Great looking water for your model railroad

Modelling water on a model railroad is a lot easier now than it used to be, thanks to a plethora of suitable products. Some of these products I have used, while others I have now. What follows are some notes about my findings with those products I've used, along with a few general notes about avoiding pitfalls. Woodland Scenics "realistic water" and "water effects". "Realistic water" is self-leveling and is intended for flat water. "Water effects" is a thicker product that will not level and is designed for making waves & rapids". These products are easy to use and look great (at least to start with). The problem with realistic water is that it's surface is easily damaged. As with the other products I'll describe here, the surface looks so realistic that visitors always want to touch it, leaving long-lasting fingerprints in it. I once laid out some tiny offcuts from a batch of super trees on a lake for a couple of hours while I planted them. When I was done, the surface of the water was covered with pox-marks which remain to this day. The instructions that come with "water effects" suggest mixing in some white paint in with the final application when making rapids. DON'T DO THIS. I tried it and the results of a week's work looked like I had just slapped some white paint on the rapids. I had to remove the whole lot back to the bare plaster and start again. "Envirotex-Lite" is a two-part clear resin designed for bar-tops and other smooth high-gloss surfaces. It works exactly like the Parks product shown in the video. The principle difference is that it takes longer to dry, requiring about 48 hours between pours. It results in a much more durable water surface that resists fingerprints and the occasional object being placed on it. I have heard that it takes on a slight brown tint after a few years, which depending on the application, may be a blessing or a curse. It can be thinned with xylol or xylene if necessary. I used this to geed effect on my own layout to represent a trickle water dripping out of a pipe culvert and a wet area that I didn't want to look like a lot of standing water. Parks "super glaze" works exactly like Envirotex. It is thicker than Envirotex. It can be re-coated after 8 hours (definitely a strong point if time is limited as it was here). I don't know if it discolors eventually, nor if it can be thinned. Some things to note, regardless of the product you choose: First and foremost, lakes and other areas of flat water MUST be level. Any of these products will soon tell you if it isn't by overflowing one end while the other end remains dry. The larger the area, the more critical the level. It doesn't matter as much if it isn't flat - provided it's close (if the base is uneven, some areas will just end up deeper than others and you may need to pour extra layers). All of these products will find the smallest pinhole in your lake bed, so be certain that it is properly sealed. A thick coat of paint over the sub-base before building the banks or detailing the bottom is a good idea, as is a bead of silicone or painters' caulk where the fascia meets the benchwork. If in doubt, start with a very thin layer and place something on the floor to catch the drips. With any luck, the first application will seal the hole. Always build a tape dam along the fascia and make sure it is properly stuck. One of the river pours on my home layout managed to get in behind the dam and pull it from the fascia, making a huge mess and wasting the water material.