Wild West sidewheeler and sternwheeler steamboats - real world MOCs

[Murdoch17]

Notes: For the sternwheeler, I saw a similar steamboat on LEGO Ideas a number of  years ago and in 2019 I finally got around to recreating it from the pictures provided. (the project sadly never made it past several hundred votes, it my memory is correct.) I modified it heavily into the version you see far below with my own tweaks and twists in the design installed, such as I added a second funnel, revised the placement of said funnels to the front of the ship, and removed the roof off most of the second deck. Oh, and I added three whistles to the top of the pilot's cab like those in set 21317. (Steamboat Willie).

The sidewheeler model (seen directly below) was created in 2024 out of my desire to have two very different styles of steamboats in my collection, with this one being a sidewheeler, and the other a sternwheeler. (I also have a 1930s towboat and a few tows to complete the scene, but those are too modern for this thread.) The sidewheeler has no interior, just like the sternwheeler, and was also inspired by set 21317. I named this later vessel Lodi and the first one Proud Mary - both of which are Creedence Clearwater Revival rock-n-roll songs from over 50 years ago.

Lodi (sidewheeler, built 1869)

"...Just about a year ago
I set out on the road
Seekin' my fame and fortune
Lookin' for a pot of gold
Thing got bad things got worse
I guess you will know the tune
Oh! lord stuck in Lodi again..."

This notorious side-wheel steamboat, named Lodi, was named after the city of it's construction in 1869. But unlike the strict city of Lodi, with it's anti-gambling stance, Sunday no-business laws and abstinence from alcohol attitude, this boat thumbs it's nose at those rules, resembling the city in name only. It's a haven for card-sharks, shady ladies, pick pockets, and con men selling 'medicinal' snake oil cure-alls.

Why would anyone take a ride on the Lodi, you ask? Well, the only other steamboat plying Rapid River is the slightly older Proud Mary stern-wheeler, which takes about a two weeks to get from one end of the river to the other. (not including stop times at towns and villages) The Lodi then has a sweet spot when the competition is out of the way: it's the only other steam boat in town, making it very easy to attract potential customers. The ship is captained by a man by the name of James Dagny, who is known for taking serious risks without a second thought to safety of his ship, passengers, or crew. This has earned him the nickname of Jim Danger, but don't call him that to his face if you value your life! (You can see him above standing by the second deck's railing towards the stern of the ship) 

The rear of the sidewheeler.

Proud Mary (sternwheeler, built 1867)

...Left a good job in the city
Workin' for the man ev'ry night and day
And I never lost one minute of sleepin'
Worryin' 'bout the way things might have been

Big wheel keep on turnin'
Proud Mary keep on burnin'
Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river...

The captain of the Proud Mary is Thaddeus Sweeney, better known as "Old Man Sweet-tooth", for his habit of chewing saltwater taffy when the going gets tough and and giving candy out to the little children whenever he lands at small towns and native american villages such as Lone Tree, Nebraska, or Fort Legoredo, Colorado. He usually plies his stern-wheel steamboat up and down the Rapid River, with the Missouri River landing at Kansas City at one end, and the the mighty cliff face of Showdown Canyon Springs at the other end in the middle of Colorado. Thaddeus is the only one he trusts to handle his ship, as he says the Rapid River is too treacherous for many newer pilots, as the wrecks that litter the shoreline prove. However, even Captain Sweeney admits from time to time that age is catching up to him, and he has been looking for a suitable first mate for the Proud Mary for some time.

The rear of the sternwheeler.

Captain Thaddeus Sweeney, also known as Old Man Sweet-Tooth.

Thoughts?

Edited June 24 by Murdoch17