A Teaser: 500' N-scale Container Ship Nearly Ready (perhaps Z-Scale too)

[pnolan48]

Old Decatur. And I really love it here.

[pnolan48]

Did some research on container ship construction tonight. It seems the hatchless "floating dock" ships became prevalent in the mid 80s, on the much larger (Gen 2+) ships that could meet the requirements for residual buoyancy, seakeeping, and strength. There were earlier examples, but they too were much bigger than my max 500-550 foot model. The beams were usually 90 feet, which I think is getting a little large for a model in 1:160 or 1:220. Bulkheads were in the 4-8 foot width, with the 8 footers holding vertical fuel or water tanks.

I think it would take a pretty huge layout to hold even an early Gen 2 container ship! And the Panamax's? Be glad to build one on commission for someone who has that kind of space! So this is a Gen 1 converted ship (especially with the bow), or a new general purpose ship that can handle containers or other kinds of cargo (they do still exist).

[TiVoPrince]

Choosing 
to model POLA/LB is a commitment akin to selecting SP Colton Yard, ATSF Argentine Yard, UP Ogden Yard or simply all of Chicago.  It looks like a great idea but when you put pencil to paper it does not work too well even if I'm dedicating space for a Gen2 ship as a featured scene. 

I'm thinking that my dream of Gen2 ships and translift cranes need to fall onto the backdrop allowing some room to actually model trains.   Search for insanely large file that can be stitched into a six plus foot backdrop image begins tonight.

Your tanker conversion does fairly represent some of the ships that ply the west coasts smaller ports from POLA/LB.  A little poking around marinetraffic.com shows a few of them lurking around Long Beach, so now I must revisit just how to use a converted tanker (or just a tanker) on layout.  Hmmmm, perhaps Westways could use a tanker if I create a bumpout.  Drawing board, here I come...

[pnolan48]

I will have a more modern bow representing a newer container ship. Actually, it will be a lot easier to master, mold and cast than the tanker bow. Less complicated for sure, and shorter, requiring a lot less molding and casting materials. It's still the mold cost, btw, that really determines what I can build.

Not everyone is building UCCs and Panamaxes--there are plenty of new 350'-550' general purpose/container ships built in just the last ten years. And these smaller ships do come into POLA/LB--there's a wharf or three or more near the LB Convention Center just for them. Sorry I didn't have time to take pictures last time I was there back in--yowsa--2007.

Perhaps a backdrop of a Gen 2 or 3 or 4 ships with a model of the modern feeder ships in the foreground? A 500' ship, even with an older tanker/cargo bow rather than the more modern (and simple) bow, is still very prevalent in POLA/PB, PONY/NJ and Ft. Lauderdale, the only ports I'm familiar with.

The new container ships are bigger than Nimitz-class aircraft carriers!

[TiVoPrince]

True  
that the inner harbour, PierB, PierD, and PierF still seem to serve cargo much like they did in bygone eras.  The Port of Los Angeles (San Pedro Channel)  and much of Terminal Island are 21st century technology designed and built for the bigest ships on the planet, while other areas seem absolutely quaint by comparison.  Much like the St Petersbug and Miami ports handle transatlantic traffic and small transload cargo to carribean ports there is a sharp contrast in ship clases serving those distant ports.

My main layout focus is the rapid movement of containers from ocean to train traveling across america.  Long trains packed with containers hoisted off big ships and moving through fast.  While other port traffic is planned for it will be much like way freight operations, those relaxed mixed freights will be far fewer but in the end, good for my sanity.

My dilemma is to visually communicate the locale and how modern container ships and translift cranes absolutely dwarf everything around them, including trains...   

[pnolan48]

I understand the dilemma, and applaud the audacity of the scene! I doubt I could sell many UCCs in N scale, but I'd be happy to build one on commission. A 600-foot ship with a 90-foot beam is pretty huge on most home layouts, and may prove to be the largest I can produce in any quantity. I recognize that most of the intermodal traffic relies on these huge ships, and state-of-the-art transfer facilities, but in N or Z scale, I don't see a market beyond commissions. Maybe in 1:400 scale?