Ship models?

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Hi,

I’m looking around for some ship models. So far these are the ones that I have found. Are there any other manufacturers or stores that would be good to know of? I’m looking for a freight ship mainly but military vessels would be interesting to.

http://www.greatlakesfreighters.com/models.html

It’s for the 50’s and HO. Either the Atlantic, the great lakes or a large river(read Missouri!)

Magnus

2

If you are willing to shell out the cash, the folks in the below link will build you anything you want in any scale, in brass (they will even do entire seaports). [:D]

http://www.maritimereplicas.com/

3

Magnus, you must have some space to use up on that layout! Those things are HUGE!

If you must…

You might check these out: (Click on “Marine”) http://www.isp.ca/sylvan/ho-scaleproducts.htm

4

Beautiful stuff. To bad it’s hard to find prices. But I really do want to build these things my self. One of those will be ordered some time in the future when I’m working again.

Magnus

5

Thanks for the link. I’ve been to that site before but had lost the link.

I will have about 8,5*4m and doubble decks to put it on. I want to have something like this on the lower deck. I like building ships so it creates a hobby within the hobby. They are not that wide though so most of the space is just linear. I have already built the crane that will supply a bulkship.

Magnus

6

Going with the Milwaukee Station would be a great lakes freighter, a small ocean going freighter say less than 6000 tons, coastal steamers and barges.

The Missouri would be tow barges (strangely they push the barges…), motorized barges and tow ships, and tug boats. A relic might be a sidewheel or sternwheeled steam boat, but there weren’t a lot of them still working that late.

7

Thats true…and they will be impressive in stature on the layout, thats for sure. One or two of those ought to dwarf your trains nicely!

8

Do anyone know how tall they are? Because as you say, they will dwarf the trains. I have been considering using two boats. One bulk freighter and one smaller freight ship.

The freight ship would allow a lot of different commodities being shipped by rail to it.

Magnus

9

That have been my primary plan to. I think I know what great lake freighter I like but I’m not certain about the smaller freight ship.

Magnus

10

Ships - reminds me.

Any recommendations for a nice looking RR car float kit ? I know Walthers used to have one, but they list their set as “retired”. Anyone else make car float kits ?

As for Magnus’s intial query - there also are some nice ship models at Dean’s Marine in England: http://deansmarine.co.uk/shop/index.php/cPath/10

Smile,
Stein

11

If you’re looking for a Mississippi River-type towboat & barges try Custom Model Railroads (http://www.custommodelrailroads.com/). You might look at Blue Jacket Models (http://www.bluejacketinc.com/). (They have a section for HO and N scale boat models). Also, Lindbergh used to make some plastic ship models that are close to HO scale (different types of commercial fishing boats). Hope this helps. John H.

12

Thanks for the link.

I liked this one:

http://deansmarine.co.uk/shop/product_info.php/cPath/10_30/products_id/459

But it’s impossible to see how well detailed it is. It’s not a problem that it is 1/96th scale since I would like to place any war vessel way back anyways, so that would just give some nice forced perspective. But it would be good to know more about those ships. I get the impression that they are more made for sailing around then as static models?

Magnus

13

Hi, Magnus.

For the Atlantic, look for a model Victory Ship (more were built than Liberty Ships, and they survived longer.)

If the large river is the Hudson, you can handle oceangoing ships. The Missouri River channel is narrow, and only nine feet deep - suitable for towboats, but not oceangoing ships. Likewise, the Mississippi River sees a lot of barge traffic, but no ship traffic except at its extreme southern end. Towboats are rectangular, with heavy pushing posts forward, straight sides and a square stern. They are used to push rectangular barges that are lashed together into rafts.

The Lakers were pretty much specific to the Great Lakes, with hatches spaced 12 feet apart to match the ore pockets on the iron ore piers, pilot house all the way forward and engines all the way aft. All of the infrastructure around the lakes was designed to work to that one standard dimension. Most of the Lakers were confined to the Upper Lakes. Being too big for the Welland Canal locks, they were stopped by the Niagara Falls. The Welland Canal can pass Liberty and Victory Ships, as can the Saint Lawrence Seaway.

Hope this is helpful.

Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

14

Thank you Chuck. As always your help is most welcome.

Any river where the B&O was that could accommodate a freight ship or bulk carrier?

I’m still kind of hooked to the idea of “somewhere south of Chicago” so to make some passenger trains plausible. Like the CZ.

Magnus

15

The only thing I can suggest is to take a known measurement and use a pic to guestimate. The ads usually give length and width.

16

I couldn’t find that info on the ships I’m interested in. But if someone here knows how tall these kind of ships used to be above the water line it’s easy to calculate. It’s not a very important figure so a rough estimate would be great.

Magnus

17

Well, the second ship down in your original post is 56" long, or 4’6". By just eyeballing the pic I’d say that mast is probably close to 10"-11" tall…roughly.

18

Thank you.

I plan to keep atleast 16" between decks so that should do just fine.

Any good guesses about these:

http://bearcomarine.com/plastic.htm

Magnus

19

This was the one I was guessing on: http://www.bearcomarine.com/AmocoTanker.htm

20

I would reco Sylvan as well.