Just finished the basic hull for an N scale container ship! No, I don't even have a port yet but I felt compelled to start this project anyway The hull came-out nice...it's a scale 500 feet long, 82 feet wide and can carry about 300 40 foot containers (I think that would be 600 TEU). This is actually quite small for container ships...the REGINA MAERSK is 6000 TEU!!! I plan on it also being a MAERSK ship. Anyone else tried this? Russ [This message has been edited by tehachapifan (edited 05 January 2001).]
I haven't tried that, but that sounds like it would be a really cool site to have on a layout. That is going to take one hell of a lot of containers though!! ------------------ Craig Martyn Best Looking Models Around Custom detailing AND N scale detail parts. BLMA N Scale Detail Parts BLMAinfo@aol.com
Yeah, no kidding!! And I'm having trouble finding containers for Alan's spine cars!! Not really, but that is a LOT of containers. ------------------ Corey Lynch Pres - Rensselaer Model RR Society, NEB&W RR http://www.rpi.edu/~lynchc/Railfanning/railfanning.htm - My Site http://www.union.rpi.edu/railroad/ - NEB&W
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Craig Martyn: That is going to take one hell of a lot of containers though!! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Or many blocks of wood Russ, this sound like a really nice project. You know the gig - photos, photos, photos! Gary. ------------------ Gary A. Rose The Unofficial TC&W page TrainBoard Moderator and Member No.377 N to the Nth degree!
Our Club layout has a custom built ship that only comes out on exhibition days. it was built from styrene by one of our local modellers it is fantastic. Next time Gats and I are at the club I'll see if we can take some pics ------------------ Regards Paul #1-Moderator & Member number 50 SPAD Investigator #1 ICQ 61198217 http://users.bigpond.net.au/railroad2000
At about $3 per container, I'm certainly going to have to come up with something to keep the price down! I thought I might try blocks of wood, as Gary mentioned, or build-up something out of styrene. Whatever it is would be in the middle of the stacks and barely visible. The 7 main stacks are 8 containers across and 5 high. I built the styrene hull in such a way that it would represent a full ship (icebreaker bulb, or whatever it's called, submerged), so I'm in for having to get a lot no matter what! I'll try to get some photos of progress...going to work for 3 days starting tomorrow however... Russ [This message has been edited by tehachapifan (edited 06 January 2001).]
Russ, if you cut containers in half, you can use them for all but the ones that show either an end, or top. That halves the cost I will need a stack of containers for my intermodal yard, so I will be diong that. Or I could make a pattern, and cast a lot! ------------------ Alan Curtis. Moderator. Member #12 The perfect combination - BNSF and N Scale! www.alancurtismodels.com Andersley Western Railroad Alan's American Gallery
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Alan: Or I could make a pattern, and cast a lot! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> That was my thinking Alan. The only thing there is you have to paint them all. ------------------ Craig Martyn Best Looking Models Around Custom detailing AND N scale detail parts. BLMA N Scale Detail Parts BLMAinfo@aol.com
wasn't there a ncsale magazine article on this?I will be checking my back issues. ------------------ anyone need a car call ed pinkley,home of the pinkley taurus.
I would be very interested in your plans, if you could email me, I would be willing to pay a modest price for this. I want to model a seaport area (Vancouver, British Columbia). I have a reversing loop in the area where this port is going to go; but I'm not happy with the reversing loop (appearance). What I thought I might do is have the far side reversing loop track disappear behind an industry and use the container ship as a tunnel (which of course know one could see) and have the track come out of another industry at the other end of the ship. The ship would be lift off to get at the track for maintance, horror shows ,etc. Hence the ship would provide scenic interest, promulgate the theme, and be a tunnel all at the same time. The only other alternative I have seen is a great lakes container ship put out by Sylvan, but it looks to great lakes to me.
Mr. T, are you going to have an operating container crane? This could provide you several hours enjoyment (work) to load off of rr cars, or onto rr cars. In your scale, you can make several hundred containers on a table saw with fine tooth blade in a morning. Lay them out on a sheet of plywood, or whatever, and spray one side and end of all of them. Come back, turn them over, and spray the other end and rest of the sides. Red auto primer looks like tuscan red. Assembly line, see? ------------------ Watash #982
Great idea, Watash! I like the idea of using the blocks of wood for the "hidden stacks", then only putting the "real" containers on the front & top. Harold ------------------ Harold Hodnett Fan of NS, CSX, and their predecessors! Coming soon: The North Carolina Railfan Web Site http://www.trainweb.org/ncrail/
I'm curious - what is the ship built out of? Styrene, wood, what? This could be a neat project. ------------------ Jenks - the REAL Big Blue
I remember seeing a site that had some N Scale container ship kits and some other stuff, but I can't find it now. Anybody else ever see that? It wasn't Sylvan. Dave D. Los Angeles, CA The Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Photo Archive & E-Mail List: http://eje.railfan.net The Ashley, Drew & Northern Railfan Page: http://eje.railfan.net/adn Southern California Trains: http://eje.railfan.net/socal
If you find a supply of container ships, let me know because I have searched all over with no success. Everyone tells me their out there, but no one can show them too me. I have gone to shops specializing in model ships and they tell me there is nothing available. There is nothing in the Walter's catalogue.
Russ, years ago InterRail (they had a die-cast Thrall 40' Lo-Pac with the first N Scale etched walkways - can still be found) used have 40' container kits that made up 2 40' or up to four 20' containers (if you wanted incorrect ends on the 20's) or a 40' + 2x20' combo. It was a flat injection molded type of kit which had welded smooth sides, and a choice smooth or reefer front, and smooth or corrugated back (door) ends. Kit number 9451. Address - International Railway Modelers Services 3304 Maybelle Way No.1 Oakland, California 94616. Maybe there are still some of these floating around on the back shelf of some out of the way hobby store? Gary. ------------------ Gary A. Rose The Unofficial TC&W page TrainBoard Moderator and Member No.377 N to the Nth degree!
I found it! Kind of... The reason why I couldn't find it, is because the site seems to have taken the N Scale boats off. But I searched and ran into a page they seem to still have on their server that shows one of the boats here: http://www.navalbasehobbies.com/bursuncoast.htm Maybe you could e-mail them and see what's up. Just back track to the main url. I'm sure I remember seeing other models besides this one though. Dave D. Los Angeles, CA The Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Photo Archive & E-Mail List: http://eje.railfan.net The Ashley, Drew & Northern Railfan Page: http://eje.railfan.net/adn Southern California Trains: http://eje.railfan.net/socal
Thanks for the heads up on the container ship site. I have booked mark it. It certainly isn't cheap but it doesn't look to bad. Canadian dollars don't go as far as American dollars...$100 American buys $150 Canadian.
BlueJacket Models of Maine makes 1/192 scale Liberty Ships and tankers, which are slightly smaller than N scale. These are in the $250.00 range. There was a custombuilder in Baltimore that built containerships (it may be the one still advertising stations and turntables in MR), but they were in the four figures per model! The Sylvan model looks somewhat like the very small containerships that run between Miami and the Caribbean, so it could be used for one involved in short hauls to small ports, which is all we can model anyway. Remember, ships are BIG. A correctly scaled N scale containership would be over five actual feet long.
I have 12 feet along one wall dedicated to the container ship area so for me 5 feet would be just great. I don't plan for all of it to be seen anyways. I will have some grain wheat pools in front and intermodal yard close to it. Ship is to set the sea going theme, but I don't want it all visible, not like that in real life here in Vancouver anyways.
