Isle-of-Man 1875 Paddle-steamer BEN-MY-CHREE 1/700 scratch

[JIM BAUMANN]

With the completion of 1894 HMS Halcyon in 1/350,
viewtopic.php?f=59&t=394901

herewith the new project--SS Ben My Chree-to be scratch built in 1/700

During last years Family Holiday on the Isle of Man ( in the middle of the Irish sea between Britain and Ireland)

....aside from the Islands natural beauty, the coast, the mountains, the steam trains, the Victorian trams-- horse drawn and electric,
as well as the famous Isle of Man TT motorcycle races.... one also cannot help but admire and fall in love with numerous plucky steamers
that have provided the only links with the respective mainlands since the mid 1800's...

The Ben me Chree name ( => in Manx speak--'Woman of my Heart' )
has been assigned to a number of these ships over the years.

The most well known , is the 1907 built steamer which was converted into a seaplane carrier in WW1- and sunk by Turkish artillery fire in 1915.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Ben-my-Chree
( there is --conveniently-- a 1/700 kit of her --from AJM Models--reviewed right here at MW.com as below
http://www.modelwarships.com/reviews/sh ... chree.html

No such convenience for me--choosing the make a model of a more obscure vessel built in 1875. !!

first a bit of history....
Ben-my-Chree II was built by the Barrow Shipbuilding Co. at Barrow-in-Furness for Isle of Man Steam Packet Co.
and launched 6th May 1875.
As built, the �Ben-my-Chree� was a steel-hulled sail-assisted paddle steamer , length of 318 feet and powered by two 2-cylinder oscillating coal-fired steam engines with TWO Funnels ,-connected to mid-ship paddles port and starboard, initially giving her a top speed of 12 knots;
which, disappointingly ,was two knots below her contracted speed.

As a result of the inadequate speed, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Co. sent Ben-my-Chree back to her builders to be re-boilered in 1884 .
The new boilers did increase her speed to 14 knots ,resulting in her two funnels being replaced by four funnels; two forward and two aft of her paddle boxes.
Interestingly for an open sea ship, despite her relatively small size, she was certificated to carry up to 1,030 passengers.

Ben-my-Chree� , unlike her namesake successors, seems to have enjoyed a relatively uneventful career with the Isle of Man Steam Packet Co.

After a service period of 31 years, she was sold to breakers T W Ward & Co. in August 1906, and was scrapped in Morecambe, Lancashire.

===================================================================================================

How can one resist a FOUR funnelled paddle-steamer?
This vessel was surprisingly well photographed, though finding some of the less usual
and close up the images takes some digging in books as well as the internet

After extensive enquires with the Dock Museum at Barrow in Furness ( The builders )
Liverpool Museum, Manx IoM Museum, NMM Greenwich , Glasgow Museum etc
I ascertained that there are probably no plans surviving.
There is a GA drawing from 1998....
as below;

but mainly photos, ranging from mediocre to excellent

The colour scheme would equate to this--as supported by a number of period paintings and other contemporary ships of that comapny

The same image --of muuuuch better quality -upon really close inspection - gives much needed information

The bow view gives a helpful clue as to the hull profile fwd-- showing no ' hollow' in the flare

...the paddle box midships could not be clearer !

the view from Bridge aft is helpful

shaping the stern will be much assisted by this useful( if low -res) crop from a larger general view photo

There are a number of dead square side on images--where the outline is somewhat confused by the catwalk fwd
like this

the distinctive long foredeck and sweeping sheerline Fwd is illustrated well in this Photo

as well as in the above drawing ....

ah... that Drawing ...

all is not as it seems alas...
I overlaid a side-on-photo and the plan together--and a number of misleading problems came to the fore;

as below...

Ha!
....it seems like I have my work cut out for the foreseeable future....

More soon
Jim Baumann

[JIM BAUMANN]

well I made a start last week...

I cut the hull and did rough shaping on my trusty bench belt-sander;
which very effectively removed the material from the very hard Jarrah wood

( very stable and very close grained )

( salvaged from the floor of a Victorian army barracks !) ergo the wood is 140 or so years old

So as to allow the stem-head ( bow) to create an razors sharp stem ,
--I inserted a piece of stainless steel into a grove cut into the wood at the bow

( thereby it is cantilevered against sanding loads!)


then the filling and fairing began....
first I added F'oclse and poop decks to deck plan and filled the undercuts with
high grade automotive filler

the bulwarks were added using styrene strip material ( bends in 3-D !)

and thereafter I painted it in thick enamel --so as to act as a guide coat and fine 'filler '

when the paint has hardened it will show up any areas that need further attention.
very very mild imperfections will mostly disappear when the paint is sanded

meanwhile I cut the paddlebox decks

and some 14mm tubing ( in my ancient K & S metals tube cutter )

and then offered and balanced the decks and paddle box ( using no adhesive other than will-power !)
to the hull to gauge the proportions

all seems well!

More soon

Jim B

[SG1]

A very promising start

[wefalck]

Ahhh ... another one

[JIM BAUMANN]

Hello all

Much fiddly and boring stuff done recently ...

Making the main deck template to enable me to cut accurately my printed paper decking

The superstructure blocks of this ship were almost entirely wood panelled-
-aside from the " dirty " engineering block
containing engineers doors for boiler room access

I tried to emulate this wood panelling.

One " could " of course have created relief etched PE --or indeed 3-D printed this entire structure
especially if producing a kit --- or more than one mode of this ship l....

I started by cutting suitable ladder-stock into short lengths to make squares--

- a tedious procedure to get good edges and square corners

These were attached onto the previously cut and shaped superstructure blocks and deck houses
to give the impression of panelling

here are some in progress

it was really quite difficult !!!

==> floating them onto thinned wet matt varnish,
and trying to keep keeping them all level and all evenly spaced

..........and there was rather a lot of it !

some of the pieces needed portholes as well

after a first coat of paint--

progress will continue

regards all Jim B

[wefalck]

And I thought I work on small panelling ...

[marijn van gils]

Very precise micro-work! That will look lovely once painted completely and installed on the ship.

[Pieter]

That woodwork looks very nice. I do wonder if it can be done faster by keeping the ladder pieces together.

[Frank Spahr]

An elegant vessel, and again such crisp and painstaking work! Looking forward to your further progress!

[hypno7]

very good start! I am always learning new techniques with your build threads. Looking forward to the updates!

[zs180]

Not just your method of construction but the choice of subject is unique and instantly recognisable.
Another great project!
Followed with keen interest.

[JIM BAUMANN]

Gentlemen--Thank you.
The weather in England has been unusually --and I mean unusually dry and sunny,
( ==> baking hot modelroom !)
( with the odd day proper rain to keep it green) the fine weather continues
and so the distraction of driving our classic cars takes over ....

and so on.... --as you can see I am easily distracted by my Petrol mistresses !

But.... there has been occasional proper model ship , progress as the images below will testify;

aside from endless fairing and smoothing

I found myself to be dissatisfied with my earlier paddle boxes--the surface of the media was not as smooth/ homogeneous as I would have wished ...

so I made some new ones ( x 4 in case of damage / error ) cut from of 14 mm thickwall brass tubing
which the outer faces made of Styrene ,

The styrene was subsequently pared and sanded to shape -this also gave the correct final paddle Box width

here are some images of the boat deck on the real ship,
note the deck is ' thin ' and the upper strake has an inset below
and that the davits pass through well inboard and inboard of the lower coaming
The deck also overhangs the lower hull a bit

here is another view from fwd which confirms the earlier findings

and 3/4 port aft detail crop

All styrene decking was too thick--brass is too soft -- and expands too much in heat/ contracts in cold
Stainless steel is better and more stable in terms of thermo dynamics

I cut my decking from a very wide ( 20 mm !) piece of stainless steel PE fret surround
This was cut with a new pair of Fiskars scissors
-looks unsubtle .... but very effective and as they are exceedingly sharp--almost distortion free

This deck was drilled in my mini pillar drill- with very small holes- to take the davits shafts

This will be clad with my usual home designed printed paper deck ( as seen first on my 1/700 Normandie )






I have started funnels-but no images yet.

meanwhile-- " on deck " --/ --or elevated view images of thsi ship are very rare
the above posted is what I have....

HOWEVER-- whilst watching a Youtube video of THE DUBLINERS....( yes--I do like them! )
singing the well known song 'The Leaving of Liverpool '

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXVnmL1Kvmg

( with images of old Liverpool )

I had a proper little win .....a ' on -deck view ' photo appeared
the ship in the foreground ...is the Ben my Chree ,readily identified by her close spaced funnels

--not the best resolution or most informative- but it does confirm the position of the cowl vents ahead of the bridge either side of the fwd cat-walk
but it does throw up more queries see below

More soon

Jim Baumann

[wefalck]

The usual imaginative progress on some minute parts

Ah and those French 'Godesses' - my father had several between the late 1960s and mid 1980s, but the 'Break'-version. And I remember the somewhat weird looking Panhards from early travels in France ...

[JIM BAUMANN]

plenty of progress recently--

all of it painstaking !

The ' wood/paper ' decking mounted onto the stainless steel

as the model consists of a solid wooden hull-- unsubtle tools
will not dish the weather deck !!

The real ship had a multitude of rubbing strakes

I replicated these with application of thin wire

eventually.....

and to blend the strakes and the sanded bow plate

at long last-tangible progress !

I employed a few unusual techniques...(!)

at this point-with the strakes installed ,
I could space off the portholes -

-using contrasting colour tape as a consistent measurement...
that I could eyeball

The upper deck supporting struts caused me a headache

--how to get them thin-and regular -and totally even...

==> solution... spares box PE used creatively

back to the paddles boxes....

and onwards to the funnel bases ( bigger tube)

and then the funnels -( smaller tube ) - with hollowed out tube tops
to give the appearance of thin funnel walling

and then some more pleasurable installations
of previously prepared components

and then back to the tedium of adding moire strakes to the
paddle box sides

more soon

Jim Baumann

[wefalck]

Nice summer-progress - an with reasonable weather in the UK I believe.

[Christian Bruer]

A very nice model and an excellent start in that small scale. Perfect as always.

[MartinJQuinn]

Beautiful work, as always.

[JIM BAUMANN]

Thank you gentlemen!
small report today.

The paddle box decks have been painted, and the stainless steel strips have been added to define the edges

and the paddle box strakes have been married up with those of the hull

the next step was contriving a way of rendering the distinctive access steps to the bridge
that run around the inboard curve of the paddlebox

I did these--individually -the few there were -- on my 1/350 model of HMS Atherstone-
-where the paddle wheels and box were very much smaller than on this behemoth Ben my Chree!

these steps are distinctive to the eye =-- and are fwd and aft on the paddle-boxes

after a few false starts...(!!) I came up with this,...

a bit of delicate but firm pressure cutting on some 1/600 OE from Atlantic models....

looks like this;

and like this with paint!

more soon Jim Baumann

[Iceman 29]

I love that!

[Pieter]

Nice solution. I would not want to be on those stairs in a gale though.