Heroine 1838 by ggrieco - FINISHED - Scale 1:24 - Western River Steamboat as she appeared before hitting a snag in the Red River

[albert]

Great work Glenn, fantastic.

[Keith Simmons]

Hi Glenn,

 

               Beautiful work, after viewing your log you have convinced me that I need to try and build my idea of a showboat. It won't be historically correct (then again, none of my ships are) but it sure looks like fun.    

 

                 Should be finishing my current Paddle wheeler project soon , can't wait to get started on a stern wheeler.

 

     Thanks for the inspiration, Keith   

[BANYAN]

Great to see you resolved ll of your PC issues Glenn.  The progress and work is great; made my day

 

cheers

 

Pat

[ggrieco]

Thanks Patrick, albert, Keith and Pat,

 

Keith, I look forward to seeing the sternwheeler!

 

 

 

This week I was finally able to get around to the top of the paddle box.  It's starting to look like a sidewheeler.

 

I was able to cut all the pieces for the arches in about 2 hours with the mill.  I don't know how long it would have taken by hand.  I milled some of the segments double.  These will be used on the planked side.  It saves a little time and adds a little strength.

 

 

Trying to keep everything square.  The notches in the cross pieces are for a thin plank that will be used to support the ends of the lateral planking.

 

Port side.

 

 

 

Starboard side.

 

 

[Cathead]

That arch really does start to fill out her profile nicely.

[Omega1234]

Hi Glenn

 

Oh wow. Damn, that's nice!

 

Seriously nice.

 

Cheers

 

Patrick

[Keith Simmons]

Thanks Patrick, albert, Keith and Pat,

 

Keith, I look forward to seeing the sternwheeler!

 

 

 

This week I was finally able to get around to the top of the paddle box.  It's starting to look like a sidewheeler.

 

I was able to cut all the pieces for the arches in about 2 hours with the mill.  I don't know how long it would have taken by hand.  I milled some of the segments double.  These will be used on the planked side.  It saves a little time and adds a little strength.

Paddle Box 01.JPG

 

Paddle Box 02.JPG

 

Trying to keep everything square.  The notches in the cross pieces are for a thin plank that will be used to support the ends of the lateral planking.

Paddle Box 03.JPG

 

Port side.

Paddle Box 04.JPG

 

Paddle Box 05.JPG

 

Paddle Box 06.JPG

 

Starboard side.

Paddle Box 07.JPG

 

Paddle Box 08.JPG

 

Paddle Box 09.JPG

Hi Glenn,

 

              She is beautiful !!!!    You should be proud, I noticed you also have a couple of Moi overseeing her construction....

 

               If I can construct mine with half the precision you are showing, I will feel I'm doing something.

 

Keep up the wonderful work,  Keith

[hexnut]

 Been following this for a while, the only thing that I can contribute is that I really need an "awestruck" button...

[Mahuna]

Very nice, Glenn - Heroine is looking better and better.  I especially like the last photo with the 'overseers' in the background.

[cog]

Glenn,

 

Magnificent ...

 

Looking at her two question come to mind:

1. What's the "indent" from fore to aft on the topoutside

2. Looking at the mounted wheel, I get the feeling it is rather small compared to the housing you build around it, why such a height

 

Cheers

[Mirabell61]

beautiful work Glenn,

 

its getting more and more shape now....

 

Nils

[captainbob]

She's being built just like the full sized boat.  Beautiful.

 

Bob

[mati]

Glenn,
You and your build... it's like a national treasure!! 
Absolutely stunning... 
I wish to had a chance to see your model once.

Cheers,
Matt

[druxey]

What a difference a week can make! Awesome work as usual, Glenn.

[Jim Lad]

Apart from 'absolutely delightful', I don't know what to say!

 

John

[mtaylor]

All is well again.. we get our weekly fix.   Just superb.  

 

Carl beat me to this but I'm curious also.  Why were the arches and paddle box so much bigger than the wheel?  

[ggrieco]

Thanks everybody,

 

I really appreciate the kind words and comments. I thank all of you for making me feel so welcome here in such good company!

 

I decided not to crop out my friends from Easter Island. A student in one of our conservation classes made them for me over 10 years ago. They've been watching over the room ever since.

 

Carl, the indent is for a thin plank that will support the outboard end of the lateral planking that will cover the arch. The cap that runs along the circumference of the boiler deck will continue over the arch. It is wide enough to cover the outboard timbers of the arch eliminating a surface for the planking to sit on. The thin plank just provides a shelf for the ends of the planking. Your second question is a good one. The arch does look odd and even unnecessary considering the size of the paddlewheels. In the past I've looked at representations of side wheelers and have always wondered why this arc is so pronounced as compared to the radius of the paddlewheels. We know the the diameter of the paddle wheel and the forward and aft extents of the paddle box. Some clearance was necessary above the boiler deck. I'm wondering if they just picked a radius that was aesthetically pleasing to bridge the ends of the box. When I get a chance to speak to Kevin I'll get his ideas on the question.

[Cathead]

Here's an idea on the paddlebox: is the extra space to allow for the possibility of debris caught in the wheel? Most western rivers had a lot of woody debris (branches, logs, etc) and I could see a moderate-sized branch getting caught up between two buckets and being lifted up into the paddlebox, where it could do some damage to either the surrounding shell or the wheel itself once it gets wedged in there. Maybe the extra radius reduces the likelihood of this?

 

Otherwise I'm quite interested to know what Kevin or other informed persons say.

[ggrieco]

That does sound like a definite possibility. Getting a large branch caught between the wheel and the top of the box would certainly put a wheel out of commission. Thanks Cathead.

[druxey]

My (limited) understanding is that, as the paddlewheel turns, it creates some pressure in the paddlebox. The large space provided inside the box would ameliorate this effect, as did the later fancy perforated boxes seen on side paddle steamers. Can someone confirm or correct me?

[Cathead]

I posted this question over in Steamboats and other Rivercraft, so we don't fill up Glenn's log with too much speculation, partly to absolve myself from starting the speculation in the first place.I figured it's a general enough topic that the discussion and answer might fit well over there.

[ggrieco]

I've been busy laying out the internal structure on the boiler deck so I haven't had the opportunity to get many photos.  Just a few here to show progress.

 

The internal walls would have been planked and then the bulkheads added.  I'm putting the bulkheads in first and will then plank between them.  This will allow me to economize on wood by using shorter pieces.  It's amazing how much planking this model requires and I'm running out of the long lengths.

 

 

The arches over the paddle box are just about complete.  I still need to add the steps up over the arch and the exposed planking will be painted white on the starboard side.

 

 

 

 

 

[Omega1234]

Hi Glenn

 

Simply marvellous!

 

Cheers

 

Patrick

[druxey]

Your comment on the quantity of plank required must be a reflection on the availability of lumber and the lumber industry in those days. Lovely progress, Glenn.

[albert]

Wonderful work Glenn.

[Cathead]

druxey, there's a reason the vast majority of western river boats were built on the upper Ohio River: vast tracts of Appalachian forests right on the boatyards' doorstep. Not to mention the coal mines that fed the metal-working industry of Pittsburgh.

 

Lovely work, Glenn. The longitudinal bunks are an interesting comparison to other boats.

[BANYAN]

Absolutely stunning - great work yet again Glenn.  That 'white' sets her off beautifully and the amount of detail shown compared to what you are leaving off is spot on; really gives a good impression of her inner and outer workings.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Jim Lad]

Yet more absolutely beautiful work, Glen

 

John

[ggrieco]

Thanks everybody,

 

Sorry for the brief photo description. The virus that the kids have had for the last few days finally made it around to me this morning. After uploading the photos I decided that I just wanted to crawl back into bed. Hopefully, I can focus on more details this next.

 

Good point Cathead, I tend to focus on the structural aspects of the boat and often miss the socio-economic considerations. It is interesting to see how the industries are all tied together.

[Keith Simmons]

Glenn,

        

          Your craftsmanship really shines through in the recent photos. The clean lines in your framing is certainly not lost on me...

 

          I find your build quite inspiring, keep up the great work...

 

          Will be watching for more,

                                                    Keith