The Face of Inspiration
Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 5:22 pm
By Christopher Kyte, President
At the American Queen Steamboat Company, we have been inspired by many things: the heyday of paddlewheel steamboats on the Mississippi River, the tradition of Southern hospitality, the home-style recipes of famed chef Regina Charboneau, the music and culture of the rivers, the legends of Mark Twain and the spirit of America. We hope that our commitment to these ideals and influences inspire our guests as well.
We’re also inspired by our guests, our fans and the people in the towns along the river. Their stories move us and their friendliness and warmth lifts us higher each day. Recently, however, we were blown away by one of our younger fans by the name of Brian Pacos. He is a true lover of steamboats and has built an amazing model of the American Queen from scratch.
He started building his model of the American Queen last year, around September, although his interest in the American Queen dates back to when she still ran with the Delta Queen Steamboat Company. In September he became interested in the American Queen's return to the rivers, and he began building his model using deck plans of the actual boat. Although he finished her about a month later she looked a lot different than she does now. Just before the actual American Queen embarked on her maiden voyage on April 13th, we released many pictures of the exterior and interior of the vessel, which allowed Brian to overhaul the boat and make it as accurate as possible to reflect exactly how she looks today.
Some key points of his model are that the smokestacks raise and lower just like the actual ones, the gangways and mechanisms actually pivot about the bow of the boat, and the pilot house "birdcage" decoration can be detached and stored in the same location as the actual real-life counterpart. The paddlewheel is particularly intricate and is actually a plastic model designed by Brian and printed at his high school in a 3-D printer. The paddlewheel was modeled on a computer and based on dimensions given by the company and pictures of the American Queen herself. The smokestacks are designed in a way that they can be removed without damaging the model and worked on if needed.
What does an innovative and creative young man use to build such a meticulous model of the American Queen? Household items and ingenuity are a good start! The model is made of cardboard, her gangway mechanisms are stirring straws, and her smokestacks are drinking straws. The arches are patterns that Brian created on his laptop computer (based on pictures of the actual boat), which he then printed. Brian has many other steamboat models, built in the same fashion as this, but none of them look as good as the American Queen! Don’t you agree?
Where does a high school student gain such an appreciation for Steamboating? As Brian told me: “I guess my interest in the American Queen actually started because of her sister, the Mississippi Queen. I was young, over at my grandmother's house looking through pictures from her Minnesota trip with a friend, and I came upon a photo she had taken of the Mississippi Queen. I asked about it, and she told me all about how she grew up with steamboats (she grew up near Winona, MN right on the river). She also mentioned that there was a steamboat even bigger than the Mississippi Queen named American Queen. When I got home, I searched for the American Queen online and found the most beautiful steamboat ever built. I became fascinated with the American Queen, and I finally decided to build a model of her last year. I had seen pictures of both her exterior and interior and thought that it was the grandest, most opulent thing I had ever seen. Seeing that she was coming back to the rivers, I wanted to replicate the boat and the grandness that came with it. Having the opportunity to board the boat while it was in Pittsburgh, PA was incredible, and she was everything I imagined her to be. I am so glad I went down to see it (which was the reason for my travel to Pittsburgh, I live in Buffalo, NY), and my fascination for her continues to grow.”
My thanks go out to Brian for sharing his talents with us and his love of the grand American Queen. It is folks like Brian Pacos who fuel our fire to maintain the tradition of Steamboating and make certain this unique form of transportation never disappears from America’s rivers. Sometimes people ask where the next generation of steamboat experts are going to come from and all I have to do is mention Brian’s name. We’re happy our boat inspires you, Brian, but also want you to know that your enthusiasm inspires us as well. And with that kind of passion, you could just end up as an American Queen Steamboat team member someday!
At the American Queen Steamboat Company, we have been inspired by many things: the heyday of paddlewheel steamboats on the Mississippi River, the tradition of Southern hospitality, the home-style recipes of famed chef Regina Charboneau, the music and culture of the rivers, the legends of Mark Twain and the spirit of America. We hope that our commitment to these ideals and influences inspire our guests as well.
We’re also inspired by our guests, our fans and the people in the towns along the river. Their stories move us and their friendliness and warmth lifts us higher each day. Recently, however, we were blown away by one of our younger fans by the name of Brian Pacos. He is a true lover of steamboats and has built an amazing model of the American Queen from scratch.
He started building his model of the American Queen last year, around September, although his interest in the American Queen dates back to when she still ran with the Delta Queen Steamboat Company. In September he became interested in the American Queen's return to the rivers, and he began building his model using deck plans of the actual boat. Although he finished her about a month later she looked a lot different than she does now. Just before the actual American Queen embarked on her maiden voyage on April 13th, we released many pictures of the exterior and interior of the vessel, which allowed Brian to overhaul the boat and make it as accurate as possible to reflect exactly how she looks today.
Some key points of his model are that the smokestacks raise and lower just like the actual ones, the gangways and mechanisms actually pivot about the bow of the boat, and the pilot house "birdcage" decoration can be detached and stored in the same location as the actual real-life counterpart. The paddlewheel is particularly intricate and is actually a plastic model designed by Brian and printed at his high school in a 3-D printer. The paddlewheel was modeled on a computer and based on dimensions given by the company and pictures of the American Queen herself. The smokestacks are designed in a way that they can be removed without damaging the model and worked on if needed.
What does an innovative and creative young man use to build such a meticulous model of the American Queen? Household items and ingenuity are a good start! The model is made of cardboard, her gangway mechanisms are stirring straws, and her smokestacks are drinking straws. The arches are patterns that Brian created on his laptop computer (based on pictures of the actual boat), which he then printed. Brian has many other steamboat models, built in the same fashion as this, but none of them look as good as the American Queen! Don’t you agree?
Where does a high school student gain such an appreciation for Steamboating? As Brian told me: “I guess my interest in the American Queen actually started because of her sister, the Mississippi Queen. I was young, over at my grandmother's house looking through pictures from her Minnesota trip with a friend, and I came upon a photo she had taken of the Mississippi Queen. I asked about it, and she told me all about how she grew up with steamboats (she grew up near Winona, MN right on the river). She also mentioned that there was a steamboat even bigger than the Mississippi Queen named American Queen. When I got home, I searched for the American Queen online and found the most beautiful steamboat ever built. I became fascinated with the American Queen, and I finally decided to build a model of her last year. I had seen pictures of both her exterior and interior and thought that it was the grandest, most opulent thing I had ever seen. Seeing that she was coming back to the rivers, I wanted to replicate the boat and the grandness that came with it. Having the opportunity to board the boat while it was in Pittsburgh, PA was incredible, and she was everything I imagined her to be. I am so glad I went down to see it (which was the reason for my travel to Pittsburgh, I live in Buffalo, NY), and my fascination for her continues to grow.”
My thanks go out to Brian for sharing his talents with us and his love of the grand American Queen. It is folks like Brian Pacos who fuel our fire to maintain the tradition of Steamboating and make certain this unique form of transportation never disappears from America’s rivers. Sometimes people ask where the next generation of steamboat experts are going to come from and all I have to do is mention Brian’s name. We’re happy our boat inspires you, Brian, but also want you to know that your enthusiasm inspires us as well. And with that kind of passion, you could just end up as an American Queen Steamboat team member someday!