Timber Ore Docks

ModelRailroadForums.com is a free Model Railroad Discussion Forum and photo gallery. We cover all scales and sizes of model railroads. Online since 2002, it's one of the oldest and largest model railroad forums on the web. Whether you're a master model railroader or just getting started, you'll find something of interest here.


Blacksheep

Member
I've been looking around for plans or drawings of some Timber Ore Docks, only found some real basic ones. Anyone have an idea or know where I should be looking? This would be an N scale build up, I'm not against kit bashing but I doubt there are any n scale ore dock kits out there.
I have wanted to build a large piece like that on a shelf or diorama for some time now.
 


No problem. I spent a summer in 1966 on an ore boat going from Duluth to Cleveland and there were still some timber docks in Duluth. They were pretty impressive pieces of workmanship. I can't imagine how many millions of board feet of timebr wen into one of those.
 
No problem. I spent a summer in 1966 on an ore boat going from Duluth to Cleveland and there were still some timber docks in Duluth. They were pretty impressive pieces of workmanship. I can't imagine how many millions of board feet of timebr wen into one of those.

The stats on the concrete, steel and timber docks are amazing. I found that sort of info on line.
Interesting that you spent some time on a Laker, thats pretty cool.
I also had the opportunity when I was a kid in 76', to go on a round trip on the Medusa Challenger (Medusa Cement, now St Mary's Challenger). Its the oldest Laker still in operation, still runs on steam today, still generating revenue. The Hull is over 100 years old, its 550' long and was originally the "William P Snyder Jr", an Ore Hauling Laker converted to hauling dry cement back in the 50's (?).
My Uncle was a big wig for Medusa back in the day, that's how come I was able to do the 3 day trip from Charlevoix, MI to Somewhere, Wisconsin and back. We were spoiled on that trip, great food, got to operate a huge ship, see how they load and unload cement, very very cool.
I hear people will damn near kill for the opportunity to visit the Challenger these days. Hey, I think I may have to build that N Scale Laker some day too. :)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I sailed on the William G. Mather, a Cleveland Cliffs Line ship. She was the last of the CCL ships in service and was retired in 1980. Luckily, the successor to Cleveland Cliffs donated her to the City of Cleveland and she's still preserved today. I can remember passing Medusa ships but we were never in the same ports. I'm amazed a steam powered Laker is still in revenue service.
 
Amazing is right Jim! Never got a chance to see her myself, which is odd, but, I guess she never laid over in the Portage Shipping Canal in my time...
http://www.boatnerd.com/pictures/fleet/stmaryschallenger.htm

103 years now, she's a GEEZER! Imagine if railroads kept stuff that long...

Never knew Medusa Cement was a real company, go Walthers!

I had totally forgotten about their Medusa kit, I love that logo!

I found a link off of Boatnerd, or something like that, of an artist who offers line drawings and artwork of the Lakers, I'll see if I can't find it, they may offer a drawing of the ship that UP2CSX traveled on. I found he had several versions of the Challenger but not one in the Bi Centennial Dress of 1976, the year that I just by chance was lucky enough to go for our little journey. I asked the guy (John) if he had anything in the red white and blue with the special Bi Cent lettering " MEDUSA Challenger", he didnt. Somehow I have managed to hold onto an old tattered post card my who life, a long skinny thing of the Challenger in this form. I sent it to him and he altered his drawings, changed the flag and what not to add this version to the list. I sent my Uncle a framed version as a gift, 32 years late, kinda freaked the guy out a little. LOL.
That reminds me, I never ordered one for myself!
 
Pretty neat that he painted the ship in the scheme you were on. Medusa boats were always kept in tip-top shape and the 1976 scheme must have been a complete repaint. I like the Cleveland Cliffs Line ship he did whe he was 7. :)

I wonder if the same artist did the logo at the William G. Mather web site? It looks like his work.

logo4b.gif
 


The Willis B. Boyer was a late arrival to the Cleveland Cliffs line. She was part of the Shenago Furnace Company fleet when I was on the Lakes. She was built a little earlier than the Mather but the Mather shared many features in common with her, making them near sister ships. Unfortunately, although she has been preserved in Toledo, she's in very bad condition, and will probably be scrapped unless they can come up with half a million to get her in dry dock before she sinks at her moorings. :(
 
The Willis B. Boyer was a late arrival to the Cleveland Cliffs line. She was part of the Shenago Furnace Company fleet when I was on the Lakes. She was built a little earlier than the Mather but the Mather shared many features in common with her, making them near sister ships. Unfortunately, although she has been preserved in Toledo, she's in very bad condition, and will probably be scrapped unless they can come up with half a million to get her in dry dock before she sinks at her moorings. :(
Thats too bad, lets hope they get the $$$ to keep her around for a while.

I noticed the Artist also has a line drawing "Red Wing". A re named Laker in Honor of the Detroit Red Wings. Red Wings past owner, Norris, was a share holder in the company that purchased her and figured he should name her appropriately in honor of the greatest hockey team on the face of the planet. Yeah, I'm a little biased, LOL.

How's that for off topic, sorry.........
 
I don't know if that dock is still there but it was in 1966, when I was on the Lakes. I didn't realize it was built in 1912 since it was still in excellent shape then. It was a truly massive structure, able to load two of the modernized ore boats or three of the shorter boats at the same time. Pretty amazing engineerig and construction for the turn of the century.
 
I agree, Ken. It's hard to see in the two pictures, but the deckhouses used to be painted in the same kind of pea green color, only somewhat lighter, than the color of the hull. All the deckhouse horizontal surfaces and handrails were trimmed in a beige color. CC used to be very particular on how their ships looked. We had a painting schematic and the paint locker always hade the six different colors that were used on the hull and superstructure, including the bright red used for the big "C" on the funnel. I spent a lot of time scraping and painting on that danged ship during my summer. We unloaded not far from the CC offices in Cleveland and, if the ship didn't look sharp, we heard about it fast. :)
 
Thought I'd throw this link in here as well being that you guys like the Cleavland Cliffs stuff. In the link click "View More" and see how one modeler finished up this resin kit. I noticed these come in both HO and N scale. And yeah, I too like the pea green look.
http://www.bearcomarine.com/resin.htm
 






Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a commision from some of the links and ads shown on this website (Learn More Here)

Back
Top