Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length.

[Edmund]

A little research discovered that the film was made in 1939 and was called Rulers of the Sea starring Douglas Fairbanks Jnr.  It was about the SS Sirius although in the film the ship was named Dog Star.  I've ordered myself a DVD of the film for £4....

And some more pictures - the first a great print of a paddle steamer in trouble in a storm.  Fantastic because this gives one the sort of information one needs for research purposes.  It shows fairly clearly the whole deck arrangement of this Victorian paddle steamer, and the artist also understands rigging.  Much of the standing and running rigging that you would expect is in place, so from an era before photography here is some excellent source material.

And then some more of the latest look of my ship.  It is populated with some fabulous 0 gauge figures, Brunel standing on the bridge, rather incongruously.  After all he was on the rival ship the Great Western!  But the stovepipe hat is the right look for the period.

Still a bit more work to do with rigging and hatches and the exposed bits of the side lever engine which poked through the deck under the bridge.  Maybe the water on Sunday this week?  We'll see what that weather is doing!

[ballastanksian]

That will be a bobby dazzler on the water! She looks excellent and a good and quick build as well.

[Edmund]

Well here she is on the water, and I've given her the name PS or SS Forfarshire, in honour of the ship built in Dundee in 1836  which sank two years later off the Farne Islands - made famous by Grace Darling who rowed out to rescue members of the passengers and crew. 

The film is taken from the deck of the W. H Bancroft another of my paddlesteamers - a nice steady platform to film from and  manoeuvrable into the bargain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-_pHS-uKEc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

This was a great maiden voyage - no problems at all.  And lots of fantastic comments from members of the public.  Something about masts, rigging and paddle wheel combination that fascinates people!

[ballastanksian]

I saw the family first talking to you or fellow boaters and then tme looking in awe a little later on from the other side of the lake.  I can see why Ed, shes a beauty.

Built very quickly but not lacking times spent on her.

[rob]

'Fantastic comments ' that were well deserved.
Beautifull looking boat that has been modelled really well.

[joppyuk1]

what a little beauty. very stately.

[Edmund]

I use a slow motion feature on the camera, which gives a much more realistic view of the model for film purposes...

[NoNuFink]

Excellent work!  Any chance you could show/explain how the access to the workings is achieved?

NNF

[Edmund]

How do you get in?  Well  the running rigging to the spars is made with black Shirring elastic so it can stretch and be pulled over the funnel and take a knock or two.

Photo 1 shows everything together, photo 2 the bridge lifted off which just drops over the paddle boxes, and photo 3 shows the main deck lifted.

Battery is out for charging and the smoke machine is not in place.  The battery fits under the paddle shaft and is a large 12v SLA 12 Amp hour affair, mainly to provide ballast, as it shows no sign of discharging even after a 2 hour run.  Motor is a 12v MFA 1:50 to a 1:1 toothed belt drive.  The smoke machine that needs to run on 24v has a small transformer to raise the voltage.

You'll note in one photo a switch on the deck port side to switch the radio and power on, easily accessible with all the deck and bridge on.  There is going to be  second switch for the smoke generator, and then there will be no need to open the ship up on the pond side, except that it took in a little water through the paddle shaft glands that needed tipping out after an hour and a half or so.  There happens to be a drain hole under the deck at the back, so tipped on its stern the water all came out quite easily, as the battery is quite secure.  Won't be able to do that with the smoke generator in operation!!

[NoNuFink]

Excellent! Many thanks

NNF

[Edmund]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVPV_78Gg2A

Link to the latest youtube video of the paddle steamer Forfarshire sailing round our local pond.  Firstly views from the deck, with cold looking passengers, and then views from the pond side looking over her sailing on quite a breezy day.

[ballastanksian]

Lovely film Edmund. I still cannot believe how lucky you are living right near the pond!

[Liverbudgie2]

At least you have a nice lake to sail on, not like the puddle we have at New Brighton.

LB

[Edmund]

At least you have a nice lake to sail on, not like the puddle we have at New Brighton.

LB

I looked your club up and despite being small it seemed a very nice puddle!  Our boats can disappear into the distance and lose contact with our transmitters.  Mine regularly stop in the middle to wait for the receiver to bind again.

I like the coaming round your pond as well.  It not only gives a better view of the boats but makes it so much easier to get a boat into the water.  Several times I've nearly done a nose dive into the water, trying to get a boat out - paddle steamers are difficult to get out on a launching trolley.

And don't get me started on the subject of water weed!  Already two types are reaching to the surface to help clog propellers and snag keels.  Our supportive local councillor suggested the council concrete the bottom of the pond.  Quick back-track when she realised that would cost £400,000!

[ballastanksian]

Tell her that dredging and dyeing will be much cheaper, and maybe if she could sign one of you off to do the dyeing I.e, show they are competent and won't run off with the dye money, then this would be cheaper still.

[Edmund]

Well we are still sailing on the pond despite the weed.

Sirius or Forfarshire as she finally turned out was a ship of the 19th century - the late 1830's and another of my paddle steamers, the Ryde is a ship of the 1930's.  They are both of the same scale and a nice comparison to one another at exhibitions.

So here is the Ryde sailing on the pond tonight - looking good I think? Click on the link to see the video.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrjL2_BU8l8

[BFSMP]

Well we are still sailing on the pond despite the weed.

Sirius or Forfarshire as she finally turned out was a ship of the 19th century - the late 1830's and another of my paddle steamers, the Ryde is a ship of the 1930's.  They are both of the same scale and a nice comparison to one another at exhibitions.

So here is the Ryde sailing on the pond tonight - looking good I think? Click on the link to see the video.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrjL2_BU8l8

Beautiful, Edmund.

It's a shame that the real ship ended the way she did.

Jim.

[ballastanksian]

You did well to control your ship and fend off midges Edmund! I can't get enough of your lovely pond.

She looks a fine ship and really sails well.

[Edmund]

Beautiful, Edmund.

It's a shame that the real ship ended the way she did.

Jim.
[/quoted]

It was the reason I built the model.  I thought there probably no other way to preserve the ship, and she is a beautiful ship.

 Modellers often build the Clyde steamers up here in Scotland and I thought it would be nice to build a Clyde ship that sailed elsejwhere.