This model is typical of steam driven , single propeller tugboats of the 1920s-30s.
The model is part of the A.A. Stewart collection of ship, mechanical, and railway models acquired over nearly thirty 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 were bought 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 premier 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 ". Later the same year ,he said " 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 more 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 from the display. Penfold expanded the area available for displaying the models as they were seen as instructive for students in the adjacent Technical College, as well as 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 July1938, 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 3000 pounds. By 1943, the Museum was still acquiring material for 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 2400 pounds ".This sum was approved, and between 1943 and 1945, around 80 more models were purchased. Apart from the monetary vlimitations, the acquisition was spread over a period 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 were 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 out models which would fill historical and technological gaps, and, as a result, the collection is one of the most significant still extant in Australia.
This working model was purchased by the Museum in 1942.

Rob Mayrick December 2010

References
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., "The Model Engineer in Australia and New Zealand ", Melbourne, January 1939.
Davison, G., Webber, K., " Yesterday's Tomorrorows ; the Powerhouse Museum and its' Precursors 180-2005 ", Powerhouse Publishing, 2005.
Lavery, B., Stephens, S., "Ship's Models ; their purpose and development from 1650 to the present ", Zwemmer, London, 1995.

Model maker unknown

Historically, tugboats were the first seagoing vessels to receive steam propulsion. The earliest steam driven tugs were fitted with paddle wheels but these were soon replaced by propellers. Steam power dominated tugboat design until diesel and diesel-electric drives were developed. The conventional propeller drive is now often replaced in tugboats by a Schottel or Voith-Schneider propulsion system, allowing thrust to be generated in any direction quickly and in a continuously variable manner.

This model is typical of steam driven tugboats of the 1920-30s.

Ship model, working scale model of tug boat with a heavy compound marine screw engine, the cylinders being 3.2 cm. and 1.9cm., with 1.9cm. stroke. The boiler is of semi water-tube type with twin drums. A direct-driven steam feed pump feeds the boiler. The model is fitted with rudder and single three-bladed propeller. Details include bollards, ventilators, rigging, railings, red funnel with black band , two covered lifeboats .The hull is cut from a solid huon pine block ,and finished in brown below the waterline and black above. The engine and boiler were made by model kit makers Stuart Turner Ltd, Henley-on-Thames, England .

B762

670 mm

240 mm