I needed to find or build a tug boat for a bridge scene that I am adding to my layout. Although my layout is HO scale, I decided to use an N scale tug boat for two reasons. One, the river area under the bridge is only 6 inches long, hardly enough for an HO scale tug boat that measures 10 inches or more. Two, I didn’t want an HO scale boat to appear to dwarf the bridge.
Finding tug boats at all, let alone in N scale is all but impossible. Walthers had a few in stock, but mostly from European manufacturers which really don’t look like U.S. harbor tugs or river tugs. Nothing was available in N scale.
After a fairly intensive search, I came across Model Tech Studios Fire Tug Boat in both HO scale and N scale. The Model Tech Studios tug boat is a 72 foot scale prototype. So, I bought the N scale kit which measures just under 5 1/2 inches in length.
I marvel at anyone who builds in N scale. It takes good eyesight, a steady hand, and slender fingers. Not the stuff of a senior citizen like me. Nevertheless, I jumped into the project because I had to.
Let me say before I go any further that Model Tech Studios makes a very nice, detailed, product. But, the instructions are minimal, mostly photos and illustrations. The parts to be assembled are difficult to fit and hold together. And, the parts are made of a variety of materials ranging from cast plastic to soft metal to paper thin wood. I simply could not find an adhesive to bind the parts together. Nothing worked from normal glue to CA adhesive to Ambroid Pro Weld. I finally resorted to a 2-part epoxy, JB Kwik, and that did the trick. The only problem with using something like JB Kwik epoxy is that it dries black in color and shiny, so you have to be careful as you apply it and trim off the excess that squeezes out from between the parts. There were a few missing parts but they were accessories so I didn’t care.
Rich, do you have any pics yet of your tug in your river scene or at least beneath an HO bridge?
I’ve been considering this kit in N scale also. I feel your pain about finding nice tug kits. Most have too square-ish or a complete lack of tumblehome along the hulls. They look “blocky” and not very graceful.
Yours looks nice! Does it look like it blends convincingly with HO bridges and other scenery and figures?
That N scale tug boat is going to be in a river beneath a bascule bridge that I built. The bridge sits on a lift out section that spans an aisle. The lift out bridge measures approximately 40 inches long by 6 1/2 inches wide. I just finished pouring the “water” yesterday in the river bed and it cured overnight. Tomorrow, I hope to complete the ballasting of the track on the lift out and some final landscaping in the form of ground cover. Then, I plan to place the tug boat in the river and take some photos. I will post them on this thread, hopefully this weekend.
At the moment, I am not sure how it is going to look under the bridge because I haven’t set it there yet. This could be a total bust if the N scale tug boat looks too small but I had no choice. The HO scale version is 10 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide and I am not sure how tall. It wouldn’t have even fit in the space available on the lift out.
Here are some photos of the tug boat in its final position on a lift out section of the layout.
It is an N scale boat on an HO scale layout which I did intentionally in order to avoid having the boat dwarf the bridge scene but also because the lift out section is too narrow to do justice to the HO scale version. I think it looks proportionate. What do you think?
Thanks Rich, for the additional pics of the tug in context on your layout. Really helps to figure out what I’d like to do. I think it looks great. NIce looking kit.
I think you’ve helped me with a few scene issues and conundrums. Yes, I noticed the boat seemed a bit small but didn’t guess N scale until I read it. A yacht might have been a better fit there, but she works as is.
Hi Rich, thanks again for posting some pics. I had a thought about tying the N scale tug in with my Ho train/bridge.
I’m planning on using N scale tugs (on a small HO layout) for log tows. Those tugs are smaller anyway (20-60’) generally and might be an additional idea for making the vessel seem larger/longer in the scene in comparison with the trains.
I wish someone made some little log “rustler” tugs (about 20’ers) that didn’t look all boxy and square-ish. I like the looks of your kit and think it can be very mildly kitbashed for logging. This kit is properly rounded and has some authentic “tumblehome” (above the waterline hull curvature) to it.
Lindbergh (used to) put out a 100:1 diesel tug; Seacoast Models also recently put out a really neat looking steam powered tug of 65’-length. Take a look at those two and maybe it wold be an avenue for you. Like others who have posted here, the tug under the bridge gives one the image of a "forced perspective, which makes both the river appear wider, and the bridge appear higher up than it is. Nice work!
GMR 2007 had an article of an O scale layout, and onee of the customers was a boat rebuild and the owner had modelled a 20ft log tug drydocked. Is that what you’re thinking?
Morgan, thanks for that. I’ll have to see if I have that particular issue or find a friend’s copy to look. My era is 1940s so it would need to look “traditional”/appropriate. (Like the Model Tech’s “vibe”.)
