Lula by Keith Black - 1:120 Scale - 1870s Sternwheeler Supply Boat for Floating Pile Driver

[Keith Black]

 This post contains those sites I've come across during my researching for the Lula build that I felt were well worth mentioning.  Hopefully they'll be of use to others. 

 

  Keith

 

https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/search/categories/marine engines?page[size]=50&page[type]=search&page[sort]=default

 

 https://www.hrmm.org/history-blog/previous/21

 

http://www.islandnet.com/~westisle/History/horizeng.html

 

https://www.naval-history.net/WW0Book-Sennett-MarineSteamEngine.htm

 

https://www.shippingwondersoftheworld.com/marine_engines.html#Elizabeth

 

https://www.shippingwondersoftheworld.com/modern_boilers.html

 

 

Edited October 27 by Keith Black

[clearway]

Rum fer yan mare Keith (can translate from Cumbrian if need be 😜)- slipped under my radar this one - another  unusual/ interesting prototype.

 

Keith

[Keith Black]

4 hours ago, clearway said:

Rum fer yan mare Keith (can translate from Cumbrian if need be 😜)- slipped under my radar this one - another  unusual/ interesting prototype.

 

 Thank you for joining in, Keith.

 

 In the past couple of weeks I haven't thought about modeling as our ten year old refrigerator started failing October the 16th and the need for a new refrigerator has been paramount in my mind. We've been living out of an ice chest for the past couple of weeks as the old frig completely died on October the 29th. Delivery of the first frig ordered was supposed to have taken place on November the 1st. At the time of the order the vendor (big box) said the frig was in stock and would be delivered November the 1st but two days before delivery they said the frig was on backorder from the factory. Order canceled. Second frig ordered, when delivered, was too large to fit through the four doors to the kitchen so we had to buy another that would fit through the doors. It was delivered yesterday and successfully installed. Of course during this time our house looked like it had been stirred with a stick due to doors being removed and furniture pulled away from the door openings. Thank God for our new refrigerator!

 

 Hopefully I can focus my attention on Lula now that we're no longer camping out. 

[clearway]

Though not as drastic as having no fridge, sounds like our sofa and armchair scenario a few months ago- i gave them the measurements for the 12 foot long 33inch wide hallway and even taking the front door and the hallway door off they couldn't get it in! had to pay a little extra to get reclining armchairs that could have the backs removed so they would fit- but had to wait while they got re-upholstered to match the sofa- three months later we finally had our new sofa and chairs! 

 

keith

[Cathead]

I'm back after a few weeks away from MSW and you pose a good question regarding water supply. I've only ever researched inland river steamers and have no idea how brackish water changes the equation or how all the various coastal harbor and river steamers (such as on the lower Hudson) handled that.

 

As for placement of the funnel/chimney in front of the pilot house, it may be an accident of vessel design. On riverboats, the boilers tended to be relatively near the bow, both to the balance the weight of the engines and paddle wheels further aft, and to help provide draft without being blocked by superstructure. As the pilothouse on riverboats also needed to be near the bow for visibility, it generally ended up being placed more or less over the boilers, meaning the chimneys ended up in front of the pilothouse. Not as big a deal on a normal two-chimney riverboat but a bit awkward with just one. But the rest of the design requirements pretty much force a single chimney to stay there. 

 

I don't know much about regular coastal vessel design, such as the one Jim Lad showed on Oct 18, but I'd guess you still run into similar constraints in that there are only certain places that boilers/engines can go so sometimes you end up with a pilothouse in an awkward place if there are other reasons not to put it elsewhere.

 

Personally, your fridge saga has been great for me since there's not so much to catch up on in this build!

[kurtvd19]

I would recommend centering the stack as well as the wheel.  The Capt would stand to one side or the other and operate the wheel from directly behind the handles on the spokes.  Some wheels were quite tall and it was much easier to operate the wheel from one side or the other.  Being offset to steer makes the issue of seeing around the stack unimportant.  These boats and especially if pushing a barge required the Capt. to be looking way out in front of the boat or the Boat/Barge tow.  The throttle and whistle controls were offset to one side or the other or provided on both sides of the wheel thus making the operation of the wheel from behind the spoke handles.  This has carried over to this day.

Kurt

 

[Keith Black]

Keith, thank you for sharing your furniture delivery experience.

 

On 11/11/2024 at 7:26 AM, Cathead said:

so sometimes you end up with a pilothouse in an awkward place if there are other reasons not to put it elsewhere.

 

On 11/12/2024 at 12:20 PM, kurtvd19 said:

These boats and especially if pushing a barge required the Capt. to be looking way out in front of the boat or the Boat/Barge tow.

Eric and Kurt, thank you both for your sage thoughts.

 

 

 Time to devote to Lula has been in short supply as of late but I have been laying out her design elements and I should have her profile on paper within the next few days. During layout I was worried about the pilothouse being so far astern until I realized the pilothouse has to be as far astern as possible because of her job pushing the pile driver barge. Forget about trying to see around a stack, the pilot is trying to see around the pile driver tower!

 

 Photo Lula's pilot house has two windows on both the port and starboard sides with the only door at the stern. Knowing the pilot needs as much aside view as possible I think I need to replace the forward windows with doors. 

 

 Lula's water tank will be built into the hull set forward allowing the boiler to be set closer to the engine room also a coal bin will be set forward of the boiler. Sacked coal would not have been used because of the numerous coal tenders working the harbor. She'll also have a boom lift near the bow. Because of the water and coal weight plus the mast and boom lift weight I think I can justify placing the boiler closer to the engine room.

 

I debate with myself whether to have the boiler exposed or inclosed. Exposed makes for a more rough working like appearance while enclosed would be better for keeping steam temperatures elevated. An exposed boiler also provides more visual interest.

 

 Thank you to everyone for following along in these early days of Lula's development. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated!

 

   Keith.  

[Cathead]

If you think enclosed makers more sense but exposed looks better, you can always fall back on the 'ol "repair scene" trick. Make one side of the enclosure solid and have the other one in the process of being re-sided with new planking or something. You could even hang a rolled-up tarp above the opening or something to imply that they're trying to keep it protected until repairs are made but just at the moment the model is frozen in time, the tarp happens to be open. Or some narrative along those lines.

 

Also, would enclosing the boiler in a simple wooden structure really make a significant difference in its performance? Serious question, I don't know the answer. Intuitively it seems like it wouldn't, really, but I don't know. I can see the argument for an enclosure protecting the metal from corrosive salt spray, though.