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HO Scale MV Caledonian Princess


carl1967

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  • 4 weeks later...

 Carls picture shows her entering Loch Ryan after the maiden voyage from Larne. The one below  shows Caledonian Princess heading out of the loch on her final cross channel sailing to Northern Ireland where she is now permanently berthed.  I will post pictures on the layout in due course when the linkspan etc have been completed.

 

We had a great afternoon yesterday at Stranraer and Cairnryan, when I went over to collect the model. Despite a lousy forecast the rain stayed away and so we were able to photograph CP in her "natrual" environment.. believe me folks, the pictures on this thread have not flattered to deceive - this is one heck of a model and I am very proud to own it - a happy  piece of my youth captured in wood and plastic.

 

Colm

 

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I saw your finished product earlier this week and was amazed the fantastic model you produced.  Well done, you are a craftsman and no mistake. 

Colm told me about your threat on RM and I've spent the last hour going through it.  It was a treat to see it develop through the stages of construction and I can't wait to see it arrive at "Stranraer Harbour" on Colm's layout.

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  • 3 months later...

Carl

Not a criticism of your superb workmanship but the 'painter' from the for'rd starboard lifeboat should hang as a loop to the foc'sle where it would be attached for emergencies. It shouldn't be hung off in 2 loops. Great model though.

Lightengine

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Well yes - and no.  I am not a seaman and maybe there should normally be only one loop, however.

 

The starboard side (which is the one shown in Carls "doorstep" pictures) has this double loop; the port side (see the pictures posted on 23 June), has got a sngle loop.

 

But see below,  a  picture taken at an unknown location a few years later: there is clearly a "double loop" here.....If anyone can give me any ideas where it is  - you can see a spit of  land on the far left, the quayside doesn't look like Stranraer or Larne, and there appears to be a pilot boat rounding the bow, which suggests to me it wasn't a regular destination for the CP.

 

Carl and I spent a lot of time acquiriing and poring over photos of this ship while the model was being built!!

 

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The model  linkspan and berth at Stranraer have been very delayed but the harbourmaster has now advised that work is about to begin again and the ship should be able to dock by Christmas....well, ferries get delayed don't they, still?

 

 

Colm

 

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Colm, I wouldn't worry. Looking at that photo, I would think that the painter is only held up by a very light lashing line, & is probably done like that to keep the painter clear of possibly being snagged when berthing/unberthing.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Mark

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Colm,

As Mark has said, the painter would be held on to the rail (most likely) with a light lashing, otherwise there's a chance it'd be caught when berthing at low tide. The reason the painter is rigged is that this boat and (probably) it's opposite on the port side would have been the designated 'rescue boats' used for man overboards/transfers/jollies ashore etc. and as such the painter would be permanently rigged for immediate use so the boat could be launched as quickly as possible. The other lifeboats would probably have their painters coiled down in the boats themselves. Also, as was common practice at the time these ready use boats are slightly smaller than the others.

On older ships the Man overboard boat/boats would invariably be the only boat/boats onboard fitted with an engine and often carried a portable wireless set, the rest would be equipped with oars and a rudimentary mast with sails. In cause you're unaware, the number convention for lifeboats is from starboard to port, therefore the furthest forward starboard boat is No.1, port for'd boat No.2, second starboard boat No.3 and so on.

Finally, I've been following this thread from the beginning and you've created a very fine model of the old girl, alas now but a memory.

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  • 1 month later...

Well, here it is, finally berthed at my model of Stranraer; it has been nearly four years since I first contacted Carl about building this beautiful model, and got plans from the NMM.  Books have been read and photos scanned and memories awoken as well.  I have put the ship on a shelf which will allow me later, if I want to have a sort of motorized lifting device to raise and lower it so it can be stored safely under the layout - as you will see there's not a lot of space around it and the rigging and masts are vulnerable to being swiped by an unthinking arm...

 

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It is low tide so the linkspans pointing slightly downwards; there wasn't all that much headroom in these conditions and I recall one day sailing being s delayed for half an hour due to a truck getting stuck. The "towers" on either side and the gubbins on the top of the ramp girders are representative of the arrangement which was installed in 1939 for one of  CPs ancestors, the "Princess Victoria" of 1939. ( a second ship of the same design was lost in 1953 with the loss of 133 lives) -indeed after this tragedy the Larne -Stranraer route remained under threat until the arrival of "Caledonian Princess" in 1961. There's more detail to add in this area - more offices and handrails etc., as well as some people - in those days the dockers invariably wore flat caps and I need to source some suitable figures. The cars are representative of the period about 1962, and the mechanical horse emerging at the end of the line is based on one which was there at that time.

 

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The picture below is my attempt to re-create a shot taken about 1962 from the book on the route: still plenty to do, where I have the space. Obviously you can't do it totally accurately, I haven't eh space and the layout has to work as well as looking well; so i am aware of where it doesn't quite match. But it satisfies me. I shall have to have a go at the crane!  Although it was obviously not used for CP it remained in situ for a while, as it had been used for her predecessor, the "Princess Margaret".  Details of the offices etc are very scarce.. Most of them were soon swept away as the route got busier, with bigger ships and a new linkspan about 1966-7. "Caledonian Princess" herself left the route in 1969/70 - she had become a victim of her own success and drive on-drive off was necessary to cope..

 

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Looking along the quayside from the boat deck you can see the set of stairs built for this ship. Entry to the passenger accommodation was from a deck higher than the older ships, due to the car deck height.

 

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And finally some detail of the wheelhouse. Very modern for its day. I once travelled on the bridge during the crossing - for a 12 year old quite an experience. The captain's name was Leslie Unsworth. - he later became superintendent at Stranraer.  "Caledonian Princess" was sold by Sealink in 1981, became a floating nightclub in Glasgow  for many years (where Carl photgrpahed her - this is how he was able to get such accurate detail) , and ended her days being cut up in Turkey in 2009.

 

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So there you have it folks, there'll be a few more pics from time to time but the essentials are all in place. I am very pleased to have started this project to re-create a little piece of my childhood, and hope it had given others (nearly) as much pleasure as it has given me!

 

Colm

 

 

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