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Author Topic: Car-Float, er...? floating...?  (Read 2616 times)

GG

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Car-Float, er...? floating...?
« on: March 17, 2020, 01:38:12 pm »

Back in early February, I posted about building models from "scrap material".  In other words, apart from giving the "Save the World" acolytes a warm glow, it is nice to use things with little apparent value (if any) to create something that gives you pleasure.


It seemed worth putting this idea into action and a search of my garage cum workshop located some lumber (PSE pine and plywood) that had been left over from some domestic jobs. I honestly cannot remember what these jobs were but the wood was well covered with dust and cobwebs but otherwise sound.  What to make was the next problem.....?


During one of my many wanderings around the Internet, I came across photos of Car-Floats, an interesting and, on this side of the Atlantic, different subject.  American Railroad companies often employed tugs to move things around in their extensive dock and harbor facilities.  This included loco's and rolling stock on simple barges fitted with train tracks.  This jogged my memory and in another corner of the workshop area was a toy train set which had been bought for a project that stalled some years ago.  The loco had a rather horrible toy "Wild West" air about it but was a similar scale to a US railroad tug I'd built some years ago (plan published in Model Boats Sept 1985).


That was enough to start me building, or more correctly figuring out how to make it look realistic whilst avoiding having to buy anything extra.  Some of the photos showed tugs moving large car-floats but, with only a single loco, tender and couple of items of rolling stock to play with, I opted for a modest size comparable with the tugs length.


The loco and rolling stock had the "Wild West" and other inappropriate items removed, would you believe the they featured some "gilt" trim...!  This was where my plan not to spend any money on the model failed, spray cans of black and red had to be bought to finish off the loco and rolling stock.


With a final weight of almost 4 pounds, the car-float would be easy for the tug to move but how...?  It would have been simple just to tow the float behind the tug or, as the full size often did, push it ahead of tug but I was tempted to try something else.  Many photos of the real things showed the float lashed to the side of the tug.  This looked more interesting but it took some trials on the garden ponds (much to the annoyance of the frogs) to figure out how to make a secure system that could be easily assembled and disassembled at the waters edge.  There was also the problem of launching and recovering, my usual testing site in a canal basin having the water-level at an inconvenient distance below the bank side.


Then, there was the problem of the tugs propeller offset to one side of the combination.  Yes, it turns much tighter one way (more or less spinning on the spot) but turning the other way is quiet acceptable.  Once you have mastered the quirks, it's a comfortable sail.


I'm now looking around the garage cum workshop and other areas to see if any more forgotten items can be found for some further "scrap building".  With a bit of effort it really doesn't have to look like it was built from scrap.


Glynn Guest      [size=78%]   [/size]
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GG

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Re: Car-Float, er...? floating...?
« Reply #1 on: March 17, 2020, 01:42:40 pm »

Agh....!!!!   forgot to attach the photos, here they
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Capt Podge

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Re: Car-Float, er...? floating...?
« Reply #2 on: March 17, 2020, 02:44:10 pm »

That's an interesting idea GG - certainly looks ok on the water, and as you suggest, some thought needed when carrying out manoeuvres - I like it, something different for any spectators too :-))


Regards,
Ray.
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Tug Fanatic

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Re: Car-Float, er...? floating...?
« Reply #3 on: March 17, 2020, 05:01:46 pm »

Arcady was a nice looking tug and that is an interestingly different barge. The US tug industry seems to like putting tows anywhere other than behind the tug! I gather that they don't do much "line" towing other than ship handling.

You would never guess from the images that Arcady is only 15in x 4in. For a model that is balsa with card sides that it is 35 years old she looks in remarkably good condition. Is she still powered by a 540 on 2 nicads (2.4v) as in the magazine or a smaller motor as in "Small Radio Control Boats"?
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GG

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Re: Car-Float, er...? floating...?
« Reply #4 on: March 17, 2020, 05:48:09 pm »

Tug Fanatic,
                Wrong I'm afraid.  You are thinking of the free double page design published in the Sept 1985 Model Boats, the one in this item was the free plan in the Nov 1999 issue.
But both use balsa hulls with card sides/superstructure and both use 540 type motors.  Yes, build properly and carry out at least minimal maintenance and they do last.
Glynn Guest
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GG

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Re: Car-Float, er...? floating...?
« Reply #5 on: March 17, 2020, 05:53:50 pm »

Forgot to add, it was my mistake in the first post.  This is what happens when you build two models with the same name!
Glynn Guest
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Tug Fanatic

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Re: Car-Float, er...? floating...?
« Reply #6 on: March 17, 2020, 07:07:17 pm »

So this is the 22in Arkady rather than the 15in Arcady (as named on the plans/ articles)?

It still looks good. I note that the plans show the sides being card covered 1/8" balsa rather than the plain card of the smaller model!
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Tug Fanatic

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Re: Car-Float, er...? floating...?
« Reply #7 on: March 17, 2020, 08:45:09 pm »

If anyone is interested the plans for Arkady which appeared in Model Boats November 1999 also appeared in the US magazine Radio Control Modeller (MCM) Fenruary 1998. The article and the plan are here (+ a few others):

https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?2993458-Radio-Control-Modeler-%28RCM%29-magazine-Boats&perpage=50#post38697291
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GG

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Re: Car-Float, er...? floating...?
« Reply #8 on: March 18, 2020, 10:02:55 am »

Last correction I hope....


Both the large and small Arkady models had the hull sides covered with balsa sheet.  This was covered with card above the water-line which extended above the deck level to create the bulwarks around the hull.


With proper design and construction it's a simple and durable way to build hulls.


Glynn Guest 
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Tug Fanatic

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Re: Car-Float, er...? floating...?
« Reply #9 on: March 18, 2020, 11:58:56 am »

Sorry - my mistake.
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GG

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Re: Car-Float, er...? floating...?
« Reply #10 on: March 18, 2020, 12:39:09 pm »

Tug Fanatic,
            No problem, it was my mistake in the first post, I ought not to have used the same name for more than one model!
The real problem is those who refuse to admit to mistakes and learn from them.  These people are not all in politics either.
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GG

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Re: Car-Float, er...? floating...?
« Reply #11 on: August 29, 2020, 07:09:35 pm »

Details of this model now in the current (Sept 20) issue of Model Boats.
No plan needed, if you ever made a tea-tray in school woodwork lessons then it ought not to be a challenge!
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DavidHughes

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Re: Car-Float, er...? floating...?
« Reply #12 on: September 16, 2020, 11:01:48 pm »

Those pics made me smile - my own Arcady adaptation is now 5 years old - albeit has just been sitting gathering dust this year:



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