New Member Railroad Modeler

[Ebton3]

Hello everyone. My name is Blair Drazic from Grand Junction, CO.I’m a trial lawyer with 3 grown boys and 2 grown stepchildren. I have been a serious fine scale railroad modeler for 45 years. I am interested in building a riverboat  or river boats for my layout. I ordered the Model Shipways Chaperone kit. I stumbled on this site and realized I may need help. I built a Scientific Bounty in college over 45 years ago but nothing since. Who knows, I may build more. I also have some tips from model railroading I can contribute. Do you all weather models?
Blair

[Cathead]

Welcome! I'm also a model railroader who diverted into shipbuilding. You might enjoy this photo of my steamboat Bertrand at a mid-1800s railhead of the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad, on the Missouri River in northwest Missouri.

 

 

If you're going to built Chaperon, I strongly recommend this additional guide written by Kurt Van Dahm, a director of the Nautical Research Guild and resident steamboat expert. It's got a ton of good details and suggestions that complement the kit instructions. The price is well worth it compared to the cost of the kit and the time you'll spend on it (especially the time you'll save avoiding mistakes!). There are also some very good build logs for the kit here on MSW that would be well worth reading through for insights and inspiration.

 

I weather my steamboat models to the same extent I do railroad models: to look reasonably well-used but not decrepit. Many ship modelers don't weather because there's something particularly attractive about a pristine stand-alone model, but I think riverboats just don't look right if too crisp. Certainly if it's going on a model railroad layout, weathering makes sense. I primarily use pastels for light shadings of dirt, grime, rust, and so on. For example, here's my lightly weathered Arabia (another Missouri River steamer); not grimy, but not shiny either:

 

 

I'd certainly encourage you to start a build log for your Chaperon here, as it'll be the best way to get advice and support as you dive in. It's a great choice of kit, really the only accurate riverboat kit available, and turns into a beautiful model. Good luck and I'll be there in your build log if you start it.

 

 

[Keith Black]

Blair, welcome to MSW. One of our gifted members, Gary (FriedClams), does a wonderful job of weathering. See the below link.

 

 

 

[mtaylor]

[Chuck Seiler]

    Hello Blair.  Welcome to Model Ship World.  

 

    I think you will find the CHAPERONE to be an interesting and challenging build, but not overwhelming.  I built the Missouri River steamboat FAR WEST as my first scratch build many years ago.  All the joys of model ship building without the pesky rigging. 

 

    Looking forward to your build log.

[Ebton3]

Thank you everyone. I knew this would be a good website. I downloaded everyone’s pics. Cathead, I lived in MO for 30 years (STL) and still work there some times.  Here is a shot of one of my model scenes. I’m hot to get going but it will take a while to get the kit.

[thibaultron]

Welcome!

[Jim Lad]

Hello Blair, and a warm welcome to the forum from 'Down Under'.

 

John

[Louie da fly]

Hi Blair, and welcome to MSW.

 

Judging by the jalopy it looks like your layout is just the right time for the Chaperone - she was in use until she was burnt in 1922, so she sounds like just the vessel for your railroad. 

 

A river steamer is on my own wish-list, but as an Aussie I'd be doing an Australian one (they're quite different from the American ones). But it's very much on the back burner - I've got so many models I want to make, I doubt I'll get all of them done this lifetime.

 

Yes, start a build log. You'll find it very worthwhile - the members here are very friendly and helpful.

 

Good to have you aboard.

 

Steven

Edited September 24, 2021 by Louie da fly

[Ryland Craze]

Welcome to Model Ship World Blair.  You will do just fine on your Chaperone build judging by the excellent work on your model railroad.  I love the era that you are modeling for your model railroad.

[Baker]

[Roger Pellett]

Blair,

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

I’m not a model railroader but sometimes wish that I were.  I love those Shay locomotives!  Many years ago my wife and I rode up the mountain on West Virginia’s Cass Scenic Railroad.  They operate Shays.  Shays were also used in the open pit iron ore mines here in Northern Minnesota.

 

I wouldn’t overdo the weathering.  Chaperone hauled both passengers and freight in the Evansville, Indiana and NW Kentucky areas.  To attract passengers she had to be well maintained.  As a coal burner areas exposed to coal dust or smoke would be grimy.  Otherwise fresh paint inspires confidence with the traveling public.

 

Roger

[Ebton3]

Thanks everyone. I think I will do a build log. I have an unusual layout made up of unrelated scenes I call the Rail Gallery. I model several eras between 1920 and the 60s. Here is another pic and my method of jumping between eras in a prototypical manner😎. If the Chaperon is a success, I’m looking at a sailing ship harbor scene possibly.

[Ebton3]

I just remembered this book I bought many years ago. I think the latent interest is coming out!

[Louie da fly]

Nice to see the de Lorean - must have attained 88 m.p.h. to have got there.

 

Sailing ships were still in fairly common use before (and even during) the second world war, so it should all work nicely.

 

Steven 

[CDR_Ret]

Welcome to MSW, Blair, from a fellow Coloradoan (Colorado Springs).

 

I think I found the perfect intersection of model railroading and shipbuilding! Back in 2016, my thread on the brigantine Galilee attracted a comment from Thomas Rubarth, who resides in Omaha, Nebraska—also a model railroading fan. In collaboration with a ship modeler friend of his, Jim Turner, they built a huge model of the train ferry Solano, which operated between Benicia and Port Costa in California from 1879 to 1930. The model was built to HO scale and included HO rolling stock.

 

Here are several photos Thomas shared with me during our correspondence:

 

This is the model  builder, Jim Turner holding the hull.

 

Note the asymmetrical positioning of the paddle wheels.

 

 

 

MSW is a wonderful organization of knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful individuals. I am sure you will find success in your endeavors here.

 

Enjoy!

 

Terry

[mbp521]

Welcome to Model Ship World Blair. Glad to have you aboard.

 

I completed the Model Shipways Chaperon about a year and a half ago and I must say that it is a fantastic model. There are several build logs on MSW of this model you can use as a reference as well as a wealth of knowledgeable folks here that are always willing to lend a hand and guide you in the right direction. Looking forward to following your build log.

 

-Brian

[Jeffb]

Welcome Blair!  I too have a foot in both camps.  A few years ago I scratchbuilt a sternwheeler for our club layout which, unfortunately, had to be disassembled as I was completing it.  I would like to incorporate it in a module or my home layout in the future.

 

Jeff

[Ebton3]

Thanks for all the help and pics.

[Ebton3]

I downloaded all the pics!

[Malazan]

Hello from Colorado, I live in Craig 👋