ari flow (it is designed as insulation after all).
I recommend pouring less than 1/8 inch if possible to reduce dry time and make 2 or three pours if necessary. After my first experience I had great success by pouring three layers each about 1/16 inch think (barely covering the material).
Hope some of this helps.
Ron