Collections

The Engineering Drawings Collection


Engineering drawing of a 'long-boiler'

This engineering drawing depicts a 'long-boiler' locomotive typical of the railways of the north-east of England in the first half of the nineteenth century. The drawing, dated 22 December 1841, is signed by Robert Stephenson himself.

The National Railway Museum in 1975 inherited a very considerable collection of working drawings for (steam) locomotives, carriages, and wagons. These originated from many different sources, but principally from British railway drawing offices. The oldest date from the mid-19th century and extend up to the early 1960s. The earliest drawings, which were also very often hand-coloured, were executed on heavy cartridge paper, but the majority consist of linen tracings (sometimes also referred to as 'cloth'). The total number of items is considerably in excess of one million.

The nature of the drawings themselves range from full-size representations of small components eg. a guard iron, to scale sectional general arrangements of complete locomotives and carriages. General arrangements are particularly useful for modelling purposes, but for reasons of economy, after about 1930 there was a decreasing tendency to prepare these as in railway terms they had little practical value and were very expensive to produce.

In order to conserve the original tracings direct dyeline copies are no longer taken from these. Instead reduced (A1, A2 or A3 size) copies can be made via an intermediate fiche. Fiche have been made of many of the principal drawings and diagrams for which handlists are available. Drawings available in this way can be summarised thus:

  1. General arrangements (locos, carriages & wagons)
  2. Pipe & Rod arrangements (locomotives)
  3. Underframe arrangements (carriages & wagons)
  4. Body arrangements (carriages & wagons)
  5. Paint schemes (locos, carriages & wagons)
  6. Weight diagrams (locos, carriages & wagons)

Coloured general arrangement drawings are also held for the pre-1903 North British Locomotive Company constituents, Dübs & Co, Neilson & Co and Sharp Stewart & Co.

In addition all surviving (ie c 99 per cent) drawings for British Railways Standard steam locomotives and Southern Railway 4-6-2 locomotives (original and rebuilt) have been copied on to fiche and handlists are available. The strictly limited number of surviving drawings for the LMS 'Duchess' (Princess/Coronation) 4-6-2 are similarly available. It is hoped to process similarly other significant collections in due course.

Drawings in the National Railway Museum Collection
Works List
Ashford * SR 2/9
Brighton * (BR) SR 2/9
Cowlairs LNER 4/7
Crewe *† LMS 3/8
Darlington * LNER 4/7
Derby * (BR) LMS 3/8
Doncaster *† LNER 4/7
Eastleigh * SR 2/9
Gateshead * LNER 4/7
Gorton * LNER 4/7
Highbridge †  
Horwich LMS 3/8
Kilmarnock LMS 3/8
Melton Constable * LNER 4
Nine Elms * SR 2/9
Plaistow * LMS 3/8
St Rollox LMS 3/8
Stoke † LMS 8
Stratford LNER 4/7
Swindon * (BR) GWR 1/6/10
Wolverton LMS 3/8
York LNER 4/7

* Drawing registers are available
† Handlists are available
(BR) Handlists available for BR Standard steam locomotives

Colour-washed drawing, c 1831, side elevation of the locomotive 'Vulcan'

 

This colour-washed drawing, c 1831, depicts the side elevation of the locomotive 'Vulcan'. It was built for service on the Liverpool & Manchester Railway by Fenton, Murray & Co and is typical of the 'Planet' type, the next stage of steam locomotive development after the famous 'Rocket'.

Copies of over 30,000 of these drawings are held on microfiche and paper prints can be provided through the copy drawings service operated by the Museum. Most of the drawings copied are major arrangement drawings and weight diagrams but recently the tracings for British Railways standard steam locomotives and Southern Railway Bulleid 4-6-2 locomotives have been added and are now available. Lists can be consulted and microfiche viewed in the Research Centre. Paper prints from the microfiche in either A1, A2 or A3 size can be ordered. The Museum can also provide photographic prints of general arrangement drawings of locomotives built by the three companies that formed the North British Locomotive Company in 1903.

The Museum holds very few civil engineering or architectural drawings. Civil engineering and architectural drawings, where they have survived, will be either found at the Public Records Office or at local county record offices. For lines and stations that are still in use any surviving drawings will still be held by Railtrack. A number of track layout plans are available through the Copy Drawings Service although the original drawings are not held at the Museum.

Published Drawings

Alternative sources for general arrangement drawings are:

The Engineer 1855 -
Engineering 1868 -
The Railway Engineer 1880-1935

These are contemporary publications which are held in the NRM Research Centre. Another secondary source is the modelling press, eg Model Railway News, Model Railway Constructor, Railway Modeller, which contain numerous scaled external elevations of locomotives and rolling stock.