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


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Hello Everyone,

 

Several years after the excavation, we think we have enough information to attempt the reconstruction model of this early steamboat.  The excavation provided some wonderful information about the hull up to and including the deck and Dr. Kevin Crisman's research has provided the details of the appearance and arrangement of the upper works.

 

I've already started on two 1:24 waterline models for the Oklahoma Historical Society.  The finished models will be complete reconstructions with cutaways highlighting the machinery and other artifacts recovered during the excavation on the hull.

 

The next couple of months I will be focusing on the engine and boilers.  The research is ongoing and I'd love input from anyone interested in steamboats and steam engines.  

 

Although we have a good idea about the overall appearance and layout of the vessel, there is very little info out there about construction details, joinery etc.  I would like to make these detailed and accurate as possible so any ideas that anyone has would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

post-21385-0-75353000-1443904152_thumb.jpgpost-21385-0-13994300-1443904201_thumb.jpgpost-21385-0-82172500-1443904211_thumb.jpgpost-21385-0-40562100-1443904271_thumb.jpgpost-21385-0-06711500-1443904293_thumb.jpg

Glenn

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Heroine Shipwreck Diorama

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Welcome to the forum Glenn. This looks like a very interesting project, so I'm taking a front row seat to follow along here.

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GG,

 

    Welcome aboard.  I have followed a couple of Dr. Crisman's projects and actually had an opportunity to hear him speak at an SMA Conference many years ago.  Maybe we can get him to speak at an upcoming NRG Conference.  :rolleyes:    I am also enamored with riverboats...mostly the off-Mississippi versions of the Mississippi boats (like the Missouri boats). 

 

    Currently there is an ongoing build of Steamboat Bertrand by Cathead that may be helpful to you.

Chuck Seiler
San Diego Ship Modelers Guild
Nautical Research Guild

 
Current Build:: Colonial Schooner SULTANA (scratch from Model Expo Plans), Hanseatic Cog Wutender Hund, John Smith Shallop
Completed:  Missouri Riverboat FAR WEST (1876) Scratch, 1776 Gunboat PHILADELPHIA (Scratch 1/4 scale-Model Shipways plans)

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yes druxey,

 

in the model as well. I greatly underestimated how much I would need. It looks like my material costs are going to be double!

Glenn

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9 inch Dahlgren on Marsilly Carriage<p><p>

 

Heroine Shipwreck Diorama

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  • 2 weeks later...

Machining the engine parts so far

post-21385-0-43994800-1445114281_thumb.jpg

 

 

 

Engine valves and flywheel flanges

post-21385-0-74002400-1445114355_thumb.jpg

 

 

 

Paddlewheel flanges

post-21385-0-90707300-1445114367_thumb.jpg

 

 

 

Valve cams, Sole plates for engine, buttress plates for sole plates and bearings and crossheads and packing glands for the piston

post-21385-0-60936800-1445114381_thumb.jpg

 

 

Engine cylinders and feedwater pumps (minus the flanges)

post-21385-0-80476500-1445114390_thumb.jpg

 

 

Glenn

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9 inch Dahlgren on Marsilly Carriage<p><p>

 

Heroine Shipwreck Diorama

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Welcome aboard and thank you for showing us your build of Heroine.  She was of such interesting design.  A side wheeler with the wheels within the hull instead of outside like in later boats and a single poppet type engine, mainly used later on sternwheelers.  I will gladly follow along.

 

Bob

Every build is a learning experience.

 

Current build:  SS_ Mariefred

 

Completed builds:  US Coast Guard Pequot   Friendship-sloop,  Schooner Lettie-G.-Howard,   Spray,   Grand-Banks-dory

                                                a gaff rigged yawl,  HOGA (YT-146),  Int'l Dragon Class II,   Two Edwardian Launches 

 

In the Gallery:   Catboat,   International-Dragon-Class,   Spray

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  • 2 weeks later...

The mill has been running non-stop and I had forgotten how many pieces this engine has. 

i have finally gotten around to a little bit of assembly of the parts.  I'm hoping to complete the engine in November and then move onto the boilers in December. 

 

 

 

The nine pieces that make up the feedwater pump
post-21385-0-95331600-1446241125_thumb.jpg

 

The nine pieces soldered together awaiting clean-up and blackening

post-21385-0-22629700-1446241143_thumb.jpg

 

The six pieces that make up the Starboard Flywheel

post-21385-0-91648700-1446241165_thumb.jpg

 

The completed fdlywheel awaiting clean-up and blackening

post-21385-0-63613700-1446241181_thumb.jpg

 

Completed flywheels for the two models.  The differences in the styles of the port and starboard flywheels can be seen.  Evidence of a possible repair during her life on the river.

post-21385-0-76335800-1446241196_thumb.jpg

 

Checking the fit of the engine cylinder to the sole plate before the plate is let into the top of the cylinder timber.

post-21385-0-16695200-1446241219_thumb.jpg

Glenn

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My Gallery

 

9 inch Dahlgren on Marsilly Carriage<p><p>

 

Heroine Shipwreck Diorama

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Hi ggrieco, a very impressive start to your build log. The brass parts look like they have been milled with a CNC mill is this the case? I ask because the other tools in the shop background all look like simple manual tools.

 

Michael

Current builds  Bristol Pilot Cutter 1:8;      Skipjack 19 foot Launch 1:8;       Herreshoff Buzzards Bay 14 1:8

Other projects  Pilot Cutter 1:500 ;   Maria, 1:2  Now just a memory    

Future model Gill Smith Catboat Pauline 1:8

Finished projects  A Bassett Lowke steamship Albertic 1:100  

 

Anything you can imagine is possible, when you put your mind to it.

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Thanks, Michael,

 

Yes, the TAIG cnc mill is in the other corner of the room. The Enco mill that you can see is set up as a thickness planer and I only occasionally use it on larger projects. Sometimes I feel like I'm cheating with the cnc though.

Glenn

___________________________________

 

My Gallery

 

9 inch Dahlgren on Marsilly Carriage<p><p>

 

Heroine Shipwreck Diorama

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Thanks David,

 

The brass is a little discolored from soldering but it will be cleaned up and given a more even black finish with Birchwood Casey's brass black.

Glenn

___________________________________

 

My Gallery

 

9 inch Dahlgren on Marsilly Carriage<p><p>

 

Heroine Shipwreck Diorama

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That is fantastic work! How do you operate your mill? Is it CNC controlled, or do you hand crank it like the rest of us? 

Regards, Keith

 

gallery_1526_572_501.jpg 2007 (completed): HMS Bounty - Artesania Latina  gallery_1526_579_484.jpg 2013 (completed): Viking Ship Drakkar - Amati  post-1526-0-02110200-1403452426.jpg 2014 (completed): HMS Bounty Launch - Model Shipways

post-1526-0-63099100-1404175751.jpg Current: HMS Royal William - Euromodel

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Hi Glenn,

 

very interesting model and impressive metal parts as well. Will love to see when you get to mounting the steam engine and Boiler. Wish you all the best with your steam riverboat. The large scale will give you lots of space for finest details

 

Nils

Current builds

-Lightship Elbe 1

Completed

- Steamship Ergenstrasse ex Laker Corsicana 1918- scale 1:87 scratchbuild

"Zeesboot"  heritage wooden fishing small craft around 1870, POB  clinker scratch build scale 1:24

Pilot Schooner # 5 ELBE  ex Wanderbird, scale 1:50 scratchbuild

Mississippi Sterwheelsteamer built as christmapresent for grandson modified kit build

Chebec "Eagle of Algier" 1753--scale 1:48-POB-(scratchbuild) 

"SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse" four stacker passenger liner of 1897, blue ribbond awarded, 1:144 (scratchbuild)
"HMS Pegasus" , 16 gun sloop, Swan-Class 1776-1777 scale 1:64 from Amati plan 

-"Pamir" 4-mast barque, P-liner, 1:96  (scratchbuild)

-"Gorch Fock 2" German Navy cadet training 3-mast barque, 1:95 (scratchbuild) 

"Heinrich Kayser" heritage Merchant Steamship, 1:96 (scratchbuild)  original was my grandfathers ship

-"Bohuslän" , heritage ,live Swedish museum passenger steamer (Billings kit), 1:50 

"Lorbas", river tug, steam driven for RC, fictive design (scratchbuild), scale appr. 1:32

under restoration / restoration finished 

"Hjejlen" steam paddlewheeler, 1861, Billings Boats rare old kit, scale 1:50

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Thanks PriceMachine&Design, John, druxey,Keith and Nils,

 

I got a little sloppy with the hubs for the flywheels and didn't realize my end mill had lost a flute. I quickly jogged the x axis and reran the program after each part without inspecting the finish. It will require a little more file work before finishing. I appreciate the positive comments.

Glenn

___________________________________

 

My Gallery

 

9 inch Dahlgren on Marsilly Carriage<p><p>

 

Heroine Shipwreck Diorama

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Hello Glenn, I haven't seen a build log of a riverboat again... Like Nils said, it is a very interesting project. You are of to a great start with your build.. I will follow along if you don't mind.

 

Kind Regards

Dimitris

Current Build: Amerigo Vespucci -Mantua- 1:100 scale

 

Completed Build logs: Bluenose II AL 1:75 scale

 

Gallery: Bluenose II AL 1:75 scale

 

Future Build: Royal Caroline -Panart- 1:47 scale

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I am in awe of the beautiful parts you have managed to fabricate with your CNC setup. This has convinced me, I need to acquire one of these for myself. If you don't mind, could you tell us what you are using? 

Regards, Keith

 

gallery_1526_572_501.jpg 2007 (completed): HMS Bounty - Artesania Latina  gallery_1526_579_484.jpg 2013 (completed): Viking Ship Drakkar - Amati  post-1526-0-02110200-1403452426.jpg 2014 (completed): HMS Bounty Launch - Model Shipways

post-1526-0-63099100-1404175751.jpg Current: HMS Royal William - Euromodel

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Hello Keith,

 

Thank you for your kind words.  I am using a TAIG cnc  mill from TAIG tools.

 

http://www.taigtools.com/cmill.html

 

I have two of the mills, one for home and one for the office, and it seems like they are always running.  You'll find no end of uses for them.  I use AutoCAD to design my parts and an old version of BobCAD to create my mill routines.  If I have to create a more organic shape such as a figure, MeshLab works pretty well.  The mills comes with everything you need except the design program.

Glenn

___________________________________

 

My Gallery

 

9 inch Dahlgren on Marsilly Carriage<p><p>

 

Heroine Shipwreck Diorama

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Glen:

Another great model in the making.  I am avidly following your posts.  After hearing your presentation at the 2015 NRG Conference in St. Louis on the Heroine I was hoping you would post your work on the model here.

Thanks for sharing with us.

Kurt

Kurt Van Dahm

Director

NAUTICAL RESEARCH GUILD

www.thenrg.org

SAY NO TO PIRACY. SUPPORT ORIGINAL IDEAS AND MANUFACTURERS

CLUBS

Nautical Research & Model Ship Society of Chicago

Midwest Model Shipwrights

North Shore Deadeyes

The Society of Model Shipwrights

Butch O'Hare - IPMS

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Thanks Kurt,

 

I had a great time at the conference and am really enjoying being back in touch again. This site is a wonderful asset to have. In the past I never had much opportunity to get on-line but I got a new iPad and it makes it so much easier to keep up with everything. I'm really looking forward to getting to know everyone.

 

Glenn

Glenn

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9 inch Dahlgren on Marsilly Carriage<p><p>

 

Heroine Shipwreck Diorama

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Not a lot of visible progress this week.  I spent most of my time finishing the hull planking on the second model.  I was able to start milling the sixteen bearings that will be needed for the flywheel and paddlewheel shafts.

 

Roughing cuts on the main flywheel bearing

post-21385-0-58901100-1446931075_thumb.jpg

 

Last few passes of the finishing cuts.  Used a 10% stepover, probably should have used 5%

post-21385-0-55893600-1446931094_thumb.jpg

 

Bearings and buttress plates before drilling the bolt holes.

post-21385-0-26045000-1446931119_thumb.jpg

 

Bearings before being notched into cylinder timbers.  The buttress plates were mounted forward and aft of both the main flywheel bearing and the engine sole plate.  The sole plate, bearings and buttresses were all notched into and bolted directly to the cylinder timber and wedges were driven into the notches in the buttresses.  An interesting feature of this wreck was that the buttresses were only fitted on the bearing and sole plate on the starboard side of the vessel.  Kevin an I were curious to know if this was typical for steam engines.  If anyone has an idea about this arrangement, we would love to hear it.

post-21385-0-75861700-1446931149_thumb.jpg

Edited by ggrieco

Glenn

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My Gallery

 

9 inch Dahlgren on Marsilly Carriage<p><p>

 

Heroine Shipwreck Diorama

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