Port in H0 scale

Small harbour next to the railroad track

A grateful subject on a model railway is certainly water. This is always an eye-catcher, even if it is not real water, but its representation. Using real water on an H0 scale model railway is not recommended. Not only for maintenance reasons, but also because it does not look real. Real water on this scale looks more like thick transparent syrup. However, before we can start with the water, we must first shape the landscape in which we can represent this water. On this page, I show the construction of a small harbor. The location is chosen so that the water of the harbor borders the edge of the table. This allows it to be any size because it is just a cut-off from reality. If you place it in the middle of a table, in practice, it will often be too small. A football field is about 100 meters long. On scale, that is 115 cm. For many, the harbor will have to be smaller than a football field. Also, make sure that the table edge at the water's edge is actually lower than the rest, then it also matches optically.

In the very first plan, I took into account that there are differences in height. Think of a railway embankment with a ditch next to it, and of course, this harbour as well. A Faller retaining wall was indicative of the difference in height between the tracks and the water surface. To make believable water, the depth of it does not need to be more than a few millimeters at most. The Faller retaining wall was ready-made, apart from perhaps some weathering. The harbour wall was made with plastic brick patterns that I still had lying in a box. I do not know if they are for HO or N gauge. Often, the stones of HO wall panels are much too large. Bricks measuring half a meter are not uncommon. A size that is a bit visually accurate is much more fun. The concrete edges are made of 4x4 mm styrene. These will get a concrete colour.

First, I cut the plates to size. Cutting with a Stanley knife and breaking them works easiest. Then I painted them. The color is, of course, up to personal preference. Because the edges are already concrete, I thought red bricks would look nicer. In the photo below, you can see the untreated plate in the bottom left corner. The plates above have been painted with acrylic (titanium white) and immediately wiped off with a cloth. This leaves the white paint in the joints. After this paint has dried well, I used a brush with Revell to make the bricks red. This is called dry washing. You dip the brush in the paint and then wipe the paint off on a piece of cardboard or something similar so that only a little bit remains on the brush. With this, you then stroke over the stones, hitting only the protruding parts. You can see the result in the bottom right corner.

For the dock wall, I made a loading platform. For this, I normally use Das from the toy store. However, I found something similar, (Deco Modelling Clay), in a gray color at Action. This one seems even easier to work with because it sticks less. First, apply some wood glue for good adhesion, then roll out the clay with a rolling pin. Smooth it out with a wet finger if necessary. Then press the bricks into the clay with a brush from which the hairs have been removed. After drying, it can be painted in the desired colors. First, do the joints again and then dry wash.

Before pouring the water (resin), you should carefully consider what you want to add, such as the small pier next to it, which is also made of balsa wood and a few matchsticks glued together. Once the resin is poured, there is no turning back. Any boats should also be ready to be placed in the water immediately after pouring. However, be aware that the boats may not float on their own. Make sure to place something under the boat to keep it at the correct height in the resin. Greenery can be added later, as long as it is not in the water, such as possibly some reeds.