Dumas Creole Queen

[Dale Kern]

Paddleducks,
I am presently building the Dumas Creole Queen and have completed
the hull, paddle wheel and installed the radio and running gear. I
have started to assemble the superstructure. The superstructure
consists of 5 decks, the main, boiler, promenade, skylight, and
pilot house deck. Due to all the railings and posts between decks I
am trying to figure out how and where to separate the decks to
access the main deck area where the radio and running gear are. I
was thinking of making a duplicate 1/32" thick boiler deck and
sandwich one on the other. I would glue one boiler deck on top of
the superstructure of the main deck and glueing the other boiler
deck permently to the boiler deck superstructure. That way I could
just separate the boiler deck and above superstructure from the main
deck superstructure by simply lifting it off and not distrubing the
railings or posts.
I would appreciate any other ideas to get to the main deck radio and
running gear safely in such a multideck vessel.

Your input is much appreciated

Dale Kern
USA

[Paulrjordan]

Dear Dale:

I've just taken a good look at my Dumas "Creole Queen" model pics and
also read two articles on her construction (US BOAT & SHIP MODELER,
Summer 1994 and SCALE SHIP MODELER, January/February 1998.) The
first article is rather basic and doesn't cover construction in any
depth...you know, one of those "pretty" filler articles which seem to
abound in Model Boat Mags! The second one is part 2 of a two part
article and unfortunately I don't have Part 1. It does have a
little more information and loads of photos (many of them
superfluous!). From what I can see, both articles show conventional
separation at the boiler deck level (the one above the main deck).
Separation at this level provides adequate protection against
flooding and easy access to engine and control elements.

However, I realize your concern about the delicate deck supports
while removing the superstructure. Unfortunately neither article
deals with this (nor illustrates it) but both suggest the uprights
are attached at deck level and the boiler deck simply sits on them.
As you say, this leaves the tops of the fragile deck supports
unprotected and they could be vulnerable to damage. One builder has
replaced all the wooden (bamboo?) supports with brass and soldered
railing to them so that they are more rigid. Unforunately to achieve
sufficient strength to the uprights he has made them overscale and
rather unrealistic looking.

Your idea of creating a "double layer" at the boiler deck separation
seems to work well on models I have seen so long as you can make sure
the under deck (which supports the uprights) "hides" inside the
visible deck above it which should have a trim on its outside edges
to disguise the join.

Just a point while building your superstructure...try to keep it as
light as possible to avoid any excessive top hamper on the ship which
could make her unstable. Generally this is more of an issue with
sidewheelers than with sternwheeler models.

> I would appreciate any other ideas to get to the main deck radio
> and running gear safely in such a multideck vessel.

No specific suggestions except try to keep everything as low as
possible to maintain a low C of G. Keep your receiver away from the
motor and any moving metal-on-metal moving parts which can cause
electrical "noise". NEVER epoxy or permanently glue in steeering
servos! Make all components easy to remove. I actually favour
building "trays" for them so they sit securely and can be simply
lifted out for servicing/replacement. If you'd like to see
the "Creole Queen" articles I referred to, just email me your snail
mail address and I'll send you photocopies.

Please keep us posted on your progress and ESPECIALLY any photos of
modifications along with your own ideas of building this very popular
Dumas sternwheeler. I have seen this model on the water and it's
very impressive!

Best regards

PJ
Victoria, BC Canada.

[Dale Kern]

Paul,
Thank you for your response to the questions I had concerning the Creole Queen. I didn't think about hiding the seam with a piece of trim. I will employ that for sure. I also thought of using brass tubing or rods for the supports and railing. The bamboo dowels they provide split or sliver on the ends sometimes as I cut them. I use a single edge razor blade and roll the bamboo as I cut it. May be I should seal or lacqure the bamboo first and it would hold the strands together so they wouldn't peal off when cutting.
I thought also of making up artwork of the railings and decorative latice work at the tops of the supports, and send it to a place that does photo etching. I don't know what the cost would be but it would make the model look nicer. I quess though the way Dumas has it is more practical for a working R/C boat simplifying the ornate work.
I have built several R/C scale boats in the past, basicly cabin crusiers 1950's era and have employed all the things you listed as far as installation of the radio gear.
This is my email address if you want to email me those photos and articles from Scale Ship Modeler frosty1_18080@yahoo.com

This is a site I ran across awhile back while looking for information on paddlewheelers. I am from Pennsylvania and my wife from the Pittsburg, Pa. area. The Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers converge to form the Ohio River and during the 1800's into the earlier parts of the 1900's paddle wheelers were built in the Pittsburg area. The interesting thing is the building site of many of these were in Elizabeth Pa and there is pictured the stern wheeler Elizabeth with a recording of her whistle on the website. There are many other pics and sounds of other paddle wheelers on the site. The one that intrigued me the most was the Sprague. John William Lynch the supervisor of the Elizabeth Marine Ways in Elizabeth, Pa., and some of his workers built a 10' model of the Sprague for the 1908-1909 Pittsburgh Exposition. It was set in a 21 x 52 foot tank filled with water. The diorama included the Sprague pushing 56 coal barges under a model of the Cairo Il bridge. The article claims the Sprague
was the largest sternwheeler in the world pushing a record 56 coal barges of 50,000 tons. The interesting thing that after the exposition the model and diorama made a tour of Europe visiting London, Rome and Paris. The page is worth looking at, especially if you want to hear recorded sounds of various riverboat steam whistles. See below site.

http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~jmohney/index.htm

I will keep you posted on the progress and try to post some pictures.
Thank you for your help and suggestions

Dale Kern