Straits History Inspires Purin To Build Sainte Marie Model
By Ryan Schlehuber

Charles Purin, a model maker for more than 50 years, stands with his model of the railroad ferry Sainte Marie. As a model maker, there is never such a thing as being completely done, he said. His next task is building a balance bridge and apron for the vessel, designing it just as it was in St. Ignace in the early 1900s. (Photographs from Charles Purin)

Charles Purin's scaled model of the railway ferry Sainte Marie is so detailed and realistic, hearing the blast of the horn and seeing a plume of black smoke spew from its stacks would be no surprise.

The 68-year-old U. S. Coast Guard retiree from Pewaukee, Wisconsin, has been a model maker for more than 55 years. Mr. Purin's latest model is his best and biggest yet, measuring five feet, three inches long, one foot, four inches wide, and weighing 25 pounds.

"There is even more to it, as I also plan to build the apron and gallows frame, the balanced bridge between ship and shore, and the approach trestle from St. Ignace," Mr. Purin said.

The ferry that Mr. Purin's model depicts was built in 1913 for the Duluth South Shore & Atlantic Railway, which connected a railroad line from Marquette to St. Ignace and, by ferry, from St. Ignace to Mackinaw City, across the Straits of Mackinac. She could carry 14 rail cars.

Mr. Purin's Sainte Marie model weighs 25 pounds and is five feet, three inches long, and one foot, four inches wide. It is the biggest model he has created.

To make his model, Mr. Purin used dimensional drawings he found on microfiche from the Center for Archival Collections at Bowling Green University in Ohio. He began constructing the model in April 2005.

"The two most difficult things about this hobby are getting information about the prototype when it is no longer around to actually photograph and measure; and, as a model is never really 100% complete, deciding when enough is enough," he said.

His excitement grew, he said, as completion drew closer.

"The farther one gets, the better the model looks, and there's a natural desire to hurry the finish," he said.

The Sainte Marie model is made of plywood, brick molding, PVC pipe, and sheet styrene, Mr. Purin's favorite model material. Windows on the vessel are thin, clear plastic from Mr. Purin's "junk box."

Mr. Purin's eye for detail can be seen throughout the model, including the pilot house, which includes workers and a wooden steering wheel. "A scratch builder's goal is to build the most realistic-looking model he can as cheaply as possible, using whatever's available," he said.

Some of the detailed parts were purchased, such as the ship's wheel and engine room vents, however, other details were made from scratch, such as the handmade pine lifeboats. Other details, such as the ship's stirrups, were modified by Mr. Purin.

"A scratch builder's goal is to build the most realistic-looking model he can as cheaply as possible, using whatever's available," said Mr. Purin, who owns a box of such materials for his hobby.

Mr. Purin, who has won awards for some of his models and writes model construction articles for historical and hobby magazines, has built many models on consignment, has traded with model-making friends, has had a few stolen, and has sold some.

"I've always regretted selling any of them," he admitted. "A few have been designated for museums, but now I plan to keep and enjoy them myself." This includes the Sainte Marie.

His interest in the Sainte Marie and Straits maritime history goes back to his childhood experiences on the water, when his family, on vacation in Canada, would cross the Straits on one of the state car ferries. In the Coast Guard, he was assigned for awhile to the Sault Ste. Marie Aids to Navigation office, with a team in St. Ignace.

"It afforded me firsthand information and insight to the beautiful Straits area and its history," he said.

Mr. Purin is a also a veteran of the Navy and the Merchant Marines. He retired seven years ago as chief warrant officer in command of the buoy tender White Heath in Boston. He last sailed as second mate on the ocean surveillance ship USNS Effective in Yokohama, Japan, in 2000, and, during his career on the sea, served on seven Navy ships, nine Coast Guard ships, and seven Merchant Marine ships.

"The main thing that fascinates me about the Chief Wawatam and the Sainte Marie was their longevity," Mr. Purin said. "I think had they not been made obsolete by the Mackinac Bridge and trucking, they might still be running today! They were well designed and well built."

Mr. Purin is a member of the Soo Line Historical and Technical Society and the Milwaukee Road Historical Association. He also enjoys making models with his grandson, Max, who shares his enthusiasm and interest in the hobby.