Shall I take photos of the pretty boats at the Black Country Museum? No, I'll concentrate on the rusty steel hull.
I'd assumed this is a lighter, or perhaps "butty" boat that would work with a powered narrowboat through the canal system but James Finister tells me it's a day boat and I'm not going to argue. At the very least there is something to learn about the construction of these vessels, and how the steel plate weathers.
You can also see how much can be seen of the sunken boat next to it - another handy modelling hint.
3 comments:
Well observed and modellable. I recall a Blue Peter trip to the Bridgewater canal where earlier ribbed versions (possibly riveted) and punted and nudged by low paid canal folk were dubbed "Starvationers" (!)
I should have added that these BCN dayboats were known as "Joeys"
Note as well that they were double-ended. At the end of the short trips they worked, towed by a tug, the rudder would be swapped to the other end for the return trip. This has a major advantage for the small space modeller who wants to include a canal basin because you don't need a "winding hole" for boats to be turned in. They were also sometimes shorter than the normal 70ft.
As with my recent comment about Puffers it is useful for the modeller to be aware of a little canal history and geography. The right type of boat on the right sort of canal, with the right sort of bridge and lock can instantly set a scene, but it can also destroy it.
Rather pleased that the rusty sunken barge I recently modelled is pretty close to that colour...
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