A driveable Whaleback Ore Carrier, the John Ericsson, 106 metres long, 14.6 metres beam, the original ship was built in 1958. The engine specification gives realistic speeds of approximately 28 kph.
It is designed to be used with the ore docks - the hatch spacing matches the dock chutes. The ship loads ore or coal from the Ore Dock Large Loader model and discharges or loads at the Hulett Ore Unloader or the Ore Conveyor gantry Loader.
The vessel has an animated crane to open or close the hatches for loading, emits funnel smoke, and dust from the ore hatches when loading. This model operates on invisible track placed 3 metres above the water level