comming soon the Ruby Belle tow boat scratch build
#1
Will try a change of pace and build a model of the Ruby Belle tow boat in O scale.

The Ruby Belle is a river tow boat currently operated by Ames Constuction company to push work barges around while building railroad bridges. I saw a pic of the Ruby Belle in railroads illustrated magazine and thought what a neat model it would make that and my mothers name is Ruby Icon_lol


The following pics are just a practice run mock up of the model I will be building. I have a few sheets of srtyrene that have no project claiming them till now but will most likely use a mix of materials in the construction of the Ruby Belle. In the pics the Pilot house has not been made yet on the mock up.

   

   


   



   
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#2
Cool project! There is just something about tow boats and tug boats that captures the eye.
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#3
Ralph Wrote:Cool project! There is just something about tow boats and tug boats that captures the eye.
Even when they have come to their final "mooring"
   
Or, are just "beginning"
   
We always learn far more from our own mistakes, than we will ever learn from another's advice.
The greatest place to live life, is on the sharp leading edge of a learning curve.
Lead me not into temptation.....I can find it myself!
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#4
Well gave up on mock up.................And have just dove into the model it's self Icon_lol 2285_ Icon_lol


Here we have 4 pics of the hull being made out of stuff that was on hand which made it 12" because that was the longest sheet of styrene on hand . Building up the hull with some bass and balsa wood strips glued together and to the plastic using walthers Goo. And the figure is an O/O27 railroad worker just as a scale reference. I will be using the pics and the half completed mock up to keep me on track as I build.

   

This pic shows styrene sheet fastend down and ready to cut.

   

Here we have the deck cut to width

   

Test fit for overall scale +/- artistic license


   


Hull glued to deck(the underside)


May build a diorama if the boat comes out nice Smile
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#5
Sumpter250 Wrote:
Ralph Wrote:Cool project! There is just something about tow boats and tug boats that captures the eye.
Even when they have come to their final "mooring"...Or, are just "beginning"...


You bet!!!! Thumbsup
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#6
I just realized the 2 pics Sumpter posted last are the same boat 35 Icon_lol 35 awsome job on making a convencing ship wreck/derelict. Thumbsup
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#7
AF350 - this might be of interest to you
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#8
AF350 Wrote:I just realized the 2 pics Sumpter posted last are the same boat 35 Icon_lol 35 awsome job on making a convencing ship wreck/derelict. Thumbsup
Big Grin Big Grin Same model kits, different boats. the "Sunk-Stripped" was modeled after a photo of an abandoned tug on the cover of a magazine. The pilot house of that one was used on my "Coastal Freighter" "Louis Atrhur". The pilot house of the "Towboat" is being used on the --as yet unfinished "collier","Ralph Henry"
   
Both the freighter, and the collier started out as Lindberg "North Atlantic Fishing Trawler" kits. Yup !!! Bash, bash, bash.

Your "Ruby Belle", is off to an excellent start !! Thumbsup Thumbsup Thumbsup Thumbsup Thumbsup 2285_
We always learn far more from our own mistakes, than we will ever learn from another's advice.
The greatest place to live life, is on the sharp leading edge of a learning curve.
Lead me not into temptation.....I can find it myself!
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#9
Here are a couple of pics of progress so far.


Here the mock up is place on actual hull

   

Here is the begining of the model's lower section(not glued yet have to mark up for windows and doors)


   
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#10
shortliner Wrote:AF350 - this might be of interest to you
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=39552">http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topi ... C_ID=39552</a><!-- m -->
This is the Harbor and Ocean series, cast resin and wood HO scale kit of a Friendship Sloop. It was.....a challenge to build it as a decent model of a sloop. I ended up using the hull, and seriously scratch-building the details, and not using the rigging line provided. ( a bit on the "heavy side" ), even the lighter weight thread I used photographs a bit "stout". Remember that in HO scale 1", is only an actual 0.114942" :o Wink
O K... I admit, I am familiar with this sloop, and it's development as a "Down East" work boat, a "grown-up" Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack. They are really a sweet sailing craft !, and make a wonderful private sailboat. Their work boat "roots", give them a seaworthiness that can be hard to find in some modern sailboat designs.
   
That said, The resin casting was excellent, and the resin was easy to work with, and again, it was because I know the boat, that there was a lot of ironwork,blocks,and dead-eyes that had to be built from scratch.
Dec. 2012, Jan., and Feb. 2013 Railroad Model Craftsman's article on the B&O Stick Lighter, would be an excellent guide to almost any "Barge" hull building. Thumbsup Thumbsup
Your use of the mock-ups, to keep a reference to what the finished model should look like is a "well rewarded procedure", and certainly worth using throughout the build. Cheers Cheers
We always learn far more from our own mistakes, than we will ever learn from another's advice.
The greatest place to live life, is on the sharp leading edge of a learning curve.
Lead me not into temptation.....I can find it myself!
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#11
Here is a pic of most of the deck house parts cut and laid out(have not cut out a roof yet. Once I locate the doors and window locations I will then go back to the mock up and try a few things out on the pilot house before commiting to the actual model.

   
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#12
Here we have the Doors and Windows mapped out, I will make a template so that the windows will be same size and shape before cutting out. Again it is just held together by tape to check and compare to the card stock mock up and photo. The figures I will use are actually diesel(train) machanics. The roof on the deck house is just a random piece of balsa, will cut out the roof from sheet plastic. The figure in the pics is for a scale reference only and is not part of the Ruby Belle crew. Icon_lol


   

   
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#13
Port side aft, the lower "deckhouse structure", it appears that there is a "Cover" /"Hatch" to the port side of the stack. Looking at the after window it looks like a railing, inside, on a stair ( ladder ). This would be a "Companionway" and the cover would be a "Companionway hatch". It is possible that it would be the same on the Starboard side, but I can't be positively sure about that. The stack would run down into the engine room, and there isn't a whole lot of room on either side of it for much more than a "companionway", which is why I would expect one on the Starboard side as well.

Just a thought for when you get to that point in the construction.
We always learn far more from our own mistakes, than we will ever learn from another's advice.
The greatest place to live life, is on the sharp leading edge of a learning curve.
Lead me not into temptation.....I can find it myself!
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#14
Good eye Sumpter, I kinda thought it was a hatch but did not know if I should model it closed or open. If open the I need to model a set of stairs/ladder. As for the stack there are two exaust pipes? sticking out of it and already found suitable parts for them( bendy straws) May have to change the title from scratch build to scrap build Icon_lol

Once I get the windows and the pilot house figured out then will come the challenge of all the equipment on the pilot house. Being that the pilot house is mostly windows I am wondering what the interior of the pilot house is like specificaly a control panel?
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#15
The Pilot House interior would depend on "when" she was built, or last re-fitted.
I would expect to see, at least, The helm ( steering), an engine order telegraph, A display for the Radar, some means of Radio communications, and probably a chart table. I used the term "expect", because I'm not sure what a "River barge pusher" would be required to carry on board.
An internet search of "River Tug Pilothouse" might shed some light on the subject.
We always learn far more from our own mistakes, than we will ever learn from another's advice.
The greatest place to live life, is on the sharp leading edge of a learning curve.
Lead me not into temptation.....I can find it myself!
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