Pouring Water for Snooks Pond

Throughout my time in this hobby, certain tasks seem daunting just because I have never done them before. 

Pouring the water for Snooks Pond was one of those tasks.  Over all the years I've been modeling, I had never attempted to use the available epoxy products or 'magic water' products available.  It was intimidating to a degree to be doing something that was a make-or-break technique on parts of the layout that were so visible.

Still, after all the prep in the last few months, it was time.  The 'dam' I made had dried in place, and all the painting and details were ready to accept the 'water.'  I watched a bunch of YouTube videos and a handful of videos on Trains.com from Model Railroader magazine, and after deciding on the 'EnviroTex Lite' epoxy product, it was time to jump in.

I followed the directions exactly, warming each bottle of the epoxy and the hardener in warm water, then mixing in plastic measured cups exactly as the directions ordered.  

The epoxy was much less viscous than in the videos I saw, thanks to my warming it per the instructions.  This was a critical step.  I poured in the middle of the modeled area, and let the epoxy flow to the sides.

For most of the areas with the details, I needed to encourage the epoxy into the tight spots.  I used old sprues and paint-stirring sticks to do so.   The epoxy has about a 20-minute working time which was more than enough.  

Once all the areas were full to the top of the dam, I had some extra, which I used to fill some of the ditches I'd modeled along other parts of the layout.  This was very successful as well, although more difficult since the epoxy had cooled down and was a thicker liquid.  Still, with some care, it worked out.  

Using the leftovers allowed for all the tiny bubbles to rise to the top after about 15 minutes, just like the instructions had promised they would.  At that time, the directions were to use a small torch to feather the exhaust gases over the poured area.  The carbon dioxide gas would pop all of them.  This worked like a charm.  

I covered the area with aluminum foil 'tents' to ensure no dust would settle in the new epoxy, and let it cure overnight.   I kept the mixing cups handy to use to test the cure, rather than touch the new surface and let it be damaged.  The stickiness disappeared after about 24 hours, and I removed the 'tents' - what a difference it makes!  And, what a relief that it went well.  

This trepidation of trying new modeling techniques for me has been going on from the moment I started to appreciate 'super detail' on locomotives.  I remember a bunch of Model Railroader issues from the 1980's and 1990's written by a guy named David Bontrager.  He did a beautiful job detailing and weathering D&RGW SD40T-2's and an SD50, BN C30-7's, and even a Conrail B23-7.  I loved those then-modern diesels!  He used drill bits I'd never heard of and parts I'd never seen for sale at my local hobby shop, which was a combination train/RC car/game/pet shop.  I didn't know where to start, but I sure loved the look of those detailed models.

I learned of a better hobby shop in 1992 or so, and that was where I got my education on drill bits like the #80, #76, #55, etc.  That shop, the Model Railroad Shop in Piscataway NJ, also had a full selection of detail parts and friendly, helpful staff - finally, I had access to the parts I needed.  After a lot of broken drill bits I started to achieve what I'd hoped for over the years prior.

In summary, don't be afraid to take chances on a new technique or method.  Check YouTube for how-to videos and read the magazines, search their archives online for ideas and suggestions on the topic at hand.  The results are worth the risk!

~RGDave

Hydrating Snooks Pond

Scenery along the main line of the Onondaga Cutoff near CP 277 has reached a point of completion where it is finally time to 'pour the water' into Snooks Pond. 

Snooks Pond, a small lake in Fayetteville, NY is one of the spots of my family's lore from Central New York.  The Deans moved all over New York State in the 1940's and 1950's as my grandfather's job with General Electric in the radar and sonar divisions moved from Syracuse to Schenectady, then to Syracuse again; then to Ridgewood NJ, then back to Syracuse.  During the Syracuse stays, the family lived in Fayetteville for a time in the 1940's, Ridgewood around 1952, and then settled in Skaneateles the second time in the mid 50's.  My mother tells the story of her younger brothers and the family dog building rafts for sailing on Snooks Pond during the early 1950's in Fayetteville, which were tested by the dog - and always sank.  The dog swam safety back to shore.  Snooks Pond would be a winter ice skating rink and fun park for the family - all in all, lots of nostalgia there.

When I laid out the route for the Onondaga Cutoff, following the geology and elevations through Rams Gulch along I-481, I noticed the alignment took us quite near Snooks Pond - and I smiled.  

I began by defining the area of the lake, and filling the terrain in to suit.  I masked off the areas I wanted to keep clean and mixed a batch of sculptamold to create the landmass.  

All contoured now and curing.

The area where the bungalow is for CP 277 has always struck me as awkward, with a narrow shelf for the bungalow.  This would have been a tower location on the original line, so I decided to add a retaining wall in the pond that would suggest a foundation for a former tower.  I filled in the back with sculptamold and shaped it to fit the look of eroded backfill.

As that cured, I cut clear plastic 'dams' for the area that will receive the pour of the two-part 'Enviro-Tex' epoxy that will be the base coat of the pond.  (I plan to add ripples to the surface later with a different product.)  The dam is sealed with caulk.

After the plaster cures, I painted it grimy brown-black and added static grass.

The final touches are a variety of plants around the edge of the pond, including swamp grass, cattails, bushes, and wild shrubs, from all sorts of sets I have collected from Scenic Express, MRC, and Noch.  

Now I will finish up those installations, paint the base and pour the water (GULP) - another permanent move that would be costly if I screw it up!

~RGDave