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Solid Hull Model Shipways USRC Harriet Lane

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trippwj

Sat Jun 02 2012, 05:01pm

Registered Member #2648

Joined: Fri May 25 2012, 08:14pm
Posts: 257

Greetings, all. Have been working on my first attempt at any model in more than 40 years - the USRC Harriet Lane, a solid hull kit from Model Shipways. Learning as I go, not looking for an award winning result but so far not disappointed in the progress. My boys (13 and 17) are both helping, so having fun with the build. Have a question, though - need some advice on Coaling Rings. They are not included in the kit, nor have we been able to come up with much via an internet search. Any ideas (see plan below for what they are referring to)?

Appreciate any insights!

Wayne

trippwj

Sat Jun 02 2012, 05:04pm

Registered Member #2648

Joined: Fri May 25 2012, 08:14pm
Posts: 257

Oops...let me try to post the picture!

trippwj

Sat Jun 02 2012, 08:04pm

Registered Member #2648

Joined: Fri May 25 2012, 08:14pm
Posts: 257

Dang this is frustrating! For some reason, doesn't want to take my picture. Going to try a different shot of the plans showing the coaling rings. Wish me luck!

Scoot

Sun Jun 03 2012, 03:04am

Registered Member #1728

Joined: Fri Aug 19 2011, 12:25am
Posts: 26

Do you mean Mast hoops?

aew

Sun Jun 03 2012, 08:26am

aew

Registered Member #1929

Joined: Wed Nov 30 2011, 03:05pm
Posts: 2805

I would have guessed they were somewhere to load the coal, but they don't look big enough and I can't see why there would be four of them. I suppose it's possible that the coal would have been carried aboard in sacks and tipped into them, but surely a single large hatch would have been more likely?
How big are they?

trippwj

Sun Jun 03 2012, 01:34pm

Registered Member #2648

Joined: Fri May 25 2012, 08:14pm
Posts: 257

Scoot - not mast hoops. Appear to be nearly flush with the deck on both sides of the deckhouse.

Arthur - that is my thought as well. I May need to contact Mystic Seaport and see if they have a good set of deck plans for the ship, though that seems a tad expensive. Have perused a number of public domain books from the 19th century but no good references - best I could find was in Paasch where he identifies a Coal Bunker Pipe on steam vessels that extended about 12 inches above the deck. According to the plans, the ones on the Harriet Lane appear to be flush with the deck and by scale about 14 inches in diameter (plan scale is 3/32" = 1 ').

trippwj

Sun Jun 03 2012, 01:58pm

Registered Member #2648

Joined: Fri May 25 2012, 08:14pm
Posts: 257

Here are a couple of additional views from the plans - the coaling rings only show on the deck plan, not the profile nor fore & aft perspective.

aew

Sun Jun 03 2012, 03:26pm

aew

Registered Member #1929

Joined: Wed Nov 30 2011, 03:05pm
Posts: 2805

Coal in England was traditionally sold in hundredweight (112lb) bags. If America used 100lb (short hundredweight?) bags, a 14" hole seems a reasonable size to tip them into.
A hole flush with the deck (providing you can keep the water out!) seems much more practical than one raised a foot above the deck. There would inevitably be spillages and I'd rather shovel it down a hole than up into the top of a pipe!

catopower

Wed Jul 11 2012, 04:03pm

Registered Member #247

Joined: Tue Aug 25 2009, 01:57am
Posts: 213

Hello Wayne,

I'm building a scratch model of the USS Saginaw, a side paddlewheel gunboat that is very similar to the Harriet Lane. In fact, I use Harriet Lane plans to compare with the Saginaw's to get some clues as to what is what. The Harriet Lane was a larger vessel, but overall appearance is similar.

What you're looking at are indeed coaling ports. At least that's what they seem to be and they appear on the Saginaw plans as well. They're essentially metal manhole covers that should be basically flush with the deck. They open directly into the coal bunkers that surround the boiler room.

I'm making mine out of brass rod and brass tubing. If you poke around the K&S Engineering displays at the hardware store or hobby shop, you can find rods and tubes that fit perfectly together. If you need a different size, I recommend PMSESCALE.COM. They've got a big catalog you can buy with lots of small parts stuff.

I haven't made them yet, but I made a deck pump cover plate this last weekend that was done in a similar fashion and I think it turned out really nicely.

Anyway, good luck with the Harriet Lane. I think the steam-sail hybrids are really interesting looking ships.

Clare