Chessie System Tug

The Chessie was a compact 95-foot powerhouse built in 1984 for the Chessie Systems marine operations. Twin diesels driving twin propellers and a Kort maneuvering nozzle produced a total of 4000 HP. While only 95' long, the tug weighed in at a hefty 280 tons. It and its sister, the Seaboard, operated around Philadelphia; they were purchased by McAllister Towing & Transportation and operate today out of New York and Norfolk in the company's red. black and white colors.



The model captures the handsome and hefty lines of the prototype. It features custom photo-etched brass railings with closely-spaced stanchions, fold-down mast and antennae, custom 3D printed towing bitts and water cannons, and bulwark ribbing. Doors are positionable. The hull is built up from precision-cut styrene. Z Scale model shown.



See them at nscaleships.com. Kits are $79 plus shipping.

More magic from my Z-Scale European friends: Dirk Kuhlmann from Germany is the photographer, and Sven Rohmann from Switzerland is the leader of the project. This captures exactly the lighting of the photo I worked from to build the ship--the ship is a darker blue, but looks lighter due to the sun angle, distance, and the misty bay atmosphere.



A second shot of the tug underway, with a little bow wave.



Images courtesy of Dirk Kuhlmann and AZL Forum, where they first appeared.