Ahoy, mates
I'm finally getting around to constructing the Sylvan Model ore boat and I'm contemplating how to depict the open hatch covers. It seems to me that in later years the hatch covers were a single (welded) sheet of steel with lifting eyes and a gantry affair was used to lift and stack the covers.
Earlier boats had sectional covers that telescoped and were pulled open by winches.
I wondered if anyone knows roughly when these one-piece covers began to be fitted to the boats?
Thanks, Ed
The earlier ones were individual planks laid side by side across the short dimension of the hatch. Once set in place they were covered with canvas and clamped in place.
It appears from old pictures and movies that the transition occured between about 1950 and 1960 to one piece covers.
In the 50s.. The Edmond Fitzgerald was built (1958) with the single hatch covers--these was also clamp down for safety during high seas caused by storms on the Great Lakes.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Thanks Gents,
I know the boards were called battens and you would "batten down the hatches" when foul weather was at hand.
Wasn't sure if the Big Fitz was built with the one piece or fitted later but my era will be late '50s — early '60s so I'll go for the one piece and scratch build a gantry and rails.
Regards, Ed
Ed,This is way off topic but,I would still like to share this tidbit.
The same year the Fitzgerald was built the Carl. D. Bradley was lost in a November storm on Lake Michigan. The Bradley was one of the largest lake boats of the time.
BRAKIE In the 50s.. The Edmond Fitzgerald was built (1958) with the single hatch covers--these was also clamp down for safety during high seas caused by storms on the Great Lakes.
Yep, single hatch covers for the Fitz, but still didn't work. Various theories on that. Needless to say, the lake is a harsh mistress.
A great place to combine train and boat watching is Duluth. Get a harborview room in a hotel on the hill, set up the scanner and awy you go. All kinds of action. The Soo has a similar combination of boats and trains, but the views are harder to get, because it's flatter around the locks.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
The Sylvan boat is of a type built in the early 20th century, say 1900 to 1920. These had board and tarp hatch covers. They wouls roll the tarp up to one side of the boat and stack the boards in between and at the other end of the hatch. The telescopeing hatches came along they were pulled to each side of the hatch. The tarps were rolled up and but on the deck at the ends.
Paul
Thanks, Paul
The model comes supplied with the telescoping style you can position either open or closed. I saw these when I toured the William C Mather in Cleveland as shown here:
http://www.boatnerd.com/news/newsthumbs/images-08-3/2-Mather-11-01-08-rh.jpg
I decided to model the modern style, assuming my boat would have been retrofitted in the late 1950s, with the gantry and the hatch covers stacked between the comings. Unfortunately, the dogs are not modeled and would be a very time consuming detail to add.
Evening Ed: Those Kestner clamps would be a real time consuming piece to model. I don't think that a boat as old as the Silvan would have had the one piece hatch covers installed. The shipping companys were pretty furgal, but it's your railroad and shipping company. Go for it.
Drop me a line if you would like to talk lake boats.