mcb

Hello Everyone,

Thank you Jim Lad, Keith Black, and KeithAug.  And thanks everyone for the likes.

I have a small update on this project.  I have weathered the hull somewhat and drilled openings for steam and pump discharge and smaller holes for deck drains.  Pic#1.

Since I soon will have to hang fenders on the hull I had to determine a method.  I have no clear pictures of 'BLAIRSTOWN' that were definitive so I chose to use vertical bars under the 'caprail' to the deck.  Alternatively, there may well have been a continuous horizontal rail under the 'caprail'.  I am not sure.  I drilled through the 'caprail' into the deck at regular intervals all around the deck and inserted blackened, .012", phosphor-bronze wire.  Arrows show these rods in Pic#2.

Pic#3 is a shot of the steam derrick lighter 'CHESTER'.  Some of these rods can be seen along with some other interesting details.   (Photo Watson B Bunnell, Steamtown NHS,  National Park Service, Glass plate photo collection).

I hung the bow fender.  I don't remember the correct term for it but I'm sure there is one.  It is made from a piece of tack rag since its open weave resembles netting.  Pic#4.

The version of 'BLAIRSTOWN' I am going for is from the early 1960's so it will have old tire side fenders rather than old log fenders as on 'ISIS'.

Pic#5 is a part of the old tire production line.  Various sizes of styrene tubes sanded/carved slightly for an impression of texture along with a couple of castings a friend gave me.

I hope I get the pictures in the correct order.

Thanks for watching,

mcb

Nice gaiters, that worked out well.

And thanks for posting all of these interesting old photos of a seldom seen (at least for me) subject.

mcb

Looks good to me.  Like everyone else I would never have noticed the particular block, and then only after I had to hunt for it.

You are in good shape now, if I remember correctly, you have much of the ratlines done already. 

Thanks for showing your work,

mcb

Looks very nice in that case.

mcb

Thanks Jim Lad,

Actually, I took some liberties with my depiction of the name on the stern.  The model will hopefully represent the vessel as it was in the early 1960's after it was sold by the Lackawanna Railroad to NN Petterson lighterage company.  The decal font is close, but I don't think I should have the underscored 'of' there (or possibly 'New York' as well).  I could not resist the 'of' being so quaint (see pic in 1st post).  I can always paint it out if I change my mind I suppose.

Thanks Keith Black,

The ship's boat is solid styrene, made up bread and butter style, then rough shaped, with a .030x.030 square strip stem, sternpost, keel, finally 'planked' with .010 x .040 strip.  The cover is a piece of masking tape (idea from this forum) lightly painted in the same superstructure color, then cut out from the outline made from the assembled boat.  Tie-down straps cut from the same, laid over the boat, then the cover put over with edges folded over the boat.  A ~8" scale 'hem' or trim strip from the same painted tape was put around after the cover was folded down to hide the rough edges.  Hard part is getting the cover reasonably centered. Tape so far sticks well enough, no need for glue.

BTW, I found the previously mentioned lost little door but it is unpainted so I will have to get the air brush out again.

Thanks again for the likes,

mcb

Nice work, 

I have a couple of sets of those unpainted Preiser N scale figures, but I only use them occasionally.  I never yet tried surgery on them.

Thanks for posting those historical photos, they are interesting and informative.

mcb

Hello All,

Thanks for the comments, Keith Black, Jim Lad and Canute.  Thanks all for the likes.

Time for a small update.  Most of the super structure is now in its final color.  Started applying decals.  Everything is only sitting in place, not glued.  I will not fasten much down until the end of the build as there will be more assemblies going over the superstructure and things may get complicated.

Added towing bitts.  Some detail (including the pin for the fire monitor) can be seen through the window openings after all, at least for now.

And I promise the next New York Harbor boat will not be red.

Looking at one of these pictures I notice a small door is missing.  I'm off to look for it.

Thanks for looking,

mcb

Hello All,

It is time for another small update.

I turned a mast on the drill press.  I think it is the only wood on the model.  

Added hooks and cleat for the anchor light halyards.  The cleat is about as small as I can work.

Also added interior details for the pilot house and winch control house.  Probably overdid it.  Very little, if any of it, will be visible in the end.

Thank for looking,

mcb

Hello All,

Thanks everyone for the likes.

Wefalck, thanks for the comments again.  I hadn't thought about condensers.  Although I am not sure, I am leaning toward this vessel not having a condenser for the reason Roger Pellet states above (cost of the equipment).  Yes, in most cases, in the old images I look through, the company name on the stack is on sheet metal that stands off from the stack itself.   This is all interesting to me.

Scottish Guy, Thank you for the comments.  I was lucky, didn't need any glasses until 45.  Now I use readers and usually optivisor for this work.  And I'm still a puppy. 

Thanks Roger for the comments and especially for the book recommendation.  I will be looking for that one. 

Thanks Canute,  yes those glass plates are great.  I have viewed many of them, I probably would not be doing all this NY harbor stuff otherwise.  Thanks for the link to the trainweb website, haven't looked in for a long while. Noticed a new, (to me, pic of 'BRONX') should be useful in the future.  By the way, I built a n scale (static) model of Harlem Transfer #2 about +20 years ago.

Hope to update progress in the near future.

Regards,

mcb

Hello All, 

Thanks for the comments and the likes.

Keith Black, thanks, that cracks me up.  My wife would hide hers if she saw that. 

Wefalck, thanks for the comment.  All the NY harbor craft, tugs, lighters, ferries, etc. pictures that I can remember have closed pilot houses.  Mine are open until I have the painting done before I install the interior parts.

jerome, thanks for your comments.  I also think that there would be a liner.  It is difficult to tell from that cropped picture in post #7 above.  There is none obvious, but I suppose that it could terminate below, out of view, or perhaps flared over the outer shell.

Do you have a build log for that restoration?  I may have missed it.  It looks nice.

Nevertheless, I still would like to know why the liner isn't filthy. 🙂

Another steam derrick lighter, c., cropped from NPS / William B Barry (Steamtown collection).

This focus on the stack got me thinking about something that was bothering me.  In a couple of pics I thought I could discern a faint trail of steam about 1/3 of the way down the stack.  I wonder if that could be the discharge from the pressure relief valve and that the relatively large pipe attached behind the stack is the exhaust steam from the engine.  I had thought that exhaust steam went up the boiler stack (as it would in a steam locomotive to improve draft) and that the large pipe was the RV discharge, but this doesn't seem to make sense the steam would condense in the tall, relatively cool stack.  If so, I have some more work to do. 

Perhaps one of our experts can inform.  

Meanwhile I started to paint some of the sub-assemblies.  The pilot house, winch house and forward deckhouse are in the final color now.

The sub-assemblies are set in place temporarily, in most cases with pins for convenience.

Thanks again for looking,

mcb

Hello All,

Thanks for your comments, Jim Lad, Canute, KeithAug and Keith Black.  And thanks everyone for the likes.

Another short update here.

Hoping to use more scratch fittings on this boat than the last one. Tried to make some cowl ventilators in brass, somewhat ratty looking.

Made a ships boat in solid styrene with .010x .040" styrene strip, 'faux clinker'? Luckily its going to be covered.  

Still have to make engine house doors.  The time is flying by on this one.

Thanks for looking,

mcb

Hello everyone,

Thanks for the comments Roger, KeithAug and Jim Lad.  Thanks everyone for the likes.

Short update here.

I have the pilot house and winch house doors built; need to do the engine house doors.

Working on the stack, whistle and RV discharge.

I think I may have a large enough batch of parts to paint soon.

Thanks for looking.

mcb

Hello everyone,

Its time for another update. 

Thanks Keith, for your nice comments, and thanks everyone for the likes.

Most of the engine house work is done.  I will now have to make some doors and another batch of windows.

I have received some etched brass railing stanchions in 1/192, they look as if they might not be so bad.  I will have to use some fine (36 gauge) Ni-Cr wire to fit in the holes.  May be frustrating.  We'll see.

First pic should show how the engine house walls were wrapped around temporary formers.

Last pic shows the beginnings of the boom pedestal.

Thanks for looking,

mcb

Glad to hear that things are looking better now.

Take care,

mcb

The covered boats are great, the open boat is incredible.

Soon I will have to read this entire thread from the top again.

Thanks for posting this,

mcb

Hi,

Assuming your super glue is CA there is a product, CA accelerator, in an aerosol spray can, that will almost instantly cure the glue joint with just a slight squirt.

I think the one I use (not often) is called Zip Kicker.  I would test it on some expendable painted parts before hitting your model with it just to be safe.

Of course, you may still need three hands to hold everything together and give it a shot.

That's a nice looking ship btw.

Good Luck,

mcb

Nice photo Feathermerchant,

I suppose that having the starboard side of the hull bashed in may have interrupted loading; doesn't seem to interfere with washday though.

Sorry to go off track in your thread Roger,

mcb

Hello All,  

Thanks for the likes.  I have a little progress on this model. 

I have gotten a lot of the windows done but it looks as if I may have to make a few more.

The 'winch' house and pilot house are joined up with the pilot house on top.  I had to pack out the walls somewhat to at least have the appearance that the windows can slide down into pockets. 

The top of the main deck house, engine house and pilot house roofs need to be enclosed with railings and I wanted to try to improve on my last soldered together railings by using stanchions and wire rails.  So far, my homemade stanchions have been pretty dismal.  I have ordered some etched brass in 1/ 192 scale.  We'll see how they look.

While waiting for the stanchions I made some more furniture for the pilot house roof and started on the drawing for the engine house.

When the engine house is ready, I will paint all the 'houses'.  I found some Floquil paint for it.  They are in primer now.

Thanks,  mcb

Good to see this one back.

mcb

Hello All,

Thanks for all the likes.

I am still working on this project, about half-way through the pilot house and winch control room windows.

I made a lot of 'furniture' not all of which will fit in the winch house and pilot house, but I should be able to use some of it elsewhere.

Most of it seems to need a little more work as well.

Here are a couple of 'work in progress' pics.

Thanks for looking,

mcb

Hello All,

Thanks to wefalck and Roger for the comments and thanks to everyone for the likes.

In response to welfack I intend to use clear sheet for the windows.  My windows will be flat, I think that Roger is correct in that the windows themselves were flat and the frames in which they slid up and down were fitted to the curve of the pilot house walls.  I will probably have a few of my windows at least partially (faked) down.

In order to put off, for a while, the tedium making these windows I have started to fabricate some 'furniture' for the pilot house and winch control room. 

At least the wheel should be visible through the windows, but I can't stop there.

Thanks for looking,

mcb

Hello everyone,

Sorry to have not kept this log up to date lately.   I had some long-deferred maintenance to attend to at home.

Thanks everyone for the comments and likes. 

Thanks Al S for bringing that info to my attention.  I never had any idea.

It is still somewhat amazing to me that anyone else has ever heard of this obscure subject.

The stairs/ladders have been installed in the deckhouse, though in the pictures they look a little clunky.  I may have to build a new fixture with a lesser tread spacing.

I have begun the pilot house assembly which will be on top of the winch control room. The pilot house was raised at some point (after the photos at the beginning of this thread) above what became the winch control station.  I will probably put in some sort of interior details in the pilot house and winch room.  The pics show the attempt at window layout and the fancy? wood siding that goes on the pilot house.

I think I will have to build windows next.  Not my favorite job.

Thanks for looking,

mcb

Its good to see this one again.

Looks great.  You really get a nice square cut using your method.

mcb

I have to agree with the posts above.  Well done, thanks for posting.

mcb