# Tug boat & rail float photos.



## traction fan

I built this little N-scale tug from a Lindberg plastic kit and added lights and details. The rail float was made from a piece of 1"x4" lumber shaped, and painted, with track, a scribed basswood deck and bollards. If you look very carefully, you may be able to see the helmsman at the wheel inside the tug's cabin. There is actually an engine room telegraph in there to the helmsman's right. You'll have to take my word for that though, it doesn't show in the photo. :hah:Sometimes I get carried away with interior detail! 

































regards;

Traction Fan:smilie_daumenpos:


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## 89Suburban

That is freakin awesome.


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## FzCruzer

That looks outstanding. I will be doing a car float and tug for my layout soon. Hope I can get the water to look half as good as what you have done.


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## traction fan

*Paint mix and dumb luck*



FzCruzer said:


> That looks outstanding. I will be doing a car float and tug for my layout soon. Hope I can get the water to look half as good as what you have done.


FzCruzer;

Thanks for the compliment. I made the water using a very simple technique. First I mixed blue and green model paint until the color looked "close enough" to me. After the paint dried I brushed on a coat of "Modge Podge" a craft goop I found at Walmart. It goes on white, but dries perfectly clear and shiny. Wood filler, painted white, and coated with Modge Podge; formed the wakes around the boats. Weeks after I made this little diorama, I did a service call at the Point Loma sub base. Lo and behold! It turned out that the real Pacific ocean was the same color as my, "guessed-the-color's close enough", fake water! That's where the dumb luck came in!:laugh:

Traction Fan:smilie_daumenpos:


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## Shadow001

Very Cool


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## Nikola

I am very impressed. Nice work.


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## Big Ed

Nice, :thumbsup:
CNJ and Lehigh Vally used to run a lot of those crossing the NY harbor out of Jersey city.
In the one picture the car is off the tracks?

I remember taking boat rides with my Dad up the Auther Kill river into the NY harbor. ( in the 50,s)
On the way up were some bone yards filled with half sunk tugs and barges of all types. I really enjoyed that part of the ride.
I was always fascinated with any kind of junk yards, be it planes, trains, trucks, boats or cars. Still am.
A blast from the past.:thumbsup:

Some are still sitting in the river wasting away. Though they cleaned up a lot of them now.


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## time warp

Nice work! There used to be a lot of material on this subject in MR and RMC, but I haven't seen anything on RR tugs in a very long time.
Those Lindberg Tugs are kind of a well kept secret, they are very unique models.


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## gpgold

Very neat and timely. I'm going to be modeling the wake around a tug I just built so your version is helpful.


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## jlc41

traction fan, amazing realism and timely post as I am planning a harbor. Thanks for sharing.


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## BrokeCurmudgeon

Nice work! What is the scale of your tugboat? The Lindberg kits that I can find are1:87 yet you said that yours is N Scale. If you made it smaller, could you please explain? Again VERY NICE!


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## traction fan

*My shrink ray's on the fritz!*



BrokeCurmudgeon said:


> Nice work! What is the scale of your tugboat? The Lindberg kits that I can find are1:87 yet you said that yours is N Scale. If you made it smaller, could you please explain? Again VERY NICE!


BrokeCurmudgeon;


Thank you, and yes, the model is N-scale, or at least close enough that it doesn't matter. I didn't shrink it, or the kids!:laugh: The boxcars on the rail float are Micro Trains N-scale cars. The Lindbergh tug model is part of a set called "The Harbor Four." I wanted to post a photo of the box, but, of course, I can't find it! I know the box, with the other three boat model kits inside it; is in the house someplace! Anyway, the set actually has two tugs in it, with one rigged up as a fire boat. There is also a ferry boat, but it is a much smaller scale than the other three. It could be kitbashed into a skiff, or small barge. I think the forth model was a fishing boat, but I'm not sure. "The Harbor Four" set seems to be rather rare, or at least not advertised much. You might do a google search for Lindbergh models.

Good luck;

Traction Fan:smilie_daumenpos:


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## time warp

Lindberg is part of Round 2 now, but they are still made in Kalkaska, Michigan as far as I know. They've brought back a lot of the discontinued kits lately.
Round2corp.com


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## traction fan

*No luck*



time warp said:


> Lindberg is part of Round 2 now, but they are still made in Kalkaska, Michigan as far as I know. They've brought back a lot of the discontinued kits lately.
> Round2corp.com


time warp;

I tried the Round2.com site and also goggling Lindbergh plastic models, Found lots of models and even some tug boats, but no N-scale, or even close. No "harbor four" either.

Bummer!

Traction Fan :smilie_daumenpos:


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## jlc41

traction fan, I Hobbylink.com has various tugs. Check them out.


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## traction fan

*Wrong scale*



jlc41 said:


> traction fan, I Hobbylink.com has various tugs. Check them out.


jlc41;

Thank you for the tip. I tried the hobbylink site and found a few tugs in HO-scale 1/87th, S-scale 1/64th and 1/400th scale. No N-scale 1/160th. Thanks anyhow.

Traction Fan:smilie_daumenpos:


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## jlc41

traction fan, try hobbylinc.com. Harbour Tug Boat ''Fairplay I/III/X/XIV'' it's on page 2.


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## traction fan

*Thanks*



jlc41 said:


> traction fan, try hobbylinc.com. Harbour Tug Boat ''Fairplay I/III/X/XIV'' it's on page 2.


jlc41;

Thank you again for the hobbylinc info. I found the tug "fairplay" that you suggested. That's a quite modern diesel tug. I'm afraid it won't fit in on my earlier- era ( 1920s) layout. What I'm trying to find is a Lindbergh brand model kit called "The Harbor Four". It contains four plastic boat kits, three of which are N-scale. Once again I appreciate your effort to help.:appl:

regards;

Traction Fan


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## jlc41

traction fan, 10-4. I saw that kit recently I think it was on ebay. Good luck in you search.


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## Spence

Outstanding build.


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## thedoc

There is 1 on E-Bay right now, It is in 1:180 scale. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lindberg-GR...142696?hash=item4d55462728:g:BTMAAOSw5cNYGMg~


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## ninjarobert

Awesome! How'd you make the smoke?


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