Peerless 1893 by Cathead - 1:87 - sternwheel Missouri River steamboat

[John Ruy]

Excellent Eric… Stunning.   
 

John

[JacquesCousteau]

Very well done, congratulations on finishing an excellent and highly original model! I've greatly enjoyed following along on this build, and look forward to whatever you build next--for whatever it's worth, my vote is for that tiny ferryboat with its bargeload of wagons.

[Keith Black]

 Congratulations, Eric. An extremely well done model of an unpretentious working boat. I only hope my future efforts will be half as well done. 

[mbp521]

Congratulations Eric. Another fine build that truly shows your love of the old Missouri River vessels, as well as your expert craftsmanship.

 

It’s about time that I light a fire under my backside and sit back down at the bench and get to work on my build, and your completion of Peerless is just the motivation that I need.

As always, I look forward with great excitement to the next project to hit your bench, no matter how long you keep us waiting. 😁
 

-Brian

[Paul Le Wol]

Eric,congratulations on completing Peerless. Such a fine result. I’m going to miss your updates on this very interesting time and subject. I like the johnboat leaning on its side. More work but hey. Maybe if Peerless is mounted in a diorama the johnboat will be put to work.

[LJP]

Very nice! The details you added really make the model pop. I await your next one.

 

LJP

[wefalck]

Joining in into the chorus! Any crew or passengers foreseen? There should HO-scale figures suitable for conversion, if needed.

[Cathead]

Thank you all so far for the kind comments and likes. Don't forget to chime in on the johnboat question if you want. 

 

As for figures, as I briefly noted earlier, I'm not pursuing that for now but probably will in the final display context since I'll need other figures across that landscape anyway. 

[mbp521]

1 hour ago, Cathead said:

Don't forget to chime in on the johnboat question if you want. 

I totally forgot to throw my opinion on this one. I’m thinking it looks best on the aft, turned upside down. It’s readily accessible and keeps the rainwater out.  

 

-Brian

[KeithAug]

Well young Eric that turned out rather well. I think the deck cargo really adds to the realism and the weathering just lifts the whole boat to another level. I particularly liked the coal impregnated deck boards. I had assumed that the normal practice for river boats of this era would have been to fuel them with wood, but that clearly shows my lack of knowledge. I probably watched too much "Casey Jones" (Cannonball Express) as a child. Probably before your time🙂. Casey always seemed to burn wood.

Really looking forward to your next project - assuming you do a build log?????

[Cathead]

Keith, wood was standard during the peak steamboat era in the mid-1800s, but just like railroads, coal took over in the late 1800s as it became more widely available as it's a more energy-dense and reliable fuel. And since Missouri had (and has) extensive coal deposits, it especially wasn't difficult to shift to coal around here. Peerless was built in 1893, so is much later than the "classic" wood-burning steamboat one tends to think of from the 1840s-1870s or so, meaning I've assumed she was a coal-burner. If you look at my mid-century boats like Arabia or Bertrand, they have stacks of wood on their decks.

 

EDIT: as to your other question, I haven't decided on an off-topic build log. Part of me enjoys the community and the push to keep working, part of me wants to be free of the commitment.

Edited July 20 by Cathead

[mtaylor]

Wow....  your final bits and pieces really bring that boat to life.    Congratulations on your build and looking forward to your display.

[FriedClams]

Excellent job coloring the sacks, crates and other accessories, Eric - they look great.  I particularly like the coal bin and the fact that it's the real thing from your property is an added plus.  Your model has a nice organic rustic feel to it - very realistic.  It suggests the rough service these working boats performed without over doing it.  Looking forward to the final display.  

 

Gary

[Canute]

Another beauty, Eric. I vote for an overturned boat, due to not wanting to have to empty it when it rains. 😄

 

More of an aside: I spent last weekend in Collinsville, IL, outside St Louis at their annual prototype modeling meet. 3D printing is taking over the model RR hobby. The folks doing it are the more modern modelers, but the products cover a longer time frame. They even do people in the usual model RR scales. One fellow will even laser scan you and make prints of you.