Topic starter
01/05/2009 11:58 am
I've just found out that the National Maritime Museum of Greenwich, London, holds the original plans of the Delta Queen and Delta King from the Denny of Dumbarton shipyard where the Delta Queen has been built in 1924. Even better, they're offering copies of the plans for sale. The downside: For the whole planset they charge about 230 British Pound ($ 340).
The plans at the museum mostly are 1:48 scale and consist of 12 part: lines, capacity plan, general constructional plan (hull), bulkheads, shell expansion, freight deck (constructional - beams & frames), stern wheel drum, pendulum recess, midship section, engine grinders & supports, displacement scale, rudders & tillers. These plans can be ordered separately and most of them are about $25 each plus shipping and handling.
I've put together a page about different Delta Queen models plans and model kits available, including my new discovery, of course. This page also contains details on how to order, in case you're interested and can afford it.
Next week I'm in London for business for a few days, so I was planning to visit the museum to have a look at the plans. Unfortunately they told me they're "already booked with visitors throughout the day" I'd be able to go there. And with British museum bureaucracy there's probably no chance to squeeze, but I'll still try to 😉
01/05/2009 2:45 pm
*DELTA QUEEN plans/Greenwich Etc*
Franz, thanks for the 'link' to the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London RE: DELTA QUEEN plans. The University of Glasgow's business division in Scotland also has extensive archives on ship/boat building on the Clyde. This all carefully collected when many of the old yards went out of business including DENNY BROS. Contained therin also is a set of plans for the DK/DQ at the time in addition to letters, Atlantic cables to/from old Jim Burns to his friend Maurice Denny of that firm and his old colleague, shipping manifests for all of the components loaded for transit to San Francisco. Apparently the price for such plans have gone up remarkably since I began sleuthing this out back in 1989/'90. After initial contact for what was available, I was kindly reminded to pay with an international check drawn on my bank converting from U.S. $$$ to British pounds of the day. University of Glasgow also has a number of photos from those years taken for their records and LLOYDS of London for insurance. The plans and photos are incredible along with the most revealing correspondence between Burns RE: the building of the boats. Again and again Burns says to DENNY, "We must be careful of the U.S. Steamboat Inspection Service here in the United States." As stated here several years ago CHARLES EVANS engine company in San Francisco also worked on the boats in addition to serving in no small part as the 'agent for legal entry' of all the components into the U.S.
Likewise, records forwarded from Greenwich have proven invaluable in researching the two boats. A visit to Greenwich took nearly a full day on my part and I could have spent additional days there. On the grounds is the little brick building in fine Georgian architecture marking the -0- point for Greenwich Mean Time. DENNY by the 1870s had the capacity to build steamships to the size and requirements of the CUNARD LINE and others.
Typing in haste as I'm waiting for the Baliff's bell to call our jury into session. This going on all this week and next week. Bankruptcy and big corporate financial cases are now fluttering in the wind like snow flakes in a blizzard. More in time.
Coal Haven Landing, Ohio River.
02/05/2009 2:43 am
Here's another source for really accurate DQ plans and many, many photos: John Weise, 5552 Dry Ridge Rd. Cincinnati. OH 45252 USA. I've been told that the DQ plans from The Greene Line ownership days of the 1960s are inaccurate. But as Dale says, "what do I know".