Hi guys! I'm planning on having an abandoned portion of, Pennsylvania's, Lehigh canal passing under a road bridge and a railroad bridge as well. The berm and towpath will be no problem for me but the water will. This will be the first time I've modeled water bigger than a puddle. I'm posting a picture of a restored portion of the canal in Easton PA. The water looks like a mirror, but this canal is in use as a tourist attraction so the water would most likely look different in a place where the water would be kind of stagnant. I need guidance! Thanks you boys
Water isn't likely to be stagnant. Canals are mostly dredged rivers, and closing the canal doesn't stop the flow. I've never modeled water on a layout either. But an old school tip sticks in my mind. Model the river bed, and mount glass or clear plastic over it. Then spray a pretty thick coat of clear paint (glosscoat) and leave a fan blowing across it as it dries. This puts pretty convincing ripples on the surface.
Nice to hear from you again. I haven't done waterways myself (yet) but yes they can get stagnant. The canal - Neenah Slough - has been dredged for 3/4 mile up from Little Lake Butte Des Morts but then returns to the drainage for the marsh and farm land that used to be the township. The canal no longer gets used and ends at a large private gulf course then into the marsh. Around the gulf course it floods and is always brackish. Don't forget to include the little buddies on wings that suck blood.
As an aside, this is a very nice book with a great many period photos of a long lost and less hurried era in transportation. Depending on where you live, your library may have it. It's also available at the canal museum store [ https://canals.org/product/delaware-and-lehigh-canals/ ], copyright 1989. With the many locks creating individual water basins, canal waterways were fairly serene, though streams entering the waterway helped to fill the canal along its route and provided slight current. The upper portion of the Lehigh Canal alone had 29 Locks in 26 Miles. Boats were mule-powered, so speeds were slow and were even regulated so as to not create wakes and turbulence that could erode the banks. Fun Fact: Canal companies sometimes paid canallers, local farmers and boys for beaver carcasses to reduce the damage done to canal banks.
That sounds like a nice project Candy. The way I have been doing river water on my current layout is to use acrylic paints. First black over the entire area, then blending shades of green and aqua green to give the sense of more depth toward the middle. If the edges are shallow then some earth shades can simulate that but I think a canal would have steeper edges. I finish with a coat of gloss medium but it was recently suggested that I try something called honey lacquer. To get some rippling use a stipple method with the brush when applying the paint.
Like @Shortround, I've not done water, but I had a friend tell me that everything that the "water" will touch should be absolutely sealed tight with no chances of leaks. He'd heard of someone who failed to work this detail and upon awakening in the morning, found that his "water" had leaked out on the floor and hardened. You have been warned.
if you want to avoid the 'looks like glass' issue, get some matte medium at a craft or art supply store. Once whatever material you are using for the water (I use a product called Magic Water) has completely dried, brush on the gel matte medium (goes on milky white, dries clear). You can continue to build up layers until you have the effect you want. Key is to do thin layers. You can always add more later if you need more 'turbulance'. Hope this helps
I got decent results on my "Michigan right coast" module with rippled plexiglass and three different colors of rattle cans- dark blue, black and green. Ripples may be a bit more than you want, though.
I looked up the canal on the internet and it does look like it would be a nice addition to a layout. Best wishes with doing it. Richard
I am a big fan of plexiglass too. You can always use smooth plex if you don't want the ripples. I paint the deeper parts a darker color on the under side and then just scenic it in. No mixing, pouring, watching for leaks, bubbles and all the other stuff I used to deal with.
Never previously thought about it, but where is a good place to buy the rippled style, especially in smaller pieces?
I went to a glass business and was able to buy a good chunk from their scrap bin. They use it a lot in things like shower doors.
