The african queen. the boat used as the african queen is actually the l.s. livingston which had been a working diesel boat for 40 years; the steam engine was a prop and the real diesel engine was hidden under stacked crates of gin and other cargo.. Billing boats (b588) african queen steam boat - model boat & fittings is a scale model of the ship which gave its name to the movie starring katherine hepburn and humphrey bogart. the story takes place during world war i.. This model looks old and dirty like the one in the movie. all parts are wooden and metal. all wood and metal..
