Ships and trains.

[wairoa]

So does anybody here model a port or ships with their railroad/railway. I am seriously considering buying a model of one of the vessels that sail the Great Lakes. They are great and I love ships as much as trains, having them both together would be brilliant.,[^]

[Anonymous]

They make a good partnership

[dragonriversteel]

Have you tried bearcomarine.com ,for ship models ? Mostly great lakers,ore boats,container ships ECT.

Patrick

[jrbarney]

Wairoa,
Sylvan Scale Models:
http://www.isp.ca/sylvan/ho-scaleproducts.htm
also offers Great Lakes ships in HO and N scale. They have a containership in the offing. You didn't state the scale for which you are looking, but a ship will occupy/displace a fair amount of real estate/water.
Bob
NMra Life 0543

[wairoa]

Thanks for the great links fullas. I really like the models of the Edmund Fitzgerald, but being an ex-merchant marine I am a little superstitious of modeling a ship on my layout that sank under such tragic circumstances. I agree ships take up alot of room but that is part of their beauty. Ultimately I would like to have 3 or 4. I know an HO version of the Fitzgerald is around 8' long!

[davekelly]

wairoa,

I agree about being a sailor and somewhat superstitious. But last I checked, resin ships won't sink in Envirotex. [:D][:D]

[Anonymous]

I kitbashed a Sylvan GLF kit before I realized that BearCo existed (they used to be known as "Voco"). I modernized [i.e.enlarged] the forward house and painted the vessel for Cleveland-Cliffs mining co.

Sylvan has great hull detail (rivets and plating) but BearCo is easier to assemble.

What type of harbor/rail scene are you modeling?

[wairoa]

I am in Iraq at the moment but will be going on leave in a couple of weeks. I am planning on driving up to Cleveland, hope to get a chance to have a look at some of the Great Lakes freighters. I would like a port scene that combines bulk loads such as coal and iron and also a smaller container port (like the port of Napier or Gisborne in New Zealand).

I really liked the lake steamer on the Sylvan site. I would like to have 3 or 4 different ships ultimately along with a couple of smaller fishing boats. I envision a large ship such as the Edmund Fitzgerald, a tramp type steamer, perhaps a small tanker and a NOAA type research vessel i.e Discoverer(R102) or something similar.

[loathar]

I wasn't going to post this cause the qualities bad. These were two European looking locos on a barge on Lake Erie near Erie Pa. I couldn't get any closer for a better pic.
Don't know what they were or what they were doing there. Maybe someone else knows.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by loathar
I wasn't going to post this cause the qualities bad. These were two European looking locos on a barge on Lake Erie near Erie Pa. I couldn't get any closer for a better pic.
Don't know what they were or what they were doing there. Maybe someone else knows.

This is only a guess, but the orange things appear to be vista-dome observation cars, probably not in active service. Maybe they are just being stored there?

[exPalaceDog]

QUOTE: Originally posted by davekelly

wairoa,

I agree about being a sailor and somewhat superstitious. But last I checked, resin ships won't sink in Envirotex. [:D][:D]

Maybe, be the basement sewer sure can back up![B)]The Old Dog would suggest that one not pu***heir luck.

Have fun

[wjstix]

Well I'm working on it, my town of Ore Bay, MN will have a Walthers ore dock and at least a representation of a harbor on Lake Superior, don't know if I'll have room for an ore boat but maybe a tugboat??

(p.s. on the Great Lakes they're usually called boats not ships...I guess boats are on lakes, ships are on the ocean....but of course with the St. Lawrence Seaway, ocean going ships now serve the Great Lakes. They're usually called "salties".)[4:-)][swg]

[palallin]

Several RRs ran river ferry systems late in the 19th century/early in the 20th century. The MoPac, for example, ran three or four mississippi crossing operations up weel into the 20th century, finishing out during the transition era.

I'd love to modle one of these operations, but the real estate required is vast!

[exPalaceDog]

QUOTE: Originally posted by wairoa

So does anybody here model a port or ships with their railroad/railway. I am seriously considering buying a model of one of the vessels that sail the Great Lakes. They are great and I love ships as much as trains, having them both together would be brilliant.,[^]

The main problem will be the sheer size of the ship model. A 600' ship would be 6 or 7' long in HO. It might make a great back drop. For a laker you would probably need an ore dock (Wathers) or a Hewett unloader. Trains Magazine published a set of plans years ago.

Have fun

[loathar]

QUOTE: Originally posted by KenLarsen

QUOTE: Originally posted by loathar
I wasn't going to post this cause the qualities bad. These were two European looking locos on a barge on Lake Erie near Erie Pa. I couldn't get any closer for a better pic.
Don't know what they were or what they were doing there. Maybe someone else knows.

This is only a guess, but the orange things appear to be vista-dome observation cars, probably not in active service. Maybe they are just being stored there?

They were definatly locomotives and definatly out of service.They had observation windows running their full length and all the glass was gone. Really weird looking things. I wish I could have got a better picture.

[wairoa]

Yeah it would be hell if my ships sank in an Envirotex lake.

Also thanks for the reminder about boats on lakes and ships on seas.

I think the size of model ships is one of the things that appeals to me. I have visions of an ore train sitting beside an 6-8' long ship. I would probably just sit and look at them all day. I remember a couple of years ago I was in New Zealand for a cousin's wedding and it required a ferry ride between the North and South Islands, I was in heaven. I watched the trains come on and off the ship, took photos of the tracks on the ship it was great. Hopefully more of my cousins or brother will be getting married soon.

[Leon Silverman]

One advantage to incorporating ships into a train layout is that they can cover an access hole without the need to hide the seams.

[palallin]

Another use of ships/ferries/barges on a layout is that they can double as mobile fiddle tracks. Assemble a series of cars on the vessel, dock and make up your trains, then deliver them to their destinations. Reverse the procedure. This pattern can give a real fillip to operating schemes.

[Anonymous]

Interesting topic - I recall reading about a Great Lakes freighter that managed at least one atlantic crossing, think it might even have been as part of a WW2 convoy.

[exPalaceDog]

QUOTE: Originally posted by palallin

Another use of ships/ferries/barges on a layout is that they can double as mobile fiddle tracks. Assemble a series of cars on the vessel, dock and make up your trains, then deliver them to their destinations. Reverse the procedure. This pattern can give a real fillip to operating schemes.

True. But remember that unlike a "yard" on dry land, a car float must be kept balanced. Too much unbalanced weight in the wrong place can capsize the barge. That will often require additional switching moves.

Have fun

[exPalaceDog]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Railroading_Brit

Interesting topic - I recall reading about a Great Lakes freighter that managed at least one atlantic crossing, think it might even have been as part of a WW2 convoy.

How about an aircraft carrier with side wheels! there were two on the Great lakes during WWII.

Have fun