Regardless of the model railroad scenery that you can create, water features will probably be a part of it, unless you are creating a desert scene. Here are 10 model railroad scenery techniques to help you create realistic streams, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, ocean beaches and shorelines.
General Water Tips
1. Make sure you seal the whole area where you are going to use real water else you may find that the bottom of the board has leaks which can cause a lot of damage.
2. Add a little bit of water and leave it overnight then check to see that you have the same amount there – if there is less you have a leak somewhere and you will have to re-seal the whole area.
Streams and Rivers
3. If creating a steam or river, using small real rocks that are the right color and texture for the area you are re-creating will give that stream or river boulder effect that you often see in nature.
4. If doing a stream or river don’t have it running in a straight line but wandering through the scene as streams and rivers never run in a perfectly straight line in nature.
Lakes
5. If doing a lake don’t have a neat circle as lakes are not like that – make it with edges similar to lakes everywhere.
6. Don’t paint the bottom of a lake one color – use a darker color for the depth and a lighter color for the shallow areas.
Waterfalls
7. When creating a waterfall remember that the water never falls in a straight line and often the water will flow around rocks and split out into another waterfall, so try to recreate that. Make sure that the water is messy looking and not nice and smooth.
8. Waterfalls starting above eye height have a more stunning effect as they give the illusion of height.
Ocean Beaches and Shorelines
9. Place any swimming model people into the beach while the water is still wet. Cutting of the legs can also help to give the “further out to sea” look.
10. Do not use real sand for the sand on your beaches and shorelines as the grains are too big and do not give the proper perspective. Baby powder is fine enough to use instead to give the right scale and can also be colored so as not to have pure white sand.
