Rail Road Structure Blue Prints or Drawings

[tetters]

Hey guys.

I'm looking for a resource where I can find and download building plans for RR facilities for when I start to scratch build structures. Preferably for free too. (I'd also like to do mock-ups in the meantime to give me a feel for how things will look.)

Another option would be where can I go and access this info if it is not available on-line. Public Library maybe? Municipal or City Offices that would keep these building records and have them available to the public? If I e-mailed Canadian Pacific for example and asked them for floor plans would they have a record of older buildings that don't exist? I doubt that they would even let me have this info, I'm just thinking out loud here.

Looking at photo's I suppose I could guestimate the measurements, however I'd like to take that (the guesswork) out of it.

Thanks as usual.

 

[MasonJar]

National Library/NAtional Archives in Ottawa has a bunch of this stuff. It is "relatively" free, in that I think you pay for reproduction costs, but nothing else.

For buildings in general, there is a huge US on-line repository. I think it is maintained by one of the universities... but I cannot recall right now. It's something like the historical register of buildings... It obviously would not include Canadian prototypes like CPR, but for other (generic) buildings, it is very good.

Hopefully someone who knows the link I am talking about will provide it soon...!

Andrew

 

[doctorwayne]

National Library/NAtional Archives in Ottawa has a bunch of this stuff. It is "relatively" free, in that I think you pay for reproduction costs, but nothing else.

For buildings in general, there is a huge US on-line repository. I think it is maintained by one of the universities... but I cannot recall right now. It's something like the historical register of buildings... It obviously would not include Canadian prototypes like CPR, but for other (generic) buildings, it is very good.

Hopefully someone who knows the link I am talking about will provide it soon...!

Andrew

I think that the Library of Congress has a big collection of this type of stuff, although, as Andrew notes, for US prototypes. Over the years, many of the popular model railroading magazines published plans for various railroads' lineside structures. Check Model Railroader's Index of Magazines , especially for Mainline Modeler, Railroad Model Craftsman, and Model Railroader - I recall seeing plans for some CPR structures in at least one of them.

Wayne

 

[tetters]

I was looking at the index of magazines and can't figure out if I'm supposed to order the back issues to get the info I want or is there a way to access the article on-line?

 

[doctorwayne]

Once you find the info for which you're searching, you'll have to order the appropriate back issues from each particular magazine publisher. Of course, if you know the particular issue that you need, you could post a request on the Gauge for anybody having that issue - I have an indexed collection of RMC dating back to the mid-'70s, and various issues of Main Modeler. :-D

Wayne

 

[bigsteel]

the HABS/HAER archives have HUNDREDS of railroad related structures,most of which are american prototypes but some are of CP/CN prototypes.but even at that ,the thousands of industrial drawings thay have could help anyone out.--josh

 

[MasonJar]

Of course, if you know the particular issue that you need, you could post a request on the Gauge for anybody having that issue - I have an indexed collection of RMC dating back to the mid-'70s, and various issues of Main Modeler.

Wayne

Coincidentally, I have a collection of MR from 1970 - 2004 or thereabouts...! Plus some miscellaneous older editions.


Here's the link to the HABS/HAER archive -> http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/habs_haer/. Thanks for the reminder of the name...! :thumb:

Andrew

 

[Russ Bellinis]

One source that hasn't been mentioned is the historical society for your favorite prototype.