As seen in the photograph, the Sainte Marie's A-frame seagate would lift up to allow the captain, from the pilot house, to see to match tracks of the ship to those of the apron, which allowed the transport of railcars and automobiles to and from the ship. Steering the ship into port and lining up the tracks on the apron with the tracks on the ship was a tedious task. Charles Purin has completed his latest scale model, the St. Ignace railroad dock, which compliments the model of the railway ferry Sainte Marie he finished last October.

Mr. Purin is a 69-year-old U.S. Coast Guard retiree from Pewaukee, Wisconsin, who has been a model maker for more than 55 years.

The dock model comes complete with the apron, balance beams, and counterweights. It also includes a special three-way turnout, or switch, on the apron, which connected to the tracks on ship, so railroad cars can be switched on and off the ship, just like it was done in the 1900s.

The Sainte Marie was built in 1913 for the Duluth South Shore & Atlantic Railway, which operated a railroad line between Marquette and St. Ignace, and the ferry between St. Ignace and Mackinaw City. She could carry 14 rail cars. She left St. Ignace for the scrap yard October 10, 1961.

Model maker Charles Purin of Pewaukee, Wisconsin, with his newly completed models of the railway ferry Sainte Marie, a ship that plied the Straits of Mackinac throughout the 1900s, and the approach dock in St. Ignace, that includes the apron, tracks, counterweights, and balance beams. (Photographs courtesy of Charles Purin) The dock in St. Ignace, now called Wawatam Park and featuring a boardwalk and lighthouse, was used mainly by the Sainte Marie and Chief Wawatam, her larger sister ferry, until 1984, when the Chief was retired. Much of the ramp remains.

Mr. Purin's Sainte Marie model is five feet, three inches long, one foot, four inches wide, and weighs 25 pounds. The project was featured in The St. Ignace News October 18, 2007.

The new apron addition matches the ferry in scale.

Getting the tracks from the apron to align smoothly with that of the ship was the hardest part of completing the dock, said Mr. Purin, who has built five ship models and many more railroad models.

"This one was the toughest because of the many curved sections, as compared to working with straight line models," said Mr. Purin. "As it was the first one this large that I have ever attempted, there was much trial and error and lots of second and third attempts to get it right.

"Also, because of the sheer size of the model, it was difficult to move around on my workbench, despite building a huge workbench just for this project. It never seemed to be big enough," he said.

The Sainte Marie model and the dock are displayed in Mr. Purin's basement, however, his goal would be to find a home for it in St. Ignace.

"As we anticipate moving in the not too distant future, I'd like to see it displayed in St. Ignace for all to see," said Mr. Purin. "I wish someone would buy it and donate it for public display."

Mr. Purin, a member of the Soo Line Historical Society, attended the society's annual convention in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Saturday, September 13, and Sunday, September 14, where, as part of the convention, he held an open house at his home for members to come see his latest creation.

Because of its size, Mr. Purin was unable to bring it to the convention.

The model ship and dock were submitted in the convention's model contest, primarily for railroad models; the contest results have yet to be released.

Next, he is going to focus on a steam tugboat that is half finished.

"I put that on hold when I got carried away with my Sainte Marie model," he said. The Sainte Marie and dock project "was far from my favorite project, but once I had reached the point of no return, I had to complete it after all the time I had put into it."

Along with the Soo Line Historical and Technical Society, Mr. Purin is a member of the Milwaukee Road Historical Association.