1880's Floating Steam Donkey Pile Driver by Keith Black - FINISHED - 1:120 Scale

Keith Black · July 15

8 hours ago, Knocklouder said:

Keith if it goes South it's @Glen McGuireaka SIB fault . He's upset because I made Dimples look like a brahma bull instead of a Texas longhorn.lol

I for one want to thank you for all your help and ideas, all though my Donkeys will look different the enjoyment will be the same.

Again thanks for adding two years to my build lol.

Can't wait to see it started, in for the long journey my friend.

Thank you, Bob. Having you hanging about makes my day.

32 minutes ago, KeithAug said:

Keith, is your steam donkey going to get a name? I think we could all suggest names for you to choose from. My suggestion is "Donkey Oaty".

Oh how cleaver, Keith. It would be appropriate as I've been known to go tilting every now and then.

wefalck · July 15

Oops, Keith, you beat me to that subject ... a floating pile-driver (or a floating derrick) with a donkey-engine or a portable steam-engine (locomobile) has been on my project list for decades. I have collected quite a bit of civil engineering literature from the 1860s to 1890s on that subject.

There have been quite a few configurations in use, probably depending on availability: vertical boiler to supply horizontal engines, vertical engines attached to vertical boiler, and the classical portable engine configuration with the steam-engine sitting on top of a horizontal locomotive-type boiler (either on a kind of skid, or with the wheels wedged tight). I think the 1881 date refers only to the design with a skidded engine with vertical boiler and winches in one frame. The principle has been in use at least since the 1860s to power cranes, derricks and pile drivers, both on land and floating.

I remember seeing and hearing(!) pile drivers as a little boy in the early 1960s, when they extended the quays for the Scandinavian ferries in Kiel (Germany). They drove sheet-piling though.

BTW, 1/120 is an established model railway scale over here in Europe. There werent too many manufacturers in Western Europe, but it was a popular scale in Eastern Germany. After the Wall came down it saw a kind of renaissance due to people hankering after the good(?) old times of GDR. Now there are several manufacturer catering for this scale. Figures are also available at that scale.

In HO-scale there would be various white-metal kits for donkey-engines on the market, I think. Dito for portable steam-engines.

Perhaps you should get yourself a small lathe to do justice to all the working parts of the engine etc.

I will follow that log with interest too 👍🏻

Edited July 15 by wefalck

BANYAN · July 15

1 hour ago, KeithAug said:

My suggestion is "Donkey Oaty".

Love it

Keith Black · July 15

9 hours ago, wefalck said:

Oops, Keith, you beat me to that subject ... a floating pile-driver (or a floating derrick) with a donkey-engine or a portable steam-engine (locomobile) has been on my project list for decades. I have collected quite a bit of civil engineering literature from the 1860s to 1890s on that subject.

Eberhard, I do hope you carry out your driver project. I'd love following a build log by you on the subject.

9 hours ago, wefalck said:

Perhaps you should get yourself a small lathe to do justice to all the working parts of the engine etc.

I've not enough sand left in the glass to justify buying a lathe now. I'm pretty cagy with a drill and I enjoy the challenge. Thank you for following along.

After aa page of comments I though it high time to provide POS. Nooo, not that POS, proof of sawdust.

The hull 2.0 is close to having most of its elements attached. I'm not happy with the driver tower base so that'll get remade before making the hammer. The hammer needs to get made before the head log which adds a lot of stability. Once all the driver elements are added it'll be very sturdy.

The hull measures 26 by 56 feet and the tower is 65 feet tall. The figure is to scale. When I worded on the pile driving crew I did not like climbing up to the head log. Heights is not my cuppa.

Thank you to all for the kind comments, the likes, and for taking the time to follow along.

Keith

wefalck · July 15

Was the prototype hull actually wood or steel?

Keith Black · July 15

11 minutes ago, wefalck said:

Was the prototype hull actually wood or steel?

Wood.

KeithAug · July 15

18 minutes ago, Keith Black said:

I've not enough sand left in the glass to justify buying a lathe now.

Boys are never too old for new toys. And I bet in your head you are still young! Ask Bob his advice.

Edited July 15 by KeithAug

Keith Black · July 17

Thank you to all for the comments and the likes.

There's nothing romantic about a barge. They just ride the tide being their utilitarian self.

Most of the wood elements have been added to the barge hull and pile driver base 2.0 has been finished.

I didn't bother with staggering the planks., I made each plank a home run stem to stern. There'll be enough clutter plus the driver and the steam donkey to hide a great portion of the deck. I don't think the lack of plank joints will stand out.

If a piece of wood used was chipped in cutting I went ahead and used it. Once completed the barge will need to be roughed up and weathered. .

I'll poly the barge where it's protected plus the poly will provide a base that when I rough it up/weather if I don't like a particular result I can simply wipe it off and give it another go.

I need to add cleats, bollards, hand tools, lumber, rope, chain, peeves, and the obligatory wooden barrel.

I'll be spending the next two days in the pool hall so it'll be a few before I can resume work.

Thank you to everyone for your willingness to follow along.

Keith

Edited July 17 by Keith Black

Cathead · July 17

9 hours ago, Keith Black said:

If a piece of wood used was chipped in cutting I went ahead and used it. Once completed the barge will need to be roughed up and weathered.

A man after my own heart...

mtaylor · July 18

Better late than never to the party. Something a bit different here on MSW which is good thing.

John Ruy · July 19

On 7/16/2024 at 11:08 PM, Keith Black said:

There's nothing romantic about a barge. They just ride the tide being their utilitarian self

I disagree Keith, I find anything with a steam engine quite romantic. Love the subject. I’ll follow along I love a good mystery too. Should be an interesting journey.

John

Keith Black · July 20

Thank you to everyone for the comments, likes, and for being part of the journey.

On 7/17/2024 at 8:22 AM, Cathead said:

A man after my own heart...

Thank you, Eric

On 7/18/2024 at 7:42 PM, mtaylor said:

Better late than never to the party. Something a bit different here on MSW which is good thing.

Glad you showed up, Mark. It's definitely different, time will tell if it's a "good thing"

On 7/18/2024 at 10:40 PM, John Ruy said:

I disagree Keith, I find anything with a steam engine quite romantic. Love the subject. I’ll follow along I love a good mystery too. Should be an interesting journey.

John, I've a passion for any steam powered water vessel built between 1860 and 1895. So many innovations occurred during that 35 year window yet lacking in documentation. Thank you for following along.

The barge is done, I think the wood I was gifted by @Daniel Kimmer absolutely is lovely. I'm not used to building with nice wood, In the past I've used what I could buy at the big box stores. It really didn't matter because it got painted.

For those who've followed the Tennessee build, you know I'm a great proponent of painted surfaces because that was the way of things, IMHO. I don't see any paint in the photos of these everyday towed working barges of the latter 1800's. They were truly the redheaded stepchildren of water vessels. If anyone has photos to the contrary, please share.

Once all three elements are completed I'll have to weather the three into something that resembles a working day in the life of. Not exactly sure how I'm going to be able to manage that. I foresee a lot of researching weathering techniques and reviewing many of your build logs.

The bit of chain is there for visual affect and is not permanently attached.

Again, thank you to all.

Keith

Edited July 20 by Keith Black

wefalck · July 20

Artists pastels are good for such weathering. White, grey, black and some olive green for around the water-line. The originals would have treated with a solution of tar, but your wood resembles already that.

Cathead · July 20

Agree with Wefalck. You can easily get a simple set from a hobby store or art shop. There are even sets made specifically for weathering models, which have a broader range of certain colors in the black/grey/brown/rust spectrum. These are nice since most art sets tend to have colors you don't need much, like purple. You can apply then gently with a brush, swab, or even finger tip. I'd recommend practicing on scrap surfaces first since pastels don't always come off easily. But they're wonderful for adding light layers of grime, rust, and other textures.

KeithAug · July 20

Well you seem to be speeding through this build Keith. Do remember however that I am expecting you to take decades to finish it. No dashing for the finishing post for you old boy!🙂

Edited July 20 by KeithAug

Daniel Kimmer · July 21

Keith,

I've been following along on your latest project. I took the time to read your entire USS Tennesse log and besides the detail of the build I enjoyed the history. I think your current log is awesome. If you need any more wood let me know. Happy to give you more. If you need a certain dimension also let me know. Like I told you, I enjoy spending time in the basement at the "saw mill" cutting and milling.

Dan

Keith Black · July 23

Thank you to all for the comments and likes.

On 7/20/2024 at 1:37 PM, wefalck said:

Artists pastels are good for such weathering. White, grey, black and some olive green for around the water-line. The originals would have treated with a solution of tar, but your wood resembles already that.

On 7/20/2024 at 2:28 PM, Cathead said:

Agree with Wefalck. You can easily get a simple set from a hobby store or art shop. There are even sets made specifically for weathering models, which have a broader range of certain colors in the black/grey/brown/rust spectrum. These are nice since most art sets tend to have colors you don't need much, like purple. You can apply then gently with a brush, swab, or even finger tip. I'd recommend practicing on scrap surfaces first since pastels don't always come off easily. But they're wonderful for adding light layers of grime, rust, and other textures.

Thank you, Eberhard and Eric. All suggestions are more than welcome!

On 7/20/2024 at 5:13 PM, KeithAug said:

Well you seem to be speeding through this build Keith. Do remember however that I am expecting you to take decades to finish it. No dashing for the finishing post for you old boy!🙂

Keith, I do seem to have a full head of steam with this project, it's been an enjoyable break from the Tennessee,

On 7/21/2024 at 4:32 PM, Daniel Kimmer said:

I've been following along on your latest project. I took the time to read your entire USS Tennesse log and besides the detail of the build I enjoyed the history. I think your current log is awesome. If you need any more wood let me know. Happy to give you more. If you need a certain dimension also let me know. Like I told you, I enjoy spending time in the basement at the "saw mill" cutting and milling.

Dan, thank you for your kind comments and for your gracious offer.

I'm making good progress on the pile driver tower, 1:1 it's 68 feet tall barge deck to the head log. There's a lot more to add, fitting bits, blocks, head log, hammer, port/starboard angled brace supports, ladder, and stays that run from the top of the tower to the barge's bow.

Thank you to all for stopping by.

Keith

Edited July 24 by Keith Black

KeithAug · July 23

Very nicely done. Presumably they were very well ballasted to avoid upside down floating?

wefalck · July 23

I would think that the steam-plant and the machinery would provide sufficient counterbalance?

Unlike for a crane, the load and the distance of the load from the barge does not change so much on a pile-driver.

Edited July 23 by wefalck

Glen McGuire · July 23

On 7/20/2024 at 12:17 PM, Keith Black said:

I foresee a lot of researching weathering techniques and reviewing many of your build logs.

I'd start here with the superb weathering job @gjdale did on the wood strips for his diorama. It's on the first page of the log.

https://modelshipworld.com/topic/32778-the-shipyard-at-foss-landing-diorama-by-gjdale-grant-finished-sierrawest-scale-187-ho/

FriedClams · July 23

Excellent start, Keith - terrific work! As already stated, you're moving quite fast on this barge construction. This suggests to me you are really enjoying the build, which is great and as it should be. I look forward to future updates.

Gary

tmj · July 23

Looking good and coming along nicely! This is going to be an interesting build to say the least! I'll be keeping a close eye on this one... 🙂

Javelin · July 23

9 hours ago, wefalck said:

I would think that the steam-plant and the machinery would provide sufficient counterbalance?

Unlike for a crane, the load and the distance of the load from the barge does not change so much on a pile-driver.

I believe @KeithAug is talking about stability rather than keeping the ship level. Indeed with such a small beam and draft I also thought this would be tricky, considering the height of that tower. On the other side, the center of gravity and weight of the pile wouldn't be that high up... The machinery above deck doesn't help much though. Interesting concept in any case.

Great job on the build so far. Love the choice of wood, the colours are really matching.

Keith Black · July 24

Thank you to all for the likes and for following along.

13 hours ago, KeithAug said:

Very nicely done. Presumably they were very well ballasted to avoid upside down floating?

Thank you, Keith. Thoughts on barge stability when I address Roel's comments.

12 hours ago, wefalck said:

I would think that the steam-plant and the machinery would provide sufficient counterbalance?

Unlike for a crane, the load and the distance of the load from the barge does not change so much on a pile-driver.

Eberhard, thank you, I agree,

12 hours ago, Glen McGuire said:

I'd start here with the superb weathering job @gjdale did on the wood strips for his diorama. It's on the first page of the log.

https://modelshipworld.com/topic/32778-the-shipyard-at-foss-landing-diorama-by-gjdale-grant-finished-sierrawest-scale-187-ho/

Glen, thank you. Grant's Foss Landing log is one of the builds I planned on reviewing.

10 hours ago, FriedClams said:

Excellent start, Keith - terrific work! As already stated, you're moving quite fast on this barge construction. This suggests to me you are really enjoying the build, which is great and as it should be. I look forward to future updates.

Thank you, Gary.

3 hours ago, tmj said:

Looking good and coming along nicely! This is going to be an interesting build to say the least! I'll be keeping a close eye on this one... 🙂

Thank you, Tom.

3 hours ago, Javelin said:

believe @KeithAug is talking about stability rather than keeping the ship level. Indeed with such a small beam and draft I also thought this would be tricky, considering the height of that tower. On the other side, the center of gravity and weight of the pile wouldn't be that high up... The machinery above deck doesn't help much though. Interesting concept in any case.

Great job on the build so far. Love the choice of wood, the colours are really matching.

Roel, thank you. I built the barge and driver to the plan below. Also, the barge would have had logs lashed alongside waiting their turn to be drawn up into the throat/slide of the pile driver. It must have worked as there are photos that scale to the below plan.

image.jpeg.f8fd92b0a54a9868945efca92a2e799c.jpeg

Thank you to all for your continued interest in my little project.

Keith

Kevin Kenny · July 24

What a creative project.

Keith Black · July 24

Thank you to all for the likes.

1 hour ago, Kevin Kenny said:

What a creative project.

Thank you, Kevin. Hopefully it proves worthy.

Last night I got the hammer made allowing me to turn my attention to the head log which is the crown of the pile driver.

I see this build being completed with in the next couple of months, Lord willing and I've settled on a candidate for the tug/helper boat.

This photo of a small narrow paddlewheel two car ferry taken in the late 1920's or early 30's. I love this image, I think this boat is just cute as a bug. I wanted a small tug/helper boat and Lula (approximately 45/50 feet in length and 22 feet in width) appears to be good candidate to try and replicate. I'll make her steam driven putting the boiler where the Model A sits and I'll be borrowing ideas from Eric's @Cathead Peerless build.

image.jpeg.1d5fd14ff772e3591a3f7aae82193ed9.jpeg

Keith

Edited July 24 by Keith Black

Cathead · July 24

That is definitely a prototype just oozing charisma. It'll look great next to your barge. It'll be really fun to see how you adapt it for your needs!

ccoyle · July 24

I can't read the hail clearly -- "Port of..."?

Keith Black · July 24

2 hours ago, Cathead said:

That is definitely a prototype just oozing charisma. It'll look great next to your barge. It'll be really fun to see how you adapt it for your needs!

Thanks, Eric. I'm pretty stoked about building her. My poor ole Tennessee is sitting there with that 'what about me' look on her bow.

1 hour ago, ccoyle said:

I can't read the hail clearly -- "Port of..."?

Chris. I think it's "Great Falls", which Great Falls is anybody's guess.

Rick310 · July 24

Looks great Keith, this will be a interesting and fun build.

Rick

Sign In

1880's Floating Steam Donkey Pile Driver by Keith Black - FINISHED - 1:120 Scale

Recommended Posts

Join the conversation

Recently Browsing 0 members

About us

SSL Secured

NRG Mailing Address

Model Ship World ® and the MSW logo are Registered Trademarks, and belong to the Nautical Research Guild (United States Patent and Trademark Office: No. 6,929,264 & No. 6,929,274, registered Dec. 20, 2022)

Helpful Links

About the NRG

Our Emblem ®

Nautical Research Guild ® and the NRG logo are Registered Trademarks, and belong to the Nautical Research Guild (United States Patent and Trademark Office: No. 6,999,236 & No. 6,999,237, registered March 14, 2023)