Free-mo-N. BC Rail Rutherford Creek crossing.

[craigolio1]

All right. A lot has happened since my last entry. Namely Christmas, so first off happy holidays to everyone. I hope the season finds you and your families well, and wish you health and happiness in the new year.

I painted the module with some grey latex paint I had left over.



I finally got the courage to go beyond carving foam for the first time. I’ve been watching a lot of Luke Towan videos and used them the learn to lay down my first ground cover.




An arial view of a river very similar to mine shows what I’m trying to achieve.



Because my module is currently flat I wanted to add enough grade to make small rapids and standing waves plausible. I also needed to raise the river bottom up so that the water level is in the right place compared to the abutment, for the flow I’m trying to represent. I settled on 3mm under the bridge. I added an additional 3mm up river and nothing down river. I made a couple of dams with latex caulk and poured a soupy mixture of Sheetrock 20. It was stiff enough that it had rounded edges but would still settle by tapping the module. I didn’t want it to be watery as I wanted an edge that I could fill in with river rock.





Once the plaster had stiffened I scraped out the caulk (I didn’t let it dry before I poured) and with a spoon, carved a depression out where the deepest part of the river will be so I can make some nice rough water there, and calmer water around that at the edges.




I airbrushed the concrete parts a light grey colour, and put the wooden assemblies in place that need to have scenery right up against them.




And finally I made fascia.








Scenery is not nearly as scary as I thought. I’m really enjoying this.

[Scottl]

Now you're talking.   You needed some elevation in the river and this is a great step forward.  Look closely at prototypes and you will see they are made of deeper "pools' and shallower "riffles".  The riffles are where the larger rocks accumulate and there is a lot of white water. 

[craigolio1]

Now you're talking.   You needed some elevation in the river and this is a great step forward.  Look closely at prototypes and you will see they are made of deeper "pools' and shallower "riffles".  The riffles are where the larger rocks accumulate and there is a lot of white water.

Thanks Scott.

 I have been looking at photo after photo of rivers on BC kayaking websites. I know one thing I’ve learned and that is that Kayakers are insane.

I’ve seen exactly what you are talking about. I haven’t been able to find many photos at all of my scene in my time period but based on what I know about the washouts and fact one abutment had stayed put for half a century, I settled in the lazy S that I carved in for deeper portion of the river. In this deeper portion I’ll make the big rapids and white water.

This portion of the river has a fairly constant slope. So I wasn’t planning and falls or pools but I plan to have a little more exposed rock at the sides, outside the rapids, where is can have more pillow rocks, eddies, those nice down stream Vs from water pouring between boulders, and then calm sections right at the edge.

If I can pull all of that off I think it should turn out to be a nice representation.

One thing I’m really having to get my head around is thinking in N scale. I removed some of the ground cover in spots as I realized that it was covered in 2 ft boulders where machinery would have been driving around.

Same thing in the river. I’ll have t be very careful not to make 20ft tall rapids. This is a fast flowing river. Not a class 5 death trap. My rapids will need to be 3-4mm tall. Which is pretty small.

Looking forward to getting back at this soon.

Craig

[Scottl]

One thing you might want to try or consider is using one or more dead logs in the bed as features that build up sediment behind them and shape the main flow.  This is characteristic of the region and has a huge effect on flow.  The logs can be half buried, or crossing and will give the scene a very special and unique realism.  These kind of rivers are shaped by the floods that occur annually during snow melt or once in a few years, and the rest of the time, there are lots of larger boulders and logs that seem immobile. 

[craigolio1]

One thing you might want to try or consider is using one or more dead logs in the bed as features that build up sediment behind them and shape the main flow.  This is characteristic of the region and has a huge effect on flow.  The logs can be half buried, or crossing and will give the scene a very special and unique realism.  These kind of rivers are shaped by the floods that occur annually during snow melt or once in a few years, and the rest of the time, there are lots of larger boulders and logs that seem immobile.

I like it. I haven’t seen any logs in photos,  it then as I said before I haven’t been able to find a lot of photos. Gonna have to go out into the forest behind my house and go logging.

They would be more likely to be deposited on the outside of the flow right?

[RBrodzinsky]

Craig, these are from my home layout, not modules, but might give you some ideas for water flow. I have about a one inch drop along this river, most of it in the rapids. The waves in the rapids were done using a fan brush, with white acrylic paint mixed into ModgePodge.

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[Hawghead]

Looking good,

Ya know, if you got those two fire engines out of your garage you'd have room for more railroad.

Scott

[Scottl]

Here is an example from the Rockies.  This is an extreme example due to recent flooding in 2013 but it gives you an idea of how logs get jammed up in the bedload of a mountain river and sediment accumulates around them.  This is extremely common in small gravel rivers in that region.

[sirenwerks]

One thing you might want to try or consider is using one or more dead logs in the bed as features that build up sediment behind them and shape the main flow.  This is characteristic of the region and has a huge effect on flow.  The logs can be half buried, or crossing and will give the scene a very special and unique realism.  These kind of rivers are shaped by the floods that occur annually during snow melt or once in a few years, and the rest of the time, there are lots of larger boulders and logs that seem immobile.

I think he should stay away from using LWD in the scene. First, there's none in the pics. Second, if he's modeling the bridge post-repair, that debris was carried away by the same flooding that damaged the bridge, which is why it's not in the pics. Third, the few photos provided suggest there's not a lot of forest at trackside in the immediate area to provide treefall in the immediate area that LWD would collect quickly, it looks like it's in a valley plain or near some sort of infrastructure, like a rail yard, where foliage has been cleared in a considerable surrounding zone.

[craigolio1]

Here is what the area looks like today looking upriver from the hi-way. There has been another washout requiring rebuilding of the crossing (2007 I believe) where they actually re configured the flow of the river. There has also been a hydro electric project that has diverted most of the river. So it’s not at all
As it was when I’m modelling it, but it gives a good view up river.




Up river is entirely dense forest all the way to the snow fields and the tow of the glacier, about 30 km up stream. These Google earth images show what I’m talking about.





The site is out in the middle of no where. The reason the area looks kind is industrial is because it was a construction site. The washout was about 4 years before the time period that I model so lots of time for seasonal high water and non catastrophic flooding. But you have a point in that none of the photos show any debris. It doesn’t mean it’s not plausible. The only photos I can find of the area in my time period are right at the bridge it self.


Here is a photo of the 2007 flood damage.



And the reconstruction efforts in 2007.



Reconstruction during my time period would have looked similar which explains why it looks more like a moonscape. It would seem that it’s being reconstructed about every 10 years.
Craig.

[Scottl]

Fair enough.  As I said, a suggestion.  There is an abundance of WD upstream but I agree not any in the funnel where they built the bridges.  It looks like a double track in the aerials.

[craigolio1]

Fair enough.  As I said, a suggestion.  There is an abundance of WD upstream but I agree not any in the funnel where they built the bridges.  It looks like a double track in the aerials.

Ok smart guys. What is LWD and WD?  Hahaha.

Indeed at one time it was double track. In my era it was single track. Shortly thereafter BC Rail extended the siding near by and did the only thing logical with a river that has a 100 year flood every ten years, they made an additional crossing. Mother Nature set that straight and the 2007 washout occurred. At that time BC Rail changed it back to the single track crossing seen in my last pictures.

[craigolio1]

Craig, these are from my home layout, not modules, but might give you some ideas for water flow. I have about a one inch drop along this river, most of it in the rapids. The waves in the rapids were done using a fan brush, with white acrylic paint mixed into ModgePodge.

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This looks great by the way. Thanks for sharing. I’m collecting art materials and a fan brush is now on the list!

[BCR 570]

Yes, this area is nothing like it once was after Tisdall siding was extended south across the creek, and then the BC Hydro project.  You might consider going after an aerial photograph from the era you are modelling.  I have obtained aerial photos for my area of modelling in 1977 and they have been a boon.  Unfortunately we don't have Google Earth on the ground images from back then.

I don't recall seeing this creek full of logs, but yes to rocks and boulders.  A distinguishing feature of lakes and rivers in this area is the glacial til in the water which gives it a distinctive green hue.  capturing that somehow would be cool.

Tim

[craigolio1]

Yes, this area is nothing like it once was after Tisdall siding was extended south across the creek, and then the BC Hydro project.  You might consider going after an aerial photograph from the era you are modelling.  I have obtained aerial photos for my area of modelling in 1977 and they have been a boon.  Unfortunately we don't have Google Earth on the ground images from back then.

I don't recall seeing this creek full of logs, but yes to rocks and boulders.  A distinguishing feature of lakes and rivers in this area is the glacial til in the water which gives it a distinctive green hue.  capturing that somehow would be cool.

Tim

These pictures don’t do it justice but I found a colour called Beach Glass and it’s the perfect shade of grey/green. So one having a go at the first bit of water tonight.







Where can I find period arial photography?

Craig.