Cargo Liner, 1947

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Bob, Yes, I am familiar with the midships hatch configuration, the Royal Mail Arlanza trio had it too but usually it seemed to be at top of hull level rather than top of superstructure.

Glad you are selling some extra copies of the book.

Colin

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

In some passenger ships, it was more to keep the officers separated from the passengers. In the case of Arlanza, the gap was referred to jokingly as the "chastity belt!" In Union-Castle, it didn't matter because the officers were allowed to socialise with the passengers when off duty anyway.

Bob

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

It is now ready for masting and rigging. Quite a lot of fine detail has been added since the last image.

Bob

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Looking lovelier than ever!

The quality of build is fantastic and so precise

Well done, Bob

Bob

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Thanks,

Today, I completed fitting the fore and mainmasts, 18 derricks and the jumbo derrick. All that now remains is the rigging. That should not take more than a few hours, but I am growing quite weary of it all now, and will be glad when it is complete.

I have already completed the display case and carrying case. So when the rigging is complete, it can just go straight into the display case, and that will be that!

Bob

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

The Arabia is now complete!

Bob

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Another lovely job Bob. The funnel position does look a bit odd though. The design and positioning of the funnel always has a huge influence on the overall harmony of a ship design. The old French Pasteur and the Cunard's Caronia both had very large funnels but the former looked grotesque and the latter very elegant. I also thought the designers got the design right with Shaw Savill's innovative engines aft Southern Cross but her near sister Northern Star just didn't seem to gel in quite the same way and was in fact the less successful of the two operationally.

With Canadian Pacific it was a bit of a three bears situation. The Empress of Asia had slightly too thin funnels, the Empress of Britain's were too fat but the Empress of Japan was near perfect.

Colin

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Thanks Colin, I would agree with you on most of the funnels mentioned, and the Pasteur was the worst of the lot!

Arabia's funnel looks well-placed to me, but I am thinking about it from a personal point of view. I always liked sailing in ship with the central gap, sometimes with a hatch in it. It provided a sheltered place to hang around on warm, but windy afternoons with an unrestricted view on both sides.

The Arabia took a total of 81 hours, 42 minutes to build. That included the display case and carrying case!

Bob

[BanjomanParticipant @banjoman]

Bob,

Warmest congratulations on the completion of a truly beautiful model! I am, as always when looking at your work, impressed almost beyond words by the sheer quality of the thing!

/Mattias

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

This one has proceeded in pretty much the same way as most of my other models! Lots of views, but really very little interest shown by ship modellers in general. On completion, I put it on my website at 1335BST on the 28th. It sold at about 1600BST the same day! After making a stout external packing case, that took a few days, I sent it off to Belgium at 1030BST yesterday (13th) and it arrived safe and sound at about 1400BST today!

That is very good going! I don't think I will ever understand why ship model builders are not very keen on making this type of ship, but collectors love them!

Bob

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