Scale: 1: 84 A contemporary full hull builder’s model of the passenger paddle steamer ‘Columba’ (1878) mounted on original turned brass pillars within a modern display case. The model is complete with numerous deck fittings including ventilator cowlings, two funnels with shrouds, skylights, lifebelts and an open flying bridge between the two paddle boxes. It is also rigged with a single mast, which could carry a sail if needed as well as supporting a steaming light and signal flags.

The ‘Columba’ was built at Clydebank, Scotland, and measured 301 feet in length by 27 feet in the beam. She was employed in Messrs Macbrayne’s service between Glasgow and Ardrishaig as a fast passenger vessel and capable of a top speed of 19 knots. Her long sleek hull and large enclosed passenger accommodation was specially designed for the relatively sheltered waters of the River Clyde as well as the rough coastal waters in and around the islands off the east coast of Scotland. She was eventually broken up in 1935