Sometimes it is good to start the day with some good news.

At the San Francisco Maritime Park we have the 1907 steam tug HERCULES built in 1907 by John Diologue and Son of Camden, New Jersy.

When the yard closed in 1912 they must have had a big bon fire in the yard. Because we nor any other museum that I can find has any Diologue plans.

Now that has changed as an inboard profile has turned up dated December 1906 from the yard.

The drawing answers lots of questions about the boat; room sizes, pilot house demensions and even mast heights. This is when it really gets great!

Sorry for being a bit off subject, but then the second half of her career was for the Western Pacific Railroad.

ted_miles@nps.gov

> Sometimes it is good to start the day with
> some good news.

> At the San Francisco Maritime Park we have
> the 1907 steam tug HERCULES built in 1907 by
> John Diologue and Son of Camden, New Jersy.

> When the yard closed in 1912 they must have
> had a big bon fire in the yard. Because we
> nor any other museum that I can find has any
> Diologue plans.

> Now that has changed as an inboard profile
> has turned up dated December 1906 from the
> yard.

> The drawing answers lots of questions about
> the boat; room sizes, pilot house demensions
> and even mast heights. This is when it
> really gets great!

> Sorry for being a bit off subject, but then
> the second half of her career was for the
> Western Pacific Railroad.

TED............

YOU SURE MADE MY DAY...............WHAT FANTASTIC NEWS !!!!!!..................PLEASE TELL
US MORE ABOUT THIS WONDERFUL FIND !.......

JIM HOLMES & CHARLIE HOPKINS

WESTERN PACIFIC RAILWAY CO. TUG "HERCULES"
S.F. CAL.



TWINCOACH@AOL.COM

Am I missing something here Ted? If you have the tug, why not just measure her and do your own drawings?

Dave

> Am I missing something here Ted? If you have
> the tug, why not just measure her and do
> your own drawings?

> Dave

DAVE.........

WE HAVE A COMPLETE SET OF DRAWINGS....BOTH INBOARD AND OUTBOARD PROFILES ,ETC. THAT WAS DONE ABOUT 15 YEARS AGO BY US PARK SERVICE (MARITIME UNIT.) WHAT TED IS REFERRING TO ARE
RARE OLD ORIGINAL DRAWINGS FROM JOHN H. DIALOGUE & SON BUILDERS, CAMDEN, NJ.
ANYTHING FROM THIS BUILDER IS VERY, VERY RARE !!

THEY SHOW OUR TUG IN "AS BUILT " CONFIGURATION..........DECK HOUSE,... WHEEL HOUSE ,ETC........IN THE 1940'S WPRR REBUILT
THE WHEELHOUSE AND DID SOME WORK ON THE DECK HOUSE MOVING THINGS AROUNED ABIT.THIS IS A FANTASTIC FIND !!!.........GOOD WORK TED !!!!!!

TWINCOACH@AOL.COM

Thanks Charlie, no need to shout. I wasn't aware of the history or rebuild, even though I am a fan of these old steam tugs. Spent a couple hours in the engine room of the MASTER one afternoon when she was in drydock and it was wonderful. Ian, the chief engineer for the SS Master Society was bemoaning the disinterest from younger people in learning how to keep her running - we in railroad preservation aren' the only ones facing this challenge.

Dave

Guys,

Yes there are good modern drawings of the tug. They show her as she is today.

What has turned up is a drawing from the builders yard that shows for example thet the crew's mess room had a table and seven seats in it.

Today the room is stripped out to the bare walls; serious restoration was impossible until more information was available.

Yes the Pilot House was changed in railroad days.
We now have the length and height which we never had before.

The original two wood masts are long gone; now we have the diameter, taper and height of both of them. Wow! Will they change the look of the tug!

Thanks for you interest.

Ted

ted_miles@nps.gov