Florence Locomotive Works

A friend of mine bought this ex Polish Air Force MiG-21 a few years ago. He flew it for a while until something failed which was to costly to repair, so he donated it to TASM, and had it repainted and put on display on North Korean markings. The photo below shows it after sand blasting. We get lots of historic aircraft coming through Tulsa, at least one B-17 per year. Last year we had the B-24 Diamond Lil, and the B-29 Fifi.

A tiny bit violent.

That sir, is a genuinely exceptional piece of work.

Moby- Play, the B Sides

I, err, just realized that I created this topic in the wrong section I think, my apologies for that. I think it should go in Modeling Musings & Miscellany?

Probably a more appropriate place to put this than a status update. Second buoyancy test for the S.S. Mahanada (1914) successfully completed in the bath, with the S.S. Agamemnon (1865) for company. The nasty list to port was solved by stiffening the ballast linkage after the first photo was taken.

A place to post anything pertaining to ship/maritime modeling.

Best of luck sir, very nice fit on the cross head guide.

That’s some very nice Art Deco architecture.

I called this entry a decapitated cobra because that’s the best way I’ve found to explain to people what a cowl ventilator looks like. In other words the castings have finally arrived from Ontario, and they aren’t the greatest ever, few holes here and there. But they’ll do, even if the best way I’ve found of attaching them to the deck is with super glue. From the bow heading aft towards the stern, there are two just in front of the bow winches, then two larger ones just forward of the funnel, and then the same size in front of the aft winches, and a single one on the stern island. The propellor has also arrived, and is mildly undersized, so I’m thinking about getting one printed in brass off shapeways. Portholes in the form of peco track pins have also been added, in the same rough layout as shown on the Bassett-Lowke model. I based mine off there’s and what I think the dimensions are. So as of now it’s completed, but there is still the issue of varnishing and ballast. Also in the yard is a Mersey Docks and Harbor Board steam bucket dredger, which is almost finished. Stay healthy, Douglas

Cowl ventilators just fitted onto the S.S. Mahanada (1914). Unfortunately the castings aren’t the greatest ever, but they look good. Covered in more excruciatingly boring detail here, sorry I couldn’t get the link any shorter. https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/blogs/entry/23712-some-decapitated-cobras-and-a-propeller/

Interesting that the fans are prone to oil fires.

I certainly don’t know anybody younger than that lad operating such things, and I think I’m the youngest on RMweb! What you said was very very interesting, at least the parts my brain could wrap itself around, that’s why I like to stick to reciprocating engines, but still preferably on ships with soot blowers. Edit: What ship was that on?

Yes that would have been quite detrimental to the boiler. And everything else it touched.

I’m assuming by the look of the British Ambassador that she was a turbine ship? Would a ship with turbines still retain the same water recirculating efficiency as a reciprocating ship? Or would it obtain more since the turbine is generally more steam-efficient?

I believe that’s correct, there would be a valve with one side going to a opening on the outside of the hull, the other side was normally a small single cylinder vertical high speed steam engine attached to a centrifugal pump. This apparatus would then pump fresh seawater around the condenser I think. Heres a photo of the type of engine, without the pump.

Here’s another nice old survivor, the MV Lydia. Originally the MV Moonta, built in Australia in 1931, she’s now a landlocked casino ship in France, no propellors or engines however, so not likely to be seen floating ever again.

The last one looks excellent in blue, similar to the shade on the later Orient Express carriages.

That would have been quite a loss, glad it escaped. Made a very interesting photo though.

I always wondered what the real reason for the naming was. I had forgotten the medium fortune it cost to preserve the comparatively small SS Robin, and that ship was still in existence! I’m in the USA, and we have four preserved merchant vessels, all ex navy. 3 are fully restored and operational, the fourth is a Victory ship (Red Oak Victory) which was undergoing steam testing last time I looked, but the exterior was in quite a state, the paint was beginning to loose its will to live. The interior was fine however, I don’t think the turbine is working yet, but all ancillary machines were, including steering I believe. All the running vessels make their living giving rides to people or I think at least one is owned and funded by the National Park Service, who also own many a preserved battleship. We recently let the last Haskell Class Attack Transport go to the breakers, I think there was a group trying to save her, but failed to get the funds before the deadline, usual thing. So it’s not only the U.K. who has been callous. New Zealand my other country is even worse, they recently scrapped the floating crane Rapaki, but her boilers and condenser will go to a steam ferry being rebuilt. True she was in quite a chronic condition, but unfortunately the Maritime Museum has been a tad bit underfunded in recent years, so I think it was inevitable. Luckily she has twin in Wellington who is preserved.

That is a genuine tragedy. I see the Canadians did the same in 2014 with HMCS Cape Breton, even amid protests. There is always HMS Bullfrog in South Africa even though she’s not exactly a merchant ship, they want a quarter of a million pounds for her on Preston Services.

I always found that class interesting because of the shear number of ventilators around the funnel, most I’ve ever seen in one place on a ship.