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

[petervisser]

A really interesting subject Keith and at such a small scale. You're a braver man than I. It sure is starting to come to life!

Peter

[Keith Black]

7 hours ago, Jim Lad said:

That is looking so good, Keith!

 Thank you, John.

 

5 hours ago, petervisser said:

A really interesting subject Keith and at such a small scale. You're a braver man than I. It sure is starting to come to life!

 Thank you, Peter. 

[FriedClams]

Very nice work on those steam engines, Keith. That’s difficult modeling- putting two things side-by-side and making them look the same. 
 

Good to hear you’re putting a dredger on the to-do list!

 

Gary

[lraymo]

Wow, you've completed alot since I last saw this, and it's gorgeous!

[Keith Black]

On 2/9/2025 at 10:58 PM, FriedClams said:

Very nice work on those steam engines, Keith. That’s difficult modeling- putting two things side-by-side and making them look the same. 
 

Good to hear you’re putting a dredger on the to-do list!

 Thank you, Gary. I wish I'd done a dredger first and used that build as a learning experience before starting Lula as Lula is much more important to me than a dredger.  

 

16 hours ago, lraymo said:

Wow, you've completed alot since I last saw this, and it's gorgeous!

 Thank you, Lynn. Glad to see you had a good time in Florida, good to see you're safely home. 

[Keith Black]

 Thank you kind folks for your support with your kind comments and likes. 

 

 Lula's finally getting some structure added. I've gotten the engine room and head made. Nothing is glued down yet as I still need to add trim, ceiling/ floor joist, the step down deck for the ship's boat storage, and paint.

 

 Typical marine engine room, engines shoehorned into half the space of what's actually needed. 

 

 The engine room is so cramped I've added maintenance doors on both the starboard and port side outer walls. 

 

 It seems like it has taken forever to get to the point. I think it's because the pile driver's build went so fast I got spoiled. 

 

 Once the ceiling and the step down deck is added, very little of the engines will be seen. 

 

 I'm considering this option for placing the pump. 

 

 It doesn't give me that much extra space fore to aft but it does increase the space available to either side. 

 

 And that's needed as I need to run the stairways to the pilothouse up in front of the short walls on either side of the opening to the engine room.  Unfortunately I won't be able to run the stairways as they are in the photo of Lula. Because of the added steam engines I had to increase the engine room width from 16 feet to 18 feet and there's no way staircases will fit on the engine room's outside walls. Adding the fire bucket boxes is gonna be sketchy as is.    

 

 I'm pretty disappointed about not being able to run the stairs as in Lula's photo, I think they're a large part of Lula's charm. 

 

 A huge thank you to everyone for being part of the journey.

 

   Keith

[wefalck]

Are the engine service-doors already glued in? Otherwise you could leave them open to give a glimpse of the engines ...

[Paul Le Wol]

Hi Keith, really enjoying your planning and decision making. Would it be an option if you mounted the steps as in the photo of Lula but extended the upper platform forward a couple of feet so that you are able to walk under them?

[Paul Le Wol]

I guess I should have said extend the upper platform to the front of the building.

[Cathead]

Keith, great to see you getting "a head" on this model...

 

Question about the engine maintenance doors: I'm curious why you chose vertical ones rather than the horizontal hatches common on many steamboats (since they provide full lengthwise access along the engines' horizontal extent in tight spaces). Not implying you should re-do it, just legitimately interested in the design discussion. See below drawing of Bertrand for an example of what I mean.

 

And it just occurred to me that you could still add a version of these forward of each vertical door, if you wanted. Would add even more visual interest to the engine room walls.

 

[Keith Black]

4 hours ago, wefalck said:

Are the engine service-doors already glued in? Otherwise you could leave them open to give a glimpse of the engines ...

 The doors are glued in, Eberhard. I thought about leaving them totally open or partially open but in the end decided that leaving them shut told a better story. 

 

1 hour ago, Paul Le Wol said:

i Keith, really enjoying your planning and decision making. Would it be an option if you mounted the steps as in the photo of Lula but extended the upper platform forward a couple of feet so that you are able to walk under them?

1 hour ago, Paul Le Wol said:

I guess I should have said extend the upper platform to the front of the building.

 Thank you, Paul. In essence I'm doing as you suggested. The stairways will now be forward of the pilothouse leading up to the walkway instead of the originally planned aft of the pilothouse adjacent to the walkway. 

 

[Keith Black]

22 minutes ago, Cathead said:

Keith, great to see you getting "a head" on this model...

 

Question about the engine maintenance doors: I'm curious why you chose vertical ones rather than the horizontal hatches common on many steamboats (since they provide full lengthwise access along the engines' horizontal extent in tight spaces). Not implying you should re-do it, just legitimately interested in the design discussion. See below drawing of Bertrand for an example of what I mean.

 

And it just occurred to me that you could still add a version of these forward of each vertical door, if you wanted. Would add even more visual interest to the engine room walls.

 Thank you, Eric.   

 

 I knew the vertical doors was an option but I'm trying to stay as close to the photo of Lula as possible. From the moment I first saw the photo of Lula I fell in love with her. Remember my excitement when I sent you a PM of her photo? Vertical doors wouldn't look like Lula plus it would make it almost impossible to display the fire bucket boxes. Other than white there's very little color on Lula. The red fire buckets is a much needed splash along with the port and starboard running light boards. The original Lula doesn't show running lights but I'll add them forward of the pilothouse on the ship's boat deck. 

[KeithAug]

On 1/20/2025 at 4:52 PM, Keith Black said:

I was in recovery when yesterday I slipped on the icy back steps taking out the trash.

Oh dear, you do need to take care. We young things bounce quite well but at your age it pays to be super safe. 🙂

I have enjoyed catching up, you have been such a busy boy. All looking rather magnificent. 

[Cathead]

Great answer, Keith, that's exactly why I phrased it as a design question rather than a "you did it wrong" question. And I had entirely forgotten about those boxes along the walls. Thanks for indulging me.

[Jim Lad]

Whatever your final decisions, she's a real little gem!

 

John

[Keith Black]

1 hour ago, KeithAug said:

Oh dear, you do need to take care. We young things bounce quite well but at your age it pays to be super safe. 🙂

I have enjoyed catching up, you have been such a busy boy. All looking rather magnificent. 

 Thank you, Keith.

 

 I think I quit bouncing about the time I turned 70. The couple of times I've fallen this past year I've been in so much pain on impact that had I been within reach of a phone I would have called an ambulance needlessly.  

 

 

13 minutes ago, Cathead said:

Great answer, Keith, that's exactly why I phrased it as a design question rather than a "you did it wrong" question. And I had entirely forgotten about those boxes along the walls. Thanks for indulging me.

 Thank you, Eric and thank you for indulging ME! Like Lucy my modeling bipedalism is somewhat erratic.   

[Keith Black]

5 minutes ago, Jim Lad said:

Whatever your final decisions, she's a real little gem!

 Thank you, John. How was the crowd today? 

[BANYAN]

Very nice work Keith, she is coming along very nicely.  If there isn't too much (boxes, shelves and hanging tools) on the walls, would a couple of simple hinge-up (kept open with a stick ) windows/opening be suitable to show off some of the interior? They could be small and allow some ventilation/cooling with a cross-flow in real life, while allowing more glimpses of those very nicely crafted engines in the model?

 

Gotta watch those slip hazards mate; hope all is good.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Keith Black]

 

22 hours ago, BANYAN said:

Very nice work Keith, she is coming along very nicely.  If there isn't too much (boxes, shelves and hanging tools) on the walls, would a couple of simple hinge-up (kept open with a stick ) windows/opening be suitable to show off some of the interior? They could be small and allow some ventilation/cooling with a cross-flow in real life, while allowing more glimpses of those very nicely crafted engines in the model?

 Thank you, Pat.  I think with both the port and starboard maintenance doors open plus the opening fat the forward engine room wall there would be plenty of ventilation. The port and starboard walls/doors are cast in stone at this point. I'm sure there must be an Native American name for someone like myself, something that roughly translates to He who hides engines   

 

22 hours ago, BANYAN said:

Gotta watch those slip hazards mate; hope all is good.

  Both times I've fallen it's because I've been thinking about something other than watching my step. I just need to pay more attention to what I'm about. All's good, thank you. 

[lraymo]

I'm glad you're still going to do stairs!  (I was going to ask about ladders, but stairs are good!)

[Keith Black]

8 hours ago, lraymo said:

I'm glad you're still going to do stairs!  (I was going to ask about ladders, but stairs are good!)

 Thank you, Lynn.

[FriedClams]

Nice progress, Keith.  Great little structure and fully framed to boot!

 

Gary 

[Keith Black]

11 hours ago, FriedClams said:

Nice progress, Keith.  Great little structure and fully framed to boot!

 Thank you, Gary.

 

 

 And thank you to everyone for the comments and likes. 

 

 

 This is the last time the interior of the engine room will be visible from above. 

 

 Roof added and with that the engine room is done except for the fire bucket boxes and painting. 

 

 After posting the photos In my post #276 the engine room's lean toward the bow had to be addressed...much better.

 

After painting the interior white hopefully it won't be quite so dark.  

 

 I didn't want to add maintenance door trim but because quality control was out sick the day they sided the port and starboard walls I had no choice but to add door trim. It's hard finding good help these days 

 

 Rudder post added. 

 

 I'm tickled pink with the clearances between the wheel and the rudder post and the alignment of the openings for the engine timbers and pitman arms. I was pretty stressed about being able to make that all happen as it should. 

 

 Thank you for your support and being part of the journey.

 

   Keith

[Javelin]

I saw most of your updates by the posting on the main page, but seem to have missed quite something now. Finally following this topic, better late than never I guess. 

 

Great job on Lula, she looks very realistic. Having some gaps left and right is good in this case. She was pre industrial mass-production and therefore likely to be less sharp and crisp as anything built later on.

 

Hope you didn't get hurt too bad from that fall... 

[Glen McGuire]

The engine room looks great, Keith.  Well done!

[clearway]

Gotta love when a plan comes together -nice work there Keith

 

Keith

[Knocklouder]

Great job Kieth, I  can't tell from the picture, does the pitman on the paddle wheel go through the deck. Mine does and it's broken, but I have crew figures that look like they are replacing it. Lol

I  had to build a little scaffolding  so they don't fall in the Mississippi. 

 Great work my freind always surprisesing what you can do !!!

Bob  M.

[Keith Black]

14 hours ago, Javelin said:

I saw most of your updates by the posting on the main page, but seem to have missed quite something now. Finally following this topic, better late than never I guess. 

 

Great job on Lula, she looks very realistic. Having some gaps left and right is good in this case. She was pre industrial mass-production and therefore likely to be less sharp and crisp as anything built later on.

 

Hope you didn't get hurt too bad from that fall... 

 Thank you, Roel and thank you for following along. There are gaps and then there are gaps, those I left around the maintenance doors looked like they were cut using an ax and a dull one at that. Feeling much much better, thank you.

 

10 hours ago, Glen McGuire said:

The engine room looks great, Keith.  Well done!

 Thank you, Glen. 

 

8 hours ago, clearway said:

Gotta love when a plan comes together -nice work there Keith

 Thank you, Keith. To be truthful, the plan was a bit sketchy. 

 

7 hours ago, Knocklouder said:

Great job Kieth, I  can't tell from the picture, does the pitman on the paddle wheel go through the deck. Mine does and it's broken, but I have crew figures that look like they are replacing it. Lol

I  had to build a little scaffolding  so they don't fall in the Mississippi. 

 Great work my freind always surprisesing what you can do !!!

 Thank you, Bob. Yes, the deck is open where the pitman arm rotates. 

Edited Monday at 11:46 PM by Keith Black

[Jim Lad]

Looking good, Keith!

 

Re Roel's comments: - I think that we too easily dismiss the skill of the craftsmen of a bygone age. I have a video made quite a while ago of the man who was said to be the last traditionally trained shipwright on the south coast of New South Wales. In the video he was explaining how timber was selected and cut in the bush for boatbuilding at the local yard. He had two different axes with him and using these he cut and shaped timber as it lay on the ground with an accuracy and smoothness that looked like it was done with modern machinery.

 

John

[Keith Black]

1 minute ago, Jim Lad said:

Looking good, Keith!

 

Re Roel's comments: - I think that we too easily dismiss the skill of the craftsmen of a bygone age. I have a video made quite a while ago of the man who was said to be the last traditionally trained shipwright on the south coast of New South Wales. In the video he was explaining how timber was selected and cut in the bush for boatbuilding at the local yard. He had two different axes with him and using these he cut and shaped timber as it lay on the ground with an accuracy and smoothness that looked like it was done with modern machinery.

 Thank you, John. Undoubtedly hand tools used by a mater craftsman produces incredible work. This applies to the artist who made jewelry in the BC era, stone masons that carved the stones for 14th century cathedrals, and shipwrights of any era.

 

 My work around the port maintenance door looked like I had a beaver by the hind legs.