Question about Tug boat kits

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I have a question concerning 2 different tugboat kits.

I have 3 of the Lindberg tugboat kits the box states the kit is HO scale this kit is 13 1/2 inches long 3 3/4 inches wide I don`t know the height of the kit as it is not built yet I found info concerning Walthers tugboat kit the dimensions are as follows 13 inches long 3 1/2 inches wide and 3 7/8 inches tall. Are tugboats that large compared to train locomotives? They seem so incompatible scale wise.Would I be safe in using the Lindberg kit?

Thank you for your input

George

2

Here’s an HO scale railroad tugboat that scales out to 92 feet long. That would be over 12 inches, which puts it into range of the lengths you mentioned. Any HO model boat anywhere to scale dimension would be much larger than a locomotive (except for a canoe).

http://www.frenchmanriver.com/Pages/HO/Boats/rrTug/Steam/steamRRTug.html

The following article has some dimensions if you read through: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Fe_Railroad_Tugboats

3

Most of the railroad tugs were in the 80-110’ range which would put them around 10-14" in HO. I have the Lindberg and Walthers HO model kits. The Walthers is a much better model both from a kit and detail prospective. The Lindberg model has too much overscale details and also requires you to cut it to a waterline model, which I have done. The Walthers is already a waterline model and the details are much better. Both make nice looking models on a train layout and their size really puts them into perspective next to some of the train models.

-Bob

4

I work alongside Crowley and Foss tugs servicing tankers in Puget Sound, and they are very big. All of 100 feet long and 25 to 30 feet wide. It’s really something to watch them move those big ships around.

5

Gidday, Slightly [#offtopic] but one of my fondest model railroad memories was walking into the club on night and getting involved in a discussion on scratch building tugboats.

Regarding your Lindberg boats, you don’t have to cut the hull to water line the model, cut the hull profile in your base board to suit.

You could also model a slipway scene if you so desired.

Googling “Railroad Tugboats” comes up with some interesting sites’

Yeah I know its not a tugboat though it was one of the results of the scratch building discussion I mentioned above. It is not a waterline model and is inserted into the “water”. It is actually mounted on a cradle which is activated by a cam driven by an electric motor which allows it to gently rock. The modelling was done by a good friend, the late Hans Hubner.

Have fun.

Cheers, the Bear

6

HO scale tug boats just appear huge on an HO scale layout, so I solved the problem by constructing an N scale tug boat from Model Tech Studios.

Here is a link to photos and discussion:

http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/forums/t/189134.aspx

Rich

7

I suspect it’s a situation where the tugboats are correct HO scale, but they seem big compared to other things on the layout. If you put the tugboats next to an HO scale 1000-ft great lakes ore boat, they’d look small.

8

I don’t really get how it can look too big… I think it’s the general misconception that all Locomotives are HUGE! and when seeing the model loco next to a true to scale house/boat/what ever, you get a feeling that the loco is small… I came to the conclusion that if I like to have small items on the layout, I will not go to O-scale… Selective compression in all honor, but it looks really strange with N-scale items on a HO layout…

9

Graffen, I get what you are saying, but I have to say that the HO scale tugboat can still appear overwhelming on a typical HO scale layout.

I think that it is because a lot of people, including me, don’t realize how darn big a tug boat actually is, often approaching 100 feet in length.

Rich

10

It works as long as you don’t spoil the illusion by adding a crew that wouldn’t fit in the cabin… :slight_smile:

11

I’d say a little selective compression is fine, but using a 1/2 size tugboat is a bit extreme - especially if you want to HO people onboard!! If you search around you might find something in between, maybe built to 1:100 or 1:120 scale??

12

Smaller-than-main-scale items can be used to force perspective, but they have to be far enough away to get the proper effect. You can’t put a 1:160 scale tug next to a pier with 16.5mm gauge tracks on it and have it look like anything but a pleasure boat masquerading as a 1/2 size tugboat. Also, to keep the perspective properly aligned your deckhands have to be the same scale as the vessel they’re aboard.

As I have posted a few [:-^] times, salt water vessels, and fresh water craft that can survive the Great Lakes or the Mississippi River in flood, are LARGE. Locomotives are large when compared to your SUV. To a deep-water sailor, they may or may not be deck cargo. It all depends on whether or not they will fit through the hatches.

Chuck (Long ago Merchant Marine cadet modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

13

If you want an excellent tug boat, try one of these:

http://www.frenchmanriver.com/Pages/HO/Boats/hoBoats.html

I have seen one assembled and they are very nice. They also have lots of harbor details and car flot kits too.

14

THANKS EVERYONE FOR THE LINKS AND ANSWERS ABOUT TUGBOATS I APPRECIATE ALL THE HELP GEORGE

15

I see that one of the tugboats is only 45’ long, that would fit well on a lot of layout’s harbor scenes.

http://www.frenchmanriver.com/Pages/HO/Boats/harborTug/hoHarborTug.html

16

Stix,

I thought the same thing. Makes at least as much sense as the 90’ tug in N scale that I placed under a bridge on my layout.

Rich

17

I have the French River tug, (I also Have the Walthers tug), I find it proportions well with 2 segments of the Walthers barge. If you use all 3 segments of the Walthers barge, then the Walthers tug is more appropriate. The FR tug is a nice kit, not too difficult, the railings are the hardest part and do require a bit of patience. I changed mine to a diesel tug by changing the stack to a diesel one.