This model is a part of the A. A. Stewart collection of ship, mechanical, and railway models acquired by the Powerhouse Museum over nearly 30 years from 1938 to 1963. Albyn A. Stewart was a trained engineer fascinated by engineering models and he constructed some of those in the collection. Others however were brought from amateur and commercial modellers at great expense to Stewart who travelled regularly to England to seek out models. In January 1938, Percival Marshall, the editor of 'The Model Engineer' England's premiere modelling magazine devoted editorial space to the collection where he stated that "Mr. Stewart has been fortunate in acquiring some excellent examples of both screw and paddle marine engines of considerable value as records of real prototype practice."

In April of the same years he expanded his comments on the collection by saying, "As a trained engineer himself, his judgement of the technical merits of a model is very sound, and I should imagine that his collection is now the finest of its kind in Australia, in private hands. Many of the models are undoubtedly worthy of careful preservation, and I hope that they will eventually find a suitable resting place in one or other of the Australian national museums."

Stewart was first contacted by the Technological Museum, as the Powerhouse Museum was then known, in 1933. The then Director/Curator A. R. Penfold immediately recognised the importance of the engineering models and in 1935 began to loan items for display. Penfold expanded the area available for displaying the models as they were seen as instructive for students at the adjacent Technical College as they were for the general public.

In early 1938 Stewart's company 'Lymdale Ltd.' which owned most of the models was approached about the purchase of a large part of the collection. Stewart was appointed to the Advisory Board of the Museum and in July 1938 it began to purchase the models it had loaned as well as the best examples in the rest of the collection. The cost of this was estimated at over 3000.00 pounds. By 1943 the museum was still acquiring material from the collection and the Advisory Committee made a special appropriation request to the Minister of Education. "In view of the advantage of retaining a collection intact, and the national asset which the museum possesses, the committee recommends the purchase of the remainder of the Stewart collection offered at approximately 2,400. This sum was approved and between 1943 and 1945 around 80 more models were purchased. Apart from the monetary limitations the acquisition was spread over a number of years because some of Stewart's models needed to be finished before they could be sold.

The high costs reflected the quality of the models. Many of the working steam engines are one-off examples hand crafted by amateur modellers over the course of years. The same is true of some of the ship and locomotive models many of which are made to exact scale and include working parts. The models were carefully collected by Stewart who collected as much for posterity as he did for personal interest. Once contacted by the museum he deliberately sought models which would fill historical and technological gaps and as a result the collection is one of the most significant in still extant in Australia. A. A. Stewart died in 1961.

This working model was purchased by the museum in 1942. It has been built with diagonal planking, fitted with wood lagged vertical tubular boiler with pressure gauge and valves, wood lagged single cylinder condensing engine with lever control and three bladed propeller.

Geoff Barker, March, 2007


Marshall, Percival, 'The Model Engineer ', London, April 29, 1937
Marshall, Percival, 'The Model Engineer ', London, May, 27, 1937
Marshall, Percival, 'The Model Engineer', London, January, 27, 1938
Marshall, Percival, 'The Model Engineer ', London, April, 14, 1938
Chalmers, A. Mar, 'The Model Engineer in Australia and New Zealand, Melbourne, January, 1939
Davison, G., Webber, K., 'Yesterday's Tomorrows; the Powerhouse Museum and its precursors 1880-2005', Powerhouse Publishing, 2005
Lavery, B. and Stephens, S., 'Ship Models; their purpose and development from 1650 to the present', Zwemmer, London, 1995

See citation in The Model Engineer and Practical Electrician. " C.H.T. Alston, Sidmouth, Devon. The model steam launch shown here is a representative model of a yacht's steam-cutter as carried by seagoing yachts in the pre-petrol engine era. It is to a scale of approximately 1/6th full size, and measures 3 ft. 6 ins. by 12 ins. beam and 5 3/4 ins. depth; and is of double skin construction. The power plant is a multi-tubular coal-fired copper boiler and an engine of 3/4-in. bore and stroke, fitted with link reversing gear, Edwards' type air pump and feed-pump worked by levers and links from the crosshead. The condenser is outboard, along the keel. The total weight of model is 24 1/2 lbs. The builder is open to quote for models built to this or similar specifications, and invites inquiries from visitors who are interested in good-looking well-built craft of this type."
Model maker unknown

This steam launch is representative of a yacht's steam cutter as carried by sea going yachts in the pre-petrol engine era. The model is part of the A. A. Stewart collection.

Model steam ship [launch], metal / wood, A A Stewart collection, maker unknown, (United Kingdom), 1900-1941

Working ship model of a river steam launch, built with diagonal planking, fitted with wood lagged vertical tubular boiler with pressure gauge and valves, wood lagged single cylinder condensing engine with lever control, coupled to a single shaft and three bladed propeller. Fittings include bollards, cleats, four fenders, tiller steering, bottom board, spade, poker and rake. Model is varnished and mounted on two supports.

Made: 1900 - 1941

B641

1900 - 1941

400 mm

340 mm

1200 mm