Hudson River Day Line Models

                       
                          Steamboat ROBERT FULTON approaching New York City c.1950

The Hudson River Day Line was one of the most recognized steamboat lines in New York's industrialized maritime. This historic organization was established in 1856 by Van Santvoord when he purchased the steamer ALIDA -followed by sidewheelers ARMENIA and DANIEL DREW to control the dayboat monoply between Albany and New York City.

                            ROBERT FULTON c.1950  -Detail, Port View...wood model

By the end of 1863, operating as passenger-only vessels, these boats established what was known as the Hudson River Day Line. This service continued until 1948.

The models that I've built and, continue to build, celebrate this Line known during it's heydey as "The Great White Fleet". These are one-of-a-kind collectibles that are rarely seen in today's maritime venues or the Hudson Valley where they once travelled.


Plans are obsolete for these steamboats; yet, I have been able to research and produce these models with the assistance of those former personages who were once affiliated with these vessels -either as owners, authors or collectors.




   DayLiner HENDRICK HUDSON  c.1943


I have used various scales of modelbuilding in pursuit of bringing an era of maritime history to our present day  viewers/ collectors.

These quality pieces have garnished museum collections, boardrooms, homes and vacational resorts throughout the Northeast.

The Day Line era has only been one generation away from ceasing when the last American steamboat ALEXANDER

HAMILTON made her last trip up the Hudson River from New York City to Bear Mountain in 1971 -ending the era of that great line.

                      Day Line Steamboat WASHINGTON IRVING c.1913,  Wood Model

                                 Day Line Steamboat ALEXANDER HAMILTON c.1959
                                      Scale 3/32" = 1' , Wood Model -Scratchbuilt

These models, which have become sentimental to those who knew the vessels, are still produced today in greater detail and scope. They are a legacy to America's past and gives tribute to our great Industrial Age.

As a builder and artist, I've been fortunate to have had the experience to study, research and produce these models, firsthand. To know that the Hudson River was once graced with these beautiful steamboats of times past.

For more information about commissioning a fine quality Hudson River or Northeast steamboat model email: Caseships@yahoo.com or call 1-774-757-7137. You may also visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/rexstewart

Day Miracle on the Nightboat ONTEORA

                    
                         Nightboat ONTEORA at homeport -Catskill, New York c.1903 


In June of 1985 I received a letter from a retired steamboat Captain named William O. Benson. He heard about my legacy relative to building models of the famous steamboats that operated on the Hudson River. The letter contained an article and photos of a nightboat that ran for the Evening Line in Catskill, New York. Captain Benson was from Kingston, but he had an association with another former Captain who lived in Athens, New York. His name was Ira Cooper.

The letter and photos were of the vessel ONTEORA which I didn't anticipate receiving, but felt that Mr. Benson sent them in hopes that I would make this steamboat one of my projects.

Five years passed since that letter and I received a phone call from a prominent Albany attorney who referred me to another attorney who was interested inhaving a model built of ONTEORA. That individual was Stephen E. Cooper of Nassau, New York -the great grandson of Captain Ira Cooper. After carefully researching the steamboat, I went to work on the plans which took a month to draft -finally building the 1/8 scale model. When completed, we celebrated the finish with a trip to New York's South Street Seaport...my first visit.

Three years passed since that event and I received a call from the great grandson and was told by him that a child was delivered on the ONTEORA, 69 years prior, and that the adult was married and living in Catskill where the vessel once operated. Her name was Onteora Freleigh Whittaker.

Mr. Cooper told me that she was delivered early Thanksgiving morning in 1907 onboard the nightboat by his great grandfather, Ira Cooper. She was named Onteora Freleigh, the daughter of Suzette and Barney W. Freleigh of New York City.

Here in these photos, now married, Mrs. Freleigh-Whittaker poses with the steamboat model of the replica vessel where she was born. She also stands next to Stephen Cooper in the supporting photo at his law office in Nassau, NY.

The Hudson River steamboat model ONTEORA was an interesting build with an interesting history. The research was tedious and somewhat challenging since plans weren't readily available.

T.S. Marvel Company at one time had many plans on their steamboats, but over time they were either lost or discarded. I used some of the older, contemporary plans to get the right specs for the hull and superstructure and used my expertise on cabin configurations to achieve the proper balance of design.

The results were both phenominal and accurate...with
all the glory going to The Lord!

ONTEORA was termed a beautiful vessel by both passengers and rivermen. Operating on the Hudson

River as a medium size steamboat, she was the first iron hull vessel owned by the Catskill
and New York Evening Line. Built at the T.S. Marvel Shipyard in 1898, her measurements were 236 feet with a beam of 35 feet and a draft of 10 feet. For many years she ran in line with the steamboat KAATERSKILL. She was considered a fast vessel with fine accommodations for passengers and freight. The ONTEORA continued service until 1917.

Operating as an excursion boat in the Lower Hudson Valley, she caught fire at Bear Mountain and was destroyed on the river in 1936 -ending her prolific career.
          

                       
                            Hudson River Nightboat ONTEORA c.1906, Wood Model

                       ONTEORA c.1906 -Wood Steamboat Model, Port View  

For more information about commissioning a fine quality Hudson River or Northeast steamboat model email: Caseships@yahoo.com or call 1-77-757-7137. You may also visit  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rexstewart                                  

Hudson River Era -19th Century Towboats

                                 
                           Hudson River Towboat AMERICA C.1852,  Painting- James Bard


This particular style of Hudson River steamboat which, in essence, has been called the 'workhorse of the river' has been as rare as the models I've built...and continue to build.
Concentration has been more on the steamboats of past times and very little attention given to the little, and sometimes massive paddlewheelers that towed supplies and ships to ports along the river. These were the 'tugboats' of yesteryear; the vessel known as the sidewheel towboat or towsteamer.

We see these vintage-type vessels in paintings and photos, but seldom are they written about or even produced as models. To this end I started to investigate the towboat during the mid-80s and was pleasantly surprised about how they came about and what their purpose was on the Hudson River between New York City and Troy, New York. I left no stone unturned as I studied and researched these 'gems'. Later to design plans and build them as they truly appeared for the period that they operated. AMERICA was one such vessel.

                       Hudson River Towsteamer AMERICA, Wood Model -Scale 1:96

AMERICA is considered one of my most favorite builds of those produced; inpart, because of her beautiful lines and powerful form as a Hudson River 'workhorse'. I first saw the James Bard painting of her while attending art class at the Albany Institute of History and Art. What was fascinating in the painting were the fancy paddleboxes and the small vertical beam engine that sat above the boxes respectively.

I lived in an area where the former owner's home existed only a few blocks away. That owner's name was Samuel B. Schuyler, a prominent man of color who owned a fleet of towboats that operated between Albany and New York City during the mid to latter part of the 19th century. The mansion-type estate had a rotunda on the roof and, as local media exclaimed, it was built so that Mr. Schuyler could view his vessels from that vantage point.

Three principle towing lines operated in the Capital District of New York during that period.
The Austin Line, the Betts Line and the Schuyler Line. These Lines were distinguished by the color of their walking beams, re: Austin carried the green; Betts the black, and Schuyler the red.

                            Towboat Sidewheeler AMERICA c.1853 -Detail, Starboard

Here, I depict Mr. Schuyler's tow AMERICA as she appeared in 1853. At 212 feet she was one of the largest steamers to service the Albany-New York route. She was built in 1852 for the Schuyler Line and served for 38 years before being sold to the Beverick Towing Co. in 1890. She was finally acquired by the Cornell Towing Company of Rondout and operated on the Rondout -New York route until 1902 where she was broken up at Perth Amboy.

                                    Port Stern View -AMERICA c.1853, Wood Model

These photos serve to illustrate the beauty of this vessel which was utimately a splendid site on the Hudson River during the heydey of steamboating.

For more information about commissioning a fine quality Hudson River or Northeast steamboat model email: Caseships@yahoo.com or call 1-774-757-7137. You may also visit 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rexstewart 

Building The Steamboat -The Beginning

It started some thirty years ago on the shores of the Hudson River in Albany, New York. I built my first steamboat model of the MARY POWELL for a business executive's Boardroom. From there the journey began where, to date, more than one hundred models have left my studios between New York and Massachusetts.

Many collectors have inquired as to how I could be so definitive with these timeless miniatures, especially those post-modern vessels of the famous Hudson River Day Line, to name a few. It has been an interesting journey to have met authors, collectors, steamboat owners and personnel of that period where information was exchanged.

I have learned over the years that these became highly sought after and I expanded on the subject matter to research steamboats of every possible vintage from walking beam sidewheel to propellor. Many types operated on the river, re: towboats, dayboats and nightboats. All had a unique appearance about them and it was a challenge to build; however, I successfully made these custom pieces and became the forerunner in the Hudson River Valley.

Today, many of my works in are collections all over the United States and in some foreign countries. I'm overwhelmed with how the work is received by those who respect the Hudson River. It's encouraging to know that models can be made of these vessels that once ran between New York City and Albany, New York -including the City of Troy.

The photo that is shown is a model I built of the TROY as she appeared in 1840. One of many early types that ran on the river. Below is a model of a nightboat, the ST. JOHN of 1865 which show a different appearance of a steamboat which has more cabin area for those travelling the river at night for sleeping.

For more information about commissioning a fine quality Hudson River or Northeast steamboat model email: Caseships@yahoo.com or call 1-774-757-7137. You may also visit https:/www.linkedin.com/in/rexstewart

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