The first day back working on the railroad was greeted by the news that my daughter’s laundry sink upstairs had over flowed. Fortunately no water was deposited on the railroad itself. The leakage missed filling Eastport Harbor by several inches. That’s a close miss and a relief because at the moment the surface of the harbor is bare plywood and I’m sure it would have separated into a mess that had to be removed.
So, the dehumidifier is running flat out to remove the residual moisture. After a bit of cleanup, my task today was to wipe down the surfaces of the Pennamaquan River and the St. Croix River in preparation for what I hope is tomorrow’s first pour of resin. I’m planning to use Instant Water for the Pennamaquan. It is a 1:2 mix epoxy resin, almost clear with a slight amber tint. I have not used this product before and will test its use and appearance on the first layer. I suspect there will be two layers in total.
The St. Croix will receive coats of a new clear 1:1 mix epoxy made by Jamestown Distributors. If you don’t know about Jamestown, it is a marine supply business located in Bristol, RI. My other hobby for most of my life was building boats, due to our former location on the Massachusetts coast. I have used Jamestown for most of that time and rate them as an excellent source. If you are curious, check their hardware prices as well.
http://www.Jamestowndistributors.com
The rivers have been prepainted prior to pouring the resin, the St. Croix is a sky blue which I hope will simulate the reflection of the sky in the background, while the Pennamaquan is green along the edges fading to almost black in the center of the stream. Eventually Eastport Harbor will be a dark blue representing the deep water port that it is. Eastport is planned to be flat calm to allow the changing of the many flat bottom boat models that I have. I hope to make the photography of the scene varied at different times.
Sorry no pictures this time around, but hopefully I’ll get some tomorrow during the pour.
Ben
Ben Brown's Eastport Branch 
Glad the layout did not suffer.
Bill,
Me too! Because it happened on my former railroad when my dear wife left a sink running while doing something else. I ended up with water features that had real water in them. It was quite a mess. Moral of course is don’t build underneath a water source, but sometimes there is no good alternative.
Ben
Ben,
Thanks for the update…no building below pressurized water sources here. Specifically the reason my RR is going to occupy the second story of the house. Now, as long as the roof does not leak!!!
MF
Matt,
Years ago as a teen in an appliance shop I learned that the greatest source for water damage was standard rubber washing machine hoses. Folks should always use stainless braided hoses and shut off the pressure when not in use.
Interestingly both of my ‘incidents’ have been to over flowing sinks caused by memory issues. Part of the aging process I guess.
As for you, you are not totally safe. You will have other challenges. Keep on thinking….
Ben
Hi Ben,
Oddly enough I also had a water event a couple months ago…water on my railroad in an area unfinished so yes wet flex track and wet pink foam board, plus a few ruined ceiling tiles. No damage to anything of substance thankfully. I remember all your wonderful boats…I’m glad you held onto them Ben. Swapping them in and out of the branch will be fun I think.
Stay Busy
Bob
Bob,
Glad to hear your event was minor. Nevertheless it can be quite aggravating.
As for my waterfront, all the photos I have collected show an amazing amount of service vessels coming and going at various times. I intend to reflect that in photos because I just don’t have the actual space to duplicate. I have the same problem in duplicating Calais photos at the other end of the branch. The various locomotives that brought in the freights from Bangor will have to be staged for photos similar to a diorama. It’s a compromise I must make given the actual space restraints.
How about a recent photo after the repairs?
Ben