Myrtle Corey steam paddlewheel towboat (Dumas), 1/20, by The DonMI

Joined
Aug 16, 2020
Messages
65
Points
88

Location
Haslett, Michigan
Historic photo MC.jpeg
Myrtle Corey was a late 19th-century steam towboat, a common sight on the Mississippi River and its tributaries in the day. Built by the American Boat Company along the Merrimac River in Fenton, Missouri in 1898, she was 52 feet (15.8 m) long, small for a towboat. Construction of the 9-ton Corey was typical of the period: no plans, on-the job innovations, cost cuttings, and jury-rigged construction techniques. The upper “Texas cabin” was added during the refit in 1907.

Mrytle Corey operated principally on the Mississippi River from Memphis down to Little Rock and up the Arkansas River. Boats of this type made regular stops at river towns and were a primary mode of commerce in the southcentral USA during the turn of the 20th century. Towboats of that era were typically propelled by a wood-fueled, steam-driven, aft paddle wheel that permitted shallow-draft navigation on constantly changing and unpredictable rivers. The Myrtle Corey operated as a merchant ship until 1906. She spent her remaining days as a houseboat, staving off an ignominious demise as firewood or as a rotting hulk lying on the river bottom. Photo is of the actual Cory from the Fenton Historical Society website.

The Myrtle Corey is a kit by Dumas Products that I purchased on September 12, 2021. Actually, I had been considering the Corey for some time. I love the look of this funky boat, the paddle-wheel propulsion, and the opportunities it offers to incorporate some personal touches. This will be the fifth kit I have assembled from Dumas.

Dumas kits I have built before had all the wood thrown together in the box in an unorganized jumble, and the Corey was no exception. Some people complain about this, but I do not find it a big hassle. So, the first thing I did was gather all like strips of wood or plastic together and secured them with a rubber band or tie strip. It's all part of the build process. This prior organization will make it much easier to find a part later. The wood strips are mainly basswood (linden) and mahogany, and there seem to be plenty of them.
IMG_0702.jpeg

The hull, cabin roofs, and certain boiler parts are made of vacuum-formed styrene plastic and were packaged separately from the rest of the kit. The plastic hull will eliminate the need to form a hull by planking or double planking over bulkheads, a real saving in time, if not building satisfaction.

The Cory came with a booklet of numbered written instructions and a coordinated booklet of detailed illustrations. There is little need for guesswork with this model. The company has come a long way in this regard. During construction of the first Dumas boat I built during 2010-13—The Lord Nelson Victory Tug—I did lots of head scratching because the instructions were not entirely clear.


The kit also came with a 30 x 48 sheet of plans for the completed Corey. Because this is a large boat, they were reduced to ¾ size. During the build of previous kits I referred to these plans frequently. I assume I will do so with the Corey, also.

The Corey is 1/20 scale or G scale in model railroad parlance. The boat is 38 inches (96.5 cm) long with a beam of 8 ¼ inches (21 cm).

I began this project on Sept. 22, 2021. I built the plastic stand before anything else, a no-brainer. The first step in the actual build was to cut the plastic flange from the rim of the hull. I first marked along the cut line with a Sharpie and then trimmed with a tin snips. I evened the edges and eliminated any irregularities with an 80-grit sanding bar. Then I glued with medium cyanoacrylate (CA) the ¼-inch square wood supports for the subdeck, followed by the reinforcing subdeck on the supports. I also glued the keel onto the bow.
IMG_0706.jpegIMG_0710.jpeg

Next the entire subdeck was planked with 1/8 x 1/2-inch basswood (linden). I glued the planks with medium CA. Because only the foredeck will be visible, the aft deck hidden beneath the cabin, I used the equivalent of 8-foot planks (4-7/8 inches) on the foredeck, in a staggered pattern. Planks of this dimension would have been readily available in the late 1800s. Longer planks were heavy, hard to work with, and hard to get.


How to finish the planked deck? My guess is that the deck could have been oak, although it could have been any number of hardwoods readily available in the Mississippi watershed. Most of these woods are darker than basswood. I had several cans of stain on the shelf, and after a trial, Minwax “Early American” looked best. After a final sanding with 400 grit, I pretreated the basswood with Minwax Pre-Stain Conditioner so the wood absorbed the stain more evenly. I slopped some CA on a few boards on the mid-deck that penetrated the wood and did not allow the stain to take. But no worry because this portion of the deck will be hidden beneath the boiler.
IMG_0734.jpeg

I completed the basic deck by adding the edge planks, side trim, and head and stern logs, the latter with three rudder tubes installed. After staining them I also glued down the two towing knees and bitt. The two paddlewheel beams were painted “flat steel” because they might have been made from metal for strength and to prevent rot on the actual boat. The topside wood was finished by applying two coats of Minwax Satin Spar Varnish.
IMG_0744.jpegIMG_0779.jpeg

I painted the hull below the deck with Mission Models flat black acryl using a Iwata airbrush. Before painting I had added the three skegs to the aft bottom of the hull behind the rudder tubes. The basic hull is now complete.
F9C4AA61-85C4-46B4-B3FE-0D7A772390BC_1_105_c.jpeg

I decided to make the paddlewheel next. Step one is to glue together the three diecut parts of the wheel frame…times two. The Instructions said not to use epoxy, but I used the 30-minute variety anyway. That gave me sufficient time to correctly align the three parts and clamp them together. But because the veneer that each diecut frame part was cut from had a “set” or warp to it, when assembled and glued wheels also were warped. I tried alternating the warp of the two frame parts during assembly but then the parts would not line up correctly. So, I soaked each assembled frame in water overnight and then straightened them to eliminate the warp.

The paddlewheel was assembled on its steel shaft by attaching the 16 feathers to the two frames. The resultant structure was fairly rigid. The shaft was removed for painting. It is now mid-October so while the weather remained reasonably warm, I painted the paddlewheel assembly outside with spray can Krylon “banner red.” (Spray cans produce a terrible odor indoors.) I am not sure this is a historic color, although it will give the boat a snappy look. Most completed models that I have seen have red paddlewheels.
View attachment 294121IMG_0772.jpeg

The basic aft cabin wall was die-cut PVC, while the attached tiller casing was constructed from PVC and plywood. Both were planked with 3/8-inch mahogany and finished with two coats of spar varnish. The tiller casing was not permanently attached to the cabin wall. Rather, as recommended in the directions, it was detachable with a crank assembly made from scrap wood and a screw to secure it in place.

I airbrushed the inner wall of the aft interior wll withModel Master interior green. I had an almost full bottle it on the shelf, so I used it. Because of spillage I ran out of the interior green before I could get to the sidewalls. So, no chance to match the color because Model Master paints are no longer available. Because it will be visible at the top rear of the main cabin when the boat is assembled, I paneled the top of the rear sidewall with some scrap African walnut strips left over from a previous kit and finished it with two coats of Minwax Polycrylic.
Tiller casing.png

Preparing the 16 windows and two doors was a long process. Each window (save 4) had to be first bordered with 1/8 x 1/16 basswood plus other trim, which took some time. The windows were airbrushed gloss white, and squares of clear plastic were glued to the inner surface. The two doors to the Texas (upper) cabin were brush painted flat earth. All in preparation for construction of the main and Texas cabins and the pilot house.
View attachment 294126

Planking the 21-inch-long cabin sidewalls, each with ca. 56, 3/8-inch mahogany strips was a process that took several weeks off and on. Each plank had to be cut to fit, then the long edges sanded to give a rounded, “rustic” effect. Each plank was clamped for a minimum of 5 minutes because CA does not set immediately on a hard wood like mahogany. After two coats of spar varnish the sidewall exteriors were ready to proceed to the next step. The interior side walls of the main cabin were painted Tamiya cockpit green acrylic, a sightly different shade than the interior green of the aft sidewall. But being the interior, it doesn’t matter much. I installed windows on the exterior walls, and they are now ready to mount on the hull.
Sidewalls.png


I assembled the main cabin on the hull by gluing with medium CA the rear, left, and right sidewalls. Then the ceiling rafter supports for the roof were installed. The aft part of the roof is removeable for access to the mechanical and electronic innards, so it was important that the aft frame structure not be glued to the side walls.
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I cut out the styrene cabin roof, cleaned the edges up, and glued it to the rear (detachable) part of the cabin frame. I cut the roof in two at the fore end of the frame. The front part of the roof will be permanently attached to the cabin frame after the boiler is built and mounted. I decided to plank the cabin roof with leftover mahogany, then paint it. Unfortunately, I ran out of 3/8-inch mahogany after planking the aft deck and had to use 1/2-inch stock for the fore deck. However, the paint should cover up this discrepancy. I added the mahogany upper side trim (soffit) and the four forward roof supports to the main cabin. It is now complete, sans the roof.


ACC9DDA8-A272-4986-BB9D-F5F9E72BA9DC_1_201_a.jpeg
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Constructing the pilot house was a complicated project. It is built around a 1/4-inch square frame, with layers of PVC and then mahogany planking. The floor is planked with 1/2-inch-wide basswood and the roof with 3/8 basswood. The side windows slide open and close, an extra complication. The exterior mahogany paneling and the flooring were finished with two coats of polycrylic. The roof was painted signal red to add a bit of color. Adding the helm and name plates completed the basic pilot house.

I like to add some details to the interior of the pilot house/ cabin/cockpit of boats that I build. The Cory was a small turn-of-the-century river towboat and the pilot house interior would not have been complex. I found photos on the internet of pilot house interiors that were helpful. I added a throttle lever, a pull for the steam whistle, a rotation handle for the spotlight, a stool for the captain plus the captain himself, a clock, and a chair for visitors.
2646C357-A7E8-438F-A81A-710AB470D614_1_201_a.jpegView attachment 304160

Building the boiler is next. I began by bending the piping from 3/32 brass rod, which also included some soldering, gluing, and the tedious job of wrapping the pipe with 1/32 wide strips of masking tape to simulate joints. I also had to cut and drill some wood dowels for the tanks. Building the boiler itself was a multistep process, started by gluing numerous PVC and vacuum-formed parts together. Some seams had to be filled with plastic putty. The plans call for the installation of faux rivets (sequin pins) for a scale look, which involved drilling a 1/32 holes for each pin, cutting the pins to about 1/4 inch, and gluing them in with thin CA. I installed 246 (!) faux “rivets” on the visible front and sides of the boiler. Addition of the piping and tanks made earlier almost completed the boiler. I ran out of the 3/32 dowel that supported the rear of the boiler and could not find a replacement at any local store or on the internet. But I discovered that round toothpicks were exactly the right diameter. Several coats of spray can flat black completed the boiler.
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The “Texas cabin” is basically a PVC box with an interior wall. I made the curved rafters earlier. Apparently, this cabin is where the crew ate and slept. I liked the look of the mahogany planking on the sidewalls, so I left it natural and finished it with two coats of spar varnish. After installing the windows, doors, the styrene cabin roof, and the rear-roof supports, the roof was painted Rust-Oleum flat brown enamel from a spray can.

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Building the two smokestacks involved cutting the PVC pipe included in the kit to length, wrapping each stack in two places with 2 x 2 ¾-inch strips of adhesive-backed aluminum tape, with the location of 68 faux rivets pre-punched in the tape with a pick. I rejected a half dozen attempts before I got four of the tapes wrapped wrinkle free. I next drilled 1/32 holes in the stack at pre-punched locations and inserting and gluing with thin CA sequin pins in each. Adding brackets to carry the navigation lanterns and spray painting the stacks flat black were the final steps.

Construction of the triple rudders was a multistep process. First, I cut them to shape from rectangular brass blanks using a Dremel tool and some hand filing. Next, I soldered the rudder posts to the rudders and cleaned up the solder. The posts of the outer rudders had to be trimmed down to 2 inches. Then I soldered small brass eyelets to each rudder to enable them to be linked together. They were then painted flat black.
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The 12V geared electric motor of the Corey was assembled on the supplied aluminum motor bracket along with the gear-driven propulsion shaft, and two rocker arms. I added spacers to prevent the propulsion shaft from sliding back-and-forth and disengaging the gears. After a “dry run to check if the electronics work the components were fitted in the hull. Everything functioned perfectly. The components are: 12V geared electric motor from Dumas; 12V universal lead acid battery and Viper Marine 15A waterproof electronic speed control (ESC) from Harbor Models; and Futaba R203GF 3-channel receiver, T3PRKA transmitter, and S3004 servo from Tower Hobbies. Wire linkages were connected to the paddle wheel rocker arms with E-Z connectors. The rocker arms on the motor and paddle wheel must be positioned exactly at 90o, otherwise the wire bends and the drive system locks up.
Drive components.png

The smokestacks were glued in place, rigged with black thread, and the navigation lanterns and the spacer bar attached. The flagpole was mounted to the front of the deck and the whistle glued into its steam line. Finally, the pilot house was glued in place, completing the basic construction of the Corey. Cargo, firewood, fireman, and other figures were added to the decks as a last step.

A plastic stand was included in the kit to be used during construction. I wanted something more attractive to display the finished Corey. Using the plastic stand as a template, I cut the cradles with a 1-inch Forstner bit and a band saw from 3/4-inch red oak. The cradles were linked with 3/8-inch wood dowels. A couple coats of polycrylic clear finish, a light sanding in between, then lining the cradles with felt completed the stand.
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On August 22, exactly 11 months since I began, and I declared the Myrtle Corey steamboat done. After a complex build, I think it turned out well, with only a few glitches that most people will not notice. But it has not yet been given its “sea trial.”
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Progress on Corey has been slow. I have a bunch of painting to do--rudders, roofs, and stacks--which I plan to do with spray can enamels. The horrible odor of those paints mean that it has to be done outside. I have been waiting for the weather to warm, but that has been a slow process. Today, for example, temperatures have been in the 30s and it has snowed all day, so there you go! I have all the electronics and running gear assembled, so I have decided to begin putting that together. I have a desire to do real steam power, by have not yet decided what way I will go. A steam engine and boiler will be expensive (Saito makes one that would be perfect) but it sure would be fun.
 
Yes the weather has been up and down. We had some warm spring days and yesterday it was snowing and it's cold again.
I have a few projects ahead of me - another tram from Occre and I also decided to scratch build a caboose. But my eye is on another RC boat project. Having window-shopped around, I actually thought the Myrtle Corey might also be a good choice. The added advantage is that I can benefit from your experience! My hope is that in the next few weeks I will be able to launch my Ulisses in a local pond..
 
I am limited out in the number of files I can attach to this build. So I will have to eliminate some of the photos.
 
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Myrtle Corey was a late 19th-century steam towboat, a common sight on the Mississippi River and its tributaries in the day. Built by the American Boat Company along the Merrimac River in Fenton, Missouri in 1898, she was 52 feet (15.8 m) long, small for a towboat. Construction of the 9-ton Corey was typical of the period: no plans, on-the job innovations, cost cuttings, and jury-rigged construction techniques. The upper “Texas cabin” was added during the refit in 1907.

Mrytle Corey operated principally on the Mississippi River from Memphis down to Little Rock and up the Arkansas River. Boats of this type made regular stops at river towns and were a primary mode of commerce in the southcentral USA during the turn of the 20th century. Towboats of that era were typically propelled by a wood-fueled, steam-driven, aft paddle wheel that permitted shallow-draft navigation on constantly changing and unpredictable rivers. The Myrtle Corey operated as a merchant ship until 1906. She spent her remaining days as a houseboat, staving off an ignominious demise as firewood or as a rotting hulk lying on the river bottom. Photo is of the actual Cory from the Fenton Historical Society website.

The Myrtle Corey is a kit by Dumas Products that I purchased on September 12, 2021. Actually, I had been considering the Corey for some time. I love the look of this funky boat, the paddle-wheel propulsion, and the opportunities it offers to incorporate some personal touches. This will be the fifth kit I have assembled from Dumas.

Dumas kits I have built before had all the wood thrown together in the box in an unorganized jumble, and the Corey was no exception. Some people complain about this, but I do not find it a big hassle. So, the first thing I did was gather all like strips of wood or plastic together and secured them with a rubber band or tie strip. It's all part of the build process. This prior organization will make it much easier to find a part later. The wood strips are mainly basswood (linden) and mahogany, and there seem to be plenty of them.

The hull, cabin roofs, and certain boiler parts are made of vacuum-formed styrene plastic and were packaged separately from the rest of the kit. The plastic hull will eliminate the need to form a hull by planking or double planking over bulkheads, a real saving in time, if not building satisfaction.

The Cory came with a booklet of numbered written instructions and a coordinated booklet of detailed illustrations. There is little need for guesswork with this model. The company has come a long way in this regard. During construction of the first Dumas boat I built during 2010-13—The Lord Nelson Victory Tug—I did lots of head scratching because the instructions were not entirely clear.


The kit also came with a 30 x 48 sheet of plans for the completed Corey. Because this is a large boat, they were reduced to ¾ size. During the build of previous kits I referred to these plans frequently. I assume I will do so with the Corey, also.

The Corey is 1/20 scale or G scale in model railroad parlance. The boat is 38 inches (96.5 cm) long with a beam of 8 ¼ inches (21 cm).

I began this project on Sept. 22, 2021. I built the plastic stand before anything else, a no-brainer. The first step in the actual build was to cut the plastic flange from the rim of the hull. I first marked along the cut line with a Sharpie and then trimmed with a tin snips. I evened the edges and eliminated any irregularities with an 80-grit sanding bar. Then I glued with medium cyanoacrylate (CA) the ¼-inch square wood supports for the subdeck, followed by the reinforcing subdeck on the supports. I also glued the keel onto the bow.


Next the entire subdeck was planked with 1/8 x 1/2-inch basswood (linden). I glued the planks with medium CA. Because only the foredeck will be visible, the aft deck hidden beneath the cabin, I used the equivalent of 8-foot planks (4-7/8 inches) on the foredeck, in a staggered pattern. Planks of this dimension would have been readily available in the late 1800s. Longer planks were heavy, hard to work with, and hard to get.


How to finish the planked deck? My guess is that the deck could have been oak, although it could have been any number of hardwoods readily available in the Mississippi watershed. Most of these woods are darker than basswood. I had several cans of stain on the shelf, and after a trial, Minwax “Early American” looked best. After a final sanding with 400 grit, I pretreated the basswood with Minwax Pre-Stain Conditioner so the wood absorbed the stain more evenly. I slopped some CA on a few boards on the mid-deck that penetrated the wood and did not allow the stain to take. But no worry because this portion of the deck will be hidden beneath the boiler.

I completed the basic deck by adding the edge planks, side trim, and head and stern logs, the latter with three rudder tubes installed. After staining them I also glued down the two towing knees and bitt. The two paddlewheel beams were painted “flat steel” because they might have been made from metal for strength and to prevent rot on the actual boat. The topside wood was finished by applying two coats of Minwax Satin Spar Varnish.

I painted the hull below the deck with Mission Models flat black acryl using a Iwata airbrush. Before painting I had added the three skegs to the aft bottom of the hull behind the rudder tubes. The basic hull is now complete.

I decided to make the paddlewheel next. Step one is to glue together the three diecut parts of the wheel frame…times two. The Instructions said not to use epoxy, but I used the 30-minute variety anyway. That gave me sufficient time to correctly align the three parts and clamp them together. But because the veneer that each diecut frame part was cut from had a “set” or warp to it, when assembled and glued wheels also were warped. I tried alternating the warp of the two frame parts during assembly but then the parts would not line up correctly. So, I soaked each assembled frame in water overnight and then straightened them to eliminate the warp.

The paddlewheel was assembled on its steel shaft by attaching the 16 feathers to the two frames. The resultant structure was fairly rigid. The shaft was removed for painting. It is now mid-October so while the weather remained reasonably warm, I painted the paddlewheel assembly outside with spray can Krylon “banner red.” (Spray cans produce a terrible odor indoors.) I am not sure this is a historic color, although it will give the boat a snappy look. Most completed models that I have seen have red paddlewheels.
View attachment 294121

The basic aft cabin wall was die-cut PVC, while the attached tiller casing was constructed from PVC and plywood. Both were planked with 3/8-inch mahogany and finished with two coats of spar varnish. The tiller casing was not permanently attached to the cabin wall. Rather, as recommended in the directions, it was detachable with a crank assembly made from scrap wood and a screw to secure it in place.

I airbrushed the inner wall of the aft interior wll withModel Master interior green. I had an almost full bottle it on the shelf, so I used it. Because of spillage I ran out of the interior green before I could get to the sidewalls. So, no chance to match the color because Model Master paints are no longer available. Because it will be visible at the top rear of the main cabin when the boat is assembled, I paneled the top of the rear sidewall with some scrap African walnut strips left over from a previous kit and finished it with two coats of Minwax Polycrylic.


Preparing the 16 windows and two doors was a long process. Each window (save 4) had to be first bordered with 1/8 x 1/16 basswood plus other trim, which took some time. The windows were airbrushed gloss white, and squares of clear plastic were glued to the inner surface. The two doors to the Texas (upper) cabin were brush painted flat earth. All in preparation for construction of the main and Texas cabins and the pilot house.
View attachment 294126

Planking the 21-inch-long cabin sidewalls, each with ca. 56, 3/8-inch mahogany strips was a process that took several weeks off and on. Each plank had to be cut to fit, then the long edges sanded to give a rounded, “rustic” effect. Each plank was clamped for a minimum of 5 minutes because CA does not set immediately on a hard wood like mahogany. After two coats of spar varnish the sidewall exteriors were ready to proceed to the next step. The interior side walls of the main cabin were painted Tamiya cockpit green acrylic, a sightly different shade than the interior green of the aft sidewall. But being the interior, it doesn’t matter much. I installed windows on the exterior walls, and they are now ready to mount on the hull.

I assembled the main cabin on the hull by gluing with medium CA the rear, left, and right sidewalls. Then the ceiling rafter supports for the roof were installed. The aft part of the roof is removeable for access to the mechanical and electronic innards, so it was important that the aft frame structure not be glued to the side walls.

I cut out the styrene cabin roof, cleaned the edges up, and glued it to the rear (detachable) part of the cabin frame. I cut the roof in two at the fore end of the frame. The front part of the roof will be permanently attached to the cabin frame after the boiler is built and mounted. I decided to plank the cabin roof with leftover mahogany, then paint it. Unfortunately, I ran out of 3/8-inch mahogany after planking the aft deck and had to use 1/2-inch stock for the fore deck. However, the paint should cover up this discrepancy. I added the mahogany upper side trim (soffit) and the four forward roof supports to the main cabin. It is now complete, sans the roof.

Constructing the pilot house was a complicated project. It is built around a 1/4-inch square frame, with layers of PVC and then mahogany planking. The floor is planked with 1/2-inch-wide basswood and the roof with 3/8 basswood. The side windows slide open and close, an extra complication. The exterior mahogany paneling and the flooring were finished with two coats of polycrylic. The roof was painted signal red to add a bit of color. Adding the helm and name plates completed the basic pilot house.

I like to add some details to the interior of the pilot house/ cabin/cockpit of boats that I build. The Cory was a small turn-of-the-century river towboat and the pilot house interior would not have been complex. I found photos on the internet of pilot house interiors that were helpful. I added a throttle lever, a pull for the steam whistle, a rotation handle for the spotlight, a stool for the captain plus the captain himself, a clock, and a chair for visitors

The last construction sub-project is building the boiler. I began by bending the piping from 3/32 brass rod, which also included some soldering, gluing, and the tedious job of wrapping the pipe with 1/32 wide strips of masking tape to simulate joints. I also had to cut and drill some wood dowels for the tanks. All in preparation for putting the body of the boiler together. Four of the five piping parts shown.
Hallo @TheDonMI
we wish you all the BEST and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Birthday-Cake
How is your work on this model going? Any updates?
 
Carl-Thanks for checking in. The Myrtle Corey is finished but I haven't gotten around to finishing my build log. Sloth on my part. I am awaiting its test on water, but I could finish up the build log. I have a few days of free time coming up and will try to get to it. Should not take that long.

What projects are you working on currently?
 
I'd be interested in an updated build log when you get around to it. How did you motorize it? I remember from a previous post you were considering steam?
After finishing Ulisses, I started work on a Canadian National Railways caboose c.1960. This is my first-ever scratch build project, made up of wood, brass and other fixtures left over from previous kits. I had access to the actual plans (online) and apart from getting a few parts from train buffs and a dollhouse supplier, managed to pull it off, although not without challenges. I also made it so you could remove the roof and look inside at the various furnishings, beds, stove, kitchen facilities and toilet. I will post a few pics here...It's not exactly a"ship", but you did ask what I was working on.:).

I'm still thinking of a follow up boat, and if I do, whether I do RC or static. Caboose.jpegIMG_4504.jpegIMG_4681.jpegIMG_4682.jpegIMG_4684.jpegIMG_4688.jpegIMG_4694.jpeg
 
Wow! A fantastic job, especially as a scratch built project. You are certainly a master of interior details. I love the girlie pictures and the Guinness poster. I am totally impressed. Your project makes me nostalgic for the bygone era of cabooses, part of the romance of railroads that is no more. I just hate to see a string of RR cars just end abruptly. But such is the economics of the railroads.
 
Thanks Don. As always, I appreciate your comments. I too miss the railroads of days gone by. Im old enough to remember the steam locomotives. I grew up near the train tracks. In fact for 20 years we lived only 40 feet from the main CPR line through Montreal. I guess that might have been a reason that my dad was able to afford a house so cheaply! I would see the trains go by, and would wave at the crew members - me from my bedroom window and them from the caboose window! The only cabooses and steam locomotives you see these days are in public parks, often parked near the old train station which in many cases has been turned into museums or coffee shops.
 
What a great job. It looks fantastic. And the people, animals, etc. add an extra dimension!
Question: it sound like you had to custom-make the rudders. Did the kit not include these?
 
The kit included brass sheets for each of the rudders. I had to cut them to size and then further shape them with a Dremel tool. The center rudder had to be especially shaped to clear the paddlewheel. BTW I am currently starting the Polaris sailing ship from OcCre. I have never attempted a sailing vessel before and elected to start small. Rigging the sails will be a challenge.

How are the fall colors in Ontario this year? We drove north in Michigan the other day and the colors were dazzling...never saw them better. The day was crystal clear and brought out the richness of the display. Quite unforgettable.
 
I don't imagine the Polaris should be a big challenge. You already know how to plank a hull, and the rigging on the Polaris does not seem too complicated, at least not compared to some of those larger, full-rigged ships. I would love to do more sailing ships, but I have a slight hand tremor which makes fine freehand work with knots and fine threads a challenge. By the way, Occre has a Facebook site for people working on their projects. If you search for Polaris, you will find all kinds of hints, tips and I know there are a series of Youtube videos on Polaris....Not that you will need it, given your experience!!



The fall colours here are also great. And you don't have to travel far. We have a park near us, where the colours are just fantastic.
 
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