The journey is almost over. With all the steps listed to make moving water, its time to look how details finish the scene and enhance the water effects. A note on super detailing, it never ends so don't try to force it all. Do some until you want to move to something else, then revisit later. This allows a fresh prospective and keeps you from getting stuck (analysis paralysis).
Before
Some lets see a before image: lots of items missing: track ballast, ground cover, bushes, tress, power/telegraph lines, animals and people.
Forks Creek
Looking upgrade towards Idaho Springs
Looking upgrade towards Black Hawk
Adding the details
Now the fun begins. Did some research and found my cottonwood trees trucks were too brown, so switched to tan color for bark. Color changes as they get larger.
Focusing on ballast, ground cover, bushes and trees along with a few figures for interest (they are movable). Will add power/telegraph poles tonight hopefully.
Ballast added. Narrow Gauge roads were known to use local rock, dirt, cinders and even mill slag as ballast. Here used dirt (Colorado collected, backed, sifted and iron removed) adding a little Cumbres & Toltec ballast from Arizona Rock plus a light addition of cinders (coaling stop so cinders falling out and collecting makes sense). Once coaling platform in place will add spilled coal. Ties painted with Dr Ben's driftwood with grim added in center with rail brown on rails. needs a little rust still.
Adding first cottonwoods. From what research I've seen, cottonwoods were not used for building or firewood generally due to poor strength and burning quality. Made most small as a lot of clearing would be done laying track. Original track laid about 40 years earlier (and I like trees) so added quite a few.
Adding trees upstream.
More trees, this time some fairly large. Cottonwoods grow to 50-60 ft, these are roughly 30 scale ft.
Some figures added fishing. These little surprises draw people into the scene.
More trees and brush added, car shows scale. these little details add to the water effects making the scene come alive.
Here is what it looks like when trains run over the trestle. How many trees to add and where is a subjective decision, put them were you think they look good.
Tweaking look
More low lying trees along water.
Looking from other side of Forks Creek towards Black Hawk at the (almost) completed scene.
Final shot.
My wife helped me with trees making it go a lot faster. Will add the power poles next and some more trees on the Idaho springs side and will take some final photos.
Thanks for looking - Cameron
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