# where do you find old blueprints



## cjsrch (May 29, 2010)

looking for mesurments on a mikado. 

somthing highly detailed.


google did not turn up much.


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## highpressure (Jan 2, 2008)

*Try here: http://www.livesteamlocomotives.com..._2-8-2.htm*


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## Michael Glavin (Jan 2, 2009)

Are you looking for scaled printed drawings or drawings files such as used for AutoCad or similar? 

Michael


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Dear cjsrch, 
More the point, WHICH Mikado are you looking for? 
Regards, 
David leech, Delta, Canada


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

Did you try google books? Stuff before 1927 is out of copyright. It's amazing what's there--bascially the contents of the ten best research libraries in the country.


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

The 1941 (and other years if you can find them, but 1941 was reprinted by Kalmbac several years ago) "Locomotive Cyclopedia" has many drawings with "some" dimensions that may meet your needs.

The 1922 version is also available on CD (along with the "1921 Car Builder's Cyclopedia" and the "1922 Maintenance of Way Cyclopedia"). These are not great digitizations of the books (uses a web browser interface to the data)... Most of the Table of Contents and Index have been turned into links, but you then have to just do "Forward" and Reverse" to page through the images of the pages. (From Rail Driver Books a division of P.I. Engineering... RailDriver.com The Cyclopedias come with a program that will print any drawing at any scale so you could print the images from the Cyclopedia to your chosen scale and measure what you want.)


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## Larry Green (Jan 2, 2008)

Many larger libraries have the Cyclopedias on the shelf, in the engineering or transportation sections, if you want to brows before buying.

Larry


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

Would museums have some of that?


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

While not blueprints you can find many drawings of various locomotive types in the old railroad/railway magazines, which you can access via Google - Books. It may be a bit of work digging out the ones you're interested in but if you can't find actual blueprints then they're better than nothing. I located the following in about 20 minutes.


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## Michael Glavin (Jan 2, 2009)

FWIW: 

You can the take jpg file above or a printed copy of same to a Kinko's or the like and have it printed to any scale you desire. All you need is a KNOWN dimension such as a driver; a little math and its all good. Of course the Kinko's or whomever must have a large format copy machine-plotter to reproduce a drawing in the desired scale. 

I have an ACAD-CAD .dwg file of a Mikado that I obtained online, if needed. 

Michael


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

Most people don't realize what Google books is. They have digitized millions of books--a year ago they had scanned more than TEN MILLION books. They have been scanning continually since at a rate of 1000 page an hour. The books are word searchable and in most cases, if the are from before 1930, they are in the public domain. There has never been anything like it in human history. I was looking for a drawing of the forney steamers used on the NYC El, and there it was in google books. 

Someday they will iron out the copyright and you will be able to pay a small fee and get copyrighted works like, say, back issues of magazines, delivered right to your computer.


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

Yes, you are correct, and then there are at least two other web sites that provide access to great areas of research documentation.

The Internet Archive[/b]

Project Gutenberg[/b]


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks Steve, yet another "unstarted" project. Drawings like that are really about all you need. Get as many of the major "muscle moves" from the drawings as possible, fill in the remaining mechanics with proven, time-tested Gauge 1 technology and detail out from photo's.

Lownote is right about Google books. They have scanned almost the entire Univeristy of Michigan library.


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

Hey Bob,

Another few of nice things in those magazines; each file/book are actually a complete volume some times two, the locomotives are usually road specific, there is usually quite a bit of additional information in the text, there're detailed break downs and drawings of different equipment used on various locomotives, and many times even though the magazines were published in the U.S. there is a surprising amount of British and European information too. Just an all around good source of information.


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## David Fletcher (Jan 2, 2008)

Baldwin locomotive erection drawings available here from DeGolyer Library, however you need to email them an order. Most drawings cost $35 per print. Older 1870s ones are huge drawings, like 5' x 3' type of thing, newer ones, 20s onward are more A3 size. Extensive range of details (cards) as well as specification sheets and orders available here too: 

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/smu/00052/smu-00052.html 

http://smu.edu/cul/degolyer/pdfs/BLW-EDWG-RoadName.pdf 

David.


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Anyone who locates the plans for a Southern PS4 please post. I have tried the Smithsonian, SR organization and have partial plans for magazine but nothing complete


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## David Fletcher (Jan 2, 2008)

I dont have the actual PS4 erecton drawing (there is a non builders PS4 drawing in the MR encyclopedia), but I do have a USRA 4-6-2 erection drawing set for the standard USRA used on the Atlantic Coast Line and similar for the Erie. 
Can scan those if you like. 
PS4 pretty much the same, but smaller drivers. 

David.


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## cjsrch (May 29, 2010)

Those actualy work quite well and coupled with the one out of an old MR mag i think i may beable to do the rest from photos. hopfully i can start this project in a couple of months. need to geta lathe and mill first since i dont want to count on family out of state to make parts.


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

These guys are easy to deal with. THey will print them off to whatever scale you want. I got some Challenger and 844 plans from them.
http://www.livesteamlocomotives.com/index.html


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