I"scratch built" a model of the Anchor Steamboat Line "Bluff City" not too long ago from photographs and drawings. I powered it with an electric screwdriver motor to turn the paddlewheel. It took me a year in the building but it ran fine for an RC boat of that vintage. It sure made me have a great deal of respect for steamboat pilots. It ain't easy to manuever like it looks. I sent my construction photos to Steamboat Masters in Kentucky, and Jack Custer said it was a good representive of the packet boats of that time. Here are some pictures of it.
Roy Fredrichsen