A list of scanned Stratford Works Drawings

Introduction

Members will know that prints from microfilmed Stratford Works drawings have been available from the NRM for many years covering locomotives, rolling stock and road vehicles and other subjects. The BR/OPC Joint Venture was initially responsible for microfilming nearly 500 GER subjects in the mid 1970’s together with many thousands of other drawings from a variety of other companies.

After its opening in 1975 the microfiche and marketing of prints passed to the NRM and between 1996 and 2006 I was responsible for adding to the range through my work at York which I described in some detail in Journal No 168, cover date October 2016, under the heading of Stratford Works Drawings A Personal Story. There I located, sorted and listed all the 16,000 plus deposited Stratford Works drawings and initiated further microfilming of some 470 drawings which were listed and described in a series of Society Information Sheets, now replaced by this note and accompanying schedules.

Listing was completed in 2011 and many more drawings worth microfilming for their modelling and historic interest had been identified. However, one of the many consequences of the well-publicised economies imposed on the NRM at that time was that funding for further microfilming ceased so an alternative source of financing was needed. This was finally resolved by the Society’s offer to pay for the scanning of the remaining 279 drawings while on the NRM’s part it would scan all the existing microfilmed material and make it available for the Society’s use in the Journal, GE News and any other publications. To augment that generous offer the NRM has provided those scans without charge to the Society in recognition of my work there since 1996. Additionally 65 of the Society’s drawings from the Dupen Collection were also scanned together with 26 from my own collection bringing the total to 1330 drawings.

Subjects

The choice of drawings for microfilming and scanning was largely mine with John Gardner’s help with locomotives. The principal object was to supplement the work by the BR/OPC Joint Venture to cover all the general arrangement drawings of locomotives, carriages, wagons and road stock. These provide constructional details and include virtually every type built for the GER from the late 1870’s to after Grouping and with some earlier drawings as well.

Other subjects selected were major locomotive assemblies, standard constructional details for GER carriage and wagon stock and private owner wagons, engine and saloon carriage diagrams, plans of Stratford Works, line side equipment together with proposals of historic interest but never built, such as steam rail cars.

The Scanned Drawings

The schedules are divided into five subject groups, locomotives, and carriages, including miscellaneous passenger train stock, wagons, road vehicles and miscellaneous subjects.

 

Download the Schedules here: spreadsheet COMBINED DOCS AK TO AO (261 KB)

An Explanation of the Schedule Headings

Dg No - The original drawing office number

Title of Drawing - As shown on the drawing

Description - A brief summary of content, scale and origin of scan. Other relevant drawing numbers are often quoted but they may not be available as scans or even still exist as originals

Date - As shown on the drawing

Order No - GER Stratford Order number

Class/Diagram - LNER class/ GER rolling stock diagram number

OPC No - OPC order reference, from original 1970s microfilming, where applicable

Ref No - The NRM order number prefixed SX. The affix initials show the ownership of the original, NRM for National Railway Museum, GERS for the Great Eastern Railway Society and JW for John Watling.

Making these drawings available to the Society represents a successful conclusion of a very long process indeed. This is a unique opportunity and members are urged to consider how they could make use of this unique resource as a basis for Journal articles to the benefit of the Society. Their availability is as a result of an investment by the Society and recognition by the NRM of my input over many years.

These schedules are NOT on the NRM’s web site but to order copies it is necessary to visit their web site to access a Microfilm Drawing Order Form. To order copies both the OPC number, where applicable, and the Reference Number MUST be quoted. Do NOT use the Dg No in the first column. It is recommended to discuss requirements with the Search Engine.

Purchase of drawing scans

It is emphasised that only the NRM can supply copies or scans of their drawings. They are not available from the Society and neither is the Essex Record Office permitted to make copies from the set of A3 size prints deposited for reference purposes only as D/Z 346/11301 to 14 at Chelmsford.

Those drawings which the GERS and John Watling own and have been scanned can be supplied on request to the Webmaster for a fee of £5, or 50p for a thumbnail so that you can check before you buy. Thanks to Adrian Marks, who has collated data from John Watling's lists, a list of those available from us can be downloaded here:

  pdf Scanned Stratford works drawings available from the GERS (68 KB)  

Acknowledgements

The Society’s thanks are extended to the staff at the NRM who encouraged John Watling over many years and particularly Tim Procter, former Curator of Archive & Library Collections, for latterly guiding this project to a successful conclusion. The Society is also indebted to David Challis and Cedric Knight who formatted and cleaned up every image to ensure the best possible results from the originals many of which are fragile and dirty.

John Watling 1 November 2018