Friday 13 December 2013

All aboard the Heather Bell...

Recently I started doing a 7mm scale model of our old boat, Heather Bell.  I'm doing it in steamed pearwood (naturally) and exactly as the real boat is built.
I am so sick of rubbish boats on model railway layouts!  They have no shape, no detail.  You wouldn't tolerate a loco or coach like that, so why a narrow boat?
Anyway, here it is so far.  A bit busy with aircraft for clients now, so nothing more for a while.
Here you can see the transverse bottom boards which were wedge shaped in plan, so they could be knocked in tight, before fixing.
The engine beds are massive baulks of oak 16"x5"x about 18' long.  At the starn end is the counter block, propped up into position, but not yet fixed.  And the stern post.
The stem post can be seen above the kelson, the long plank that runs inside the boat to strengthen it and to which the bottom boards are fixed.

Much more to come.

2 comments:

  1. Looking forward to you getting the free time to further this, as I suspect it is going to be well-worth seeing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I need to get the bandsaw out to start cutting some planking, but this weather won't allow it. I'd be blown clean into the sheep field next door! But I will be doing some more in the next week or so. I now have two of Lidl's nice showcases and Chris has earmarked a shelf for HB!

      Delete