Wet Wet Wet

A number of people have asked me what the water on Marks Quay is
made from.

When I was planning the layout I checked out many different ways to
represent water, most of which involved pouring a number of layers
of thick liquid onto a prepared base to achieve the desired affect.

I was getting close to making a decision on which one to use when I
happened across a trader at Scaleforum (Leatherhead) who was
selling a rippled clear plastic sheet. Before you ask I can't remember
the name of the stand but this LINK will take you to an online seller
of the same stuff. Scroll down the page to SEFC Sheet Styrene
item number FBS2003, the sheet size is approx. 360mm x 240mm
(14" x 9")

So I was umming and ahhing in front of the stand, well at at £3 a
sheet I wasn't sure whether it would do the job. The stand holder
offered me a damaged sheet for £1 and that was it, I bought it as
there was enough in the undamaged section to cover the area I
wanted.

The base on which the sheet sits is balsa wood, for lightness and
I painted this with poster paints mixing various quantities of
grey, burnt sienna, and bright green. These are what I had to
hand and a lovely muddy dark brown was the result. By adding
colours at random I achieved a mottled effect.

Once the plastic is laid over this it looks like the real thing.

Crossing the river Thames daily on my way to work, I was struck
by how brown a tidal river is, it hardly ever shows any blue or
green, so I was happy to copy that.

At the London Festival of Railway Modelling a number of people
asked about it and complemented me on the effect, I am please
with it too.

Till the next time ..........

Peter Whitehead