Great Lakes Ore/Bulk Carries

[compassrose]

Are their any card model kits of the Great Lakes Ore/Bulk carriers out their ?

[Miles Linnabery]

Dear Compassrose:
There are several Edwin Fitzgerald in paper some free and some for money.
Do Web Search paper models Edwin Fitzgerald and they will surface
Miles

[Don Boose]

Miles gives good advice. There have also been some build and information threads in this Forum on Great Lakes ore carriers and other Great Lakes ships and watercraft

EDMUND FITZGERALD...in Memory of those lost....
JSC 1:400 Edmund Fitzgerald Buddy Build!
SS Edmund Fitzgerald
SS Badger-Lake Freighter Minis
Steamer Kearsarge of 1894, 1/200 scale
Canadian Lake Steamer Maple Leaf
The Lakers - unique ships - who scale them?

Don

[compassrose]

Thanks,

Went on the net and found what I was looking for.

[Thumb Dog]

Hi All,

And hi, compassrose. Glad you found what you are looking for, and good luck with your build. I thought you might like to see an old model from my collection. The William A. Irvin was once the flagship of U.S. Steel's Great Lakes Fleet. Launched November 21, 1937, the ship was not only a bulk ore carrier, but served as a customer relations vessel for U.S. Steel. Aside from cabins that housed the officers and crew, there were also four luxury cabins aboard for guests. Also, a large formal dining room was set on the weather deck. That is the boxcar-like structure running athwartships aft of the pilot house.

My model was printed by silkscreen onto very heavy cardstock, and with a good sniff, I can still smell the thick ink. It was purchased at a museum gift shop during a tour of Minnesota's North Shore some 25 (or more) years ago, and I doubt it is still in print. The finished hull of the model measures about 24 inches long. The dining room sits at an angle on the deck, the result of humidity over the years. But otherwise, the model is on good shape.

Tours of the moored ship are still available in Duluth, Minnesota. Visit the William A Irvin website for more information.

Score and fold,

Thumb Dog

[compassrose]

I built four paper models way back in the 1990s. Two were a total failure, well maybe not a total failure, I learned what not to do. The remaining two efforts were acceptable, but, not great.

I've built in the more popular plastic and wood since then, but, got the itch to try another paper model and want to do an ore carrier.

I went to the annual paper model show in Virginia several years and became really enthused. By monitoring this site I've become much more knowledgeable and have the confidence to do a better job this time around.

[VinceM]

I actually toured the Irwin in Duluth about 20 years ago. Very big ship. If you happen to get to Duluth, see the Irwin, then cross the bridge to Superior, Wisconsin to see the SS Meteor museum. A "Whaleback" oil tanker. So named because it has a rounded hull, similar to a submarine's profile. And it's docked near the Superior ore dock where the Edmund Fitzgerald left on her last voyage.

[compassrose]

Funny you should mention it. I just left the gym this morning and I was gabbing with a fellow member, originally from Michigan and he too said about the same thing. They are on my list should I get to Duluth.

I have the photo book of the William G. Mather.

[compassrose]

Thank's Thumb Dog. I was supprised to see the great lakes bulk carriers paper models for sale on Amazon. I ordered the Col. James M. Schoonmaker yesterday, 12/10 and it's going to arrive 12/12. In the mean I'm going back to work on the Nella Dan.