Viceroy of India

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Passenger Cargo Vessel. Brian’s comments:

She was a liner of some 19,000 tons, built for P & 0 in 1929. Her main route was to India via Tilbury – (that’s when the map of the world was mainly coloured pink). Later she was requisitioned for troop carrying in WW11 and was sunk in 1942 in the Mediterranean.

The plans for the hull were tracked down to Glasgow University, who kindly supplied me with a half size copy of the builder’s plans, (which were some 12ft long). I then got them reduced again to a scale of 1:90 approximately.

The model is built as a plank on frame – but I cheat. The bow and stern are blocked. I find this much simpler than trying to bend the planking around very tight curves, (especially around the stern). Once again, fibreglass on the outside and resin on the inside.

All I had to go on for the superstructure was a photocopy from a 1929 trade journal, showing the side elevation and deck layouts. The rest of the deck details were from photos in a book I bought – “SS Viceroy of India”. The finished colours are buff on the superstructure, black funnels and black hull. (I know that’s not the modern colours for P & O).

The model is twin screw, (as is the original), with twin motors and twin controls.

Finally, her other claim to fame is that she was the first steam turbine driving electric generators which powered the electric motors for the screws.

Guide price: £350; Contact: scalecaptain@srcmbc.org.uk .

The photos below are from 2005 to 2009.

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