Passenger locomotives

[doctorwayne]

Doctor Wayne, in the last photo, the overhead one, how did you do the water with the current?

Here's the same river before the "flood":


The "water" is made in the same manner as all water scenes on my layout, and is comprised of a thin layer (about 1/8") of Durabond-90 patching plaster applied over a plywood riverbed. I mix the Durabond to a fairly thick consistency, then spread it onto the plywood using a drywall knife. (I first dampen the plywood with a spray of wet water - this prevents the wood from absorbing too much water out of the Durabond.) When the plaster is reasonably level, I use either a damp sponge or a drywall knife to "tease-up" the ripples - the sponge yields smaller ripples than the knife. If you mix the plaster too soupy, you'll have to wait almost until it begins to set (in 90 minutes for this variety) in order to have the ripples remain raised. If it sets and you're unhappy with the appearance, use a scraper to immediately remove it all - once it fully hardens, you're stuck with it.
I usually let it cure fully (a day or two), then use flat interior latex house paint, applied with a 2" brush, to colour it. The brown is also used for the basic dirt colour on the rest of the layout, and the grey/green is used on background trees, so there's no jarring colour change. Whatever colours you choose, darker ones generally suggest deeper water and light colours shallow water. If you apply both colours wet, they can be blended somewhat where they meet.
After the paint is dry to the touch, I use a 1/2" brush to highlight the rough water with PollyScale Reefer White, then allow all paint to dry for at least a couple of days.
The final step is to brush on three coats of water-based high gloss urethane, following the instructions on the can concerning the amount of time between coats. This is important, as waiting too long between coats will require sanding - it's difficult enough to sand water , but sanding rough water is impossible.

The urethane finish provides a tough, scratch-resistant surface that doesn't yellow, and the Durabond waves and ripples are very resistant to breakage, even when a camera is place directly atop them.

Wayne