Tiny Passenger Liner

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Just completed my latest, the 315-foot-long Furness Withy passenger liner FORT AMHERST 1936 – 1964 (about 250 passengers). Newfoundland – New York – West Indies service. Completely hand-built, no shop bought parts. Started it 14th July this year. Glad it is completed – took much longer than usual!

Bob

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Very nice Bob,

 

My first job was with Furness Ship Management in Leadenhall Street, London and I was involved in payment of the officer’s salaries and allowances. Occasionally I got the chance to take messages to the ships moored in London docks. My lowly status commanded a salary of around £400 per year.

 

One perk was the staff restaurant where you could get a formal sit down, waitress served lunch for one shilling. (10p).

 

Another world!

 

Colin

[The Long BuildParticipant @thelongbuild]

Only thing I can say..

 

Just Amazing..  (Not the 10p Lunch.. The Boat)

Edited By The Long Build on 02/09/2011 22:02:45

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

The lunch was pretty good, and the waitresses were pretty….

[Gareth JonesParticipant @garethjones79649]

I just dont know how Bob can make these finely detailed models at such a small scale. My fingers and eyes can’t really cope with anything smaller than 1:24.

 

Straying slightly off the original topic on to company canteens, I started work in 1970, at Brough in East Yorkshire for what was then Hawker Siddeley Aviation. There were 6 levels of canteen on site. The lowest of the low was the ‘Works’ where it was self service, you had to provide your own cutlery and the sauce bottles were never more than 1/4 full. The next level was ‘Weekly Staff’ which was also self service but cutlery was provided and the sauce bottles were up to 1/2 full. Next was ‘Monthly Staff’ which was waitress service and the sauce bottles were full. Then there was a ‘Silver Grill’ for executive managers which you had to be invited to join when you had reached sufficient seniority, and there was a ‘Golden Grill’ for directors. There was a separate restaurant for visitors known as the Flying Club. After about 20 years working my way up the Technical Department I was eventually invited to join the Silver Grill but turned it down on the basis that I thought all this discrimination was divisive. Maybe that’s why I never got promoted any further in the next 20 years.

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Thanks for replies. I don’t think the problem lies with people not being able to work at this scale, but more to do with the fact that they tell themselves “I could never do that” and there the matter ends! 25’=1″ is quite large for me as I prefer 32’=1″. I use reading glasses when working on them, but do not feel the need for great visor-type magnifying lenses.

I always feel that if one can see to read, then you can see to make a miniature model as punctuation marks are quite small! I am not speaking from the point of view of a lucky individual with perfect eyes. I am now almost 68 and have been under regular observation at a London eye hospital ever since my very first eye test at the age of 48!

 

I believe that steady hands are far more important because there is not a great deal you can do about it if you do suffer from that affliction. At least with sight, glasses can usually put things right..

 

I did suffer from shaky hands for years, but never let it stop me building miniatures. The problem was not a medical one, but was caused by heavily vibrating motor ships when I was at sea and that really was a pain in the neck. All the fine work is done using tweezers rather than fingers.

 

Another factor is that not many modellers really want to build small anyway.

 

Colin,

I did reply to your mention of Furness Withy (above) but it is no longer there. My internet connection must have fallen out just as I posted it – it has been very erratic of late.

 

Furness Withy was a very good company and I was with them (at sea) between 1963 and 1965 in SAGAMORE and JOYA MCCANCE. I still wear my Furness Withy tie!

 

Bob

 

[Gareth JonesParticipant @garethjones79649]

Bob,

 

I have found that tweezers are really useful for some of the smaller fiddely items. The days of my youth when I could manipulate Meccano nuts and bolts in all sorts of confined spaces are long gone. Your mention of vibrating motor ships reminds me of another reminiscence from my past.

 

Immediately before I retired from Brough, which is now part of BAE Systems I had to have a medical examination. This turned out to be just a hearing test and I guess it was intended to make sure you could not sue BAE Systems for an industrial injury if you subsequently lost your hearing. Most of my work was carried out in a relatively quiet office but occasionally I went out on aircraft engine runs for one reason or another. Anyone who has seen a Phantom running in full reheat will realise that working directly under the engine is a pretty noisy environment.

 

At the end of the hearing test the nurse in the medical centre said ” Mr Jones, I am pleased to be able to tell you that even though you are 60, you still have the hearing standard of an 18 year old. I can also tell you that nowadays a typical18 year old apprentice starting work here has the hearing standard of a 43 year old because they have already deafened themselves with IPods, computer games, discos and rock concerts”

 

Gareth

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Very good Gareth, and very true I suspect as well.

 

Colin

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