Ray Morris's Locomotives

When I was at school, before the advent of plastic model kits, you could buy cut-out card kits the size of postcards in small kit packs. These were called "Micromodels" described as "Three Dimensional Volumetric" and would be of steam railway locos, old and new, famous buildings, ships, planes, all sorts of subjects. They required good eyesight and lots of patience to construct but made beautiful little models. I made many of them but when Airfix plastic kits came out they soon disappeared from the shops. In the middle 60s I found two kits in my local Hobby Shop and bought them. One was to build a waterwheel and one to build three different trams, a London "Feltham", a Merryweather steamer and horse drawn tram. I never made these kits up but have kept them safely in my "treasure box", but now with this new technology I can scan them in and print them out in colour as many times as as I wish and attempt to make them up.

I have now completed ten model locomotive designs and have produced a CD from which they can be printed out at 1:175 or 1:150 scale. The original Micromodel locomotives were not apparantly to an exact scale, I think the 175 scale make the best looking model although the 150 scale is easier to construct.

       Models all in PDF format except where indicated.

   Lion Locomotive

                                                     Lion Locomotive Tender

Instructions for the Lion:
To Build the model of the Lion first cut out fold and glue the chassis. Then make the firebox, boiler andsmokebox. Glue these three together then glue into chassis. make the axle supports and glue these underthe boiler and footplate. Then cut out the wheels and glue the spoke discs into the rims. Roll and glue theaxles and glue between the wheels. Fit the wheels into the axle supports. add the splashers, footplate sides and details such as the steam valves etc. Then build the tender

    Evening Star

Instructions for the Evening Star:
To make up the model a chassis is constructed first, this consists of a long recangular shaped box. the shape is cut out carefully, the folds scored, bent up and glued with white PVA glue. The wheel frames are then cut and glued to the sides of the chassis. The boiler is rolled around a pencil and glued up to make a cylinder the front glued in place. The footplate and running boards are glued on top of the wheel frames to form a cradle for the boiler. The boiler can then be glued in place and the fire box and cab made up. Driving wheels can be cut out individually and glued onto the frames. Conecting rods and valve gear can be cut from strips of scrap card, matchsticks or anything you find appropiate and glued across the wheels. The cylinders can then be glued on. Details shuch as the funnel, hand rails, lamps etc. can be cut from materials of your imagination and added to make as much detail as you care. The tender is made in a similar manner, use cork chippings painted with Indian Ink for coal. You can add as much to the model as you want, if you make a mess then you can print out another kit. When finished the loco can be mounted on a base on rails made out of card sleepers and cotton rails.

    Saint Class

Instructions for building the Saint:
To make up, start with the loco chassis. It is important to get this nice and square as the rest of the model will depend upon it. I use the white PVA glue which sets fairly quickly and dries clear if you get too much on. Then fit the running board and wheels to make your base. Next make up the cab, then the firebox and boiler. On this loco the boiler taperes to the front so it is tricky to put together. Glue these onto the running board starting at the cab end making sure that the boiler front is upright. Then add the cylinders and running board sides, wheel arches etc. and go on to the tender. These models are not too easy to make as they are so small but if at first you make a mess then you can just print out another copy and have another try. If you soak some thread in gum then hang it to dry with a weight on the end then this makes a handy modelling material for all sorts of rails, hand rails, scaffolding, tower construction etc. I think that when they are mounted on a base with a little track on some white production abrasive paper they look really neat!

    Blackpool Tram

     LMS 3rd Class Coach in JPG format

          Mount for Model, JPG format

          Signal Cabin

          LMS 12 ton Open Truck

    Norfolk and Western J Class

         J Class Tender

Ray has produced two CD ROMs of locomotive designs. The designs are presented on the CD's as a web page with modeling hints and instructions for each loco. The original files are also given in .bmp format for opening in a paint type program where they can be customized if required.

This contains ten designs of team locomotives up to the last British loco 'Evening Star'...Designs are presented for scales of 1:175 and 1:150 together with .bmp format

2-10-0    Evening Star 9F Class
4-6-2      Duchess Class
4-6-2      A1 Class
4-4-0      Schools Class
4-6-0      Royal Scot Class
4-6-0      Saint Class
4-4-2       8' Stirling Single
4-2-2    Midland Johnson Single
0-6-0    01 Stirling Class
4-4-0    American General

This contains ten designs of historic steam locomotives from the 1850s and some contemporary carriages. Designs are presented at 1:100 scale together with .bmp and .pfd format files.

1825    Locomotion
1829    Rocket
1830    Planet
1837    Lafayette (American)
1838    Patentee
1838    Lion (Titfeild Thunderbolt)
1840    Firefly (broad guage)
1843    Beuth (German)
1843    Crewe Type
1846    L'Aigle (French)
Four Contemporary carriages from the 1850s

The CDs cost the euivalent of $20 (US) to Europe or £12 to UK inclusive of mail etc.
email - raymorris@trspartan.freeserve.co.uk

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This page was created by:
Saul H. Jacobs M.Ed.
Microcomputer Technology
Pima Community College
Tucson Arizona