Stephensons Rocket

Can anyone out there tell me if there has ever been a design published anywhere for Rocket? I would like to build a 7 1/4" gauge version but the question of the boiler and published designs rears it's ugly head.

Ditto, would love to build Rocket, in either 5" or 7 1/4"

CB

Hmmm - A fellow in Toronto called Mike Fields created the Stourbrige Lion (sister to Aegnoria in York) in 7-1/4.

Have put pictures up on my Photos page.

I think there was a half-built one on "discoverlivesteam.com" fairly recently.

It's not a Rocket, but it is an English locomotive, small, light, and interesting, IMHO.

Another JohnS.

Not a "design" per se but there is a book, if you can find a copy, called "The Engineering and History of Rocket: a survey report" which is truly excellent and contains detailed drawings constructed from measurements made on the machine in the Science Museum. Plus a lot of background information. I feel sure you could construct a decent model of any of a number of the phases that Rocket went through during its development.

Even my 8 year old great nephew, during a brief sortie away from his iPod, pronounced it "so kewl" ..... high praise indeed!

Edit: I got mine from Camden, I think, but they don't seem to list it now so it may be out of print. Amazon UK list some "used, like new" copies starting at £12.45 with V2.80 shipping .... a real bargoon IMO

Edited By Sid Herbage on 31/12/2012 15:38:37

This man, who is in Sydney, Australia and very active on this website, built a 7.25 'Rocket' - click on 'Various English Engines' at top right of his website. He might be able to give you some ideas/leads, as you can see he can be contacted through his webpages.. He has also posted a video on 'you tube'.

Keep us posted of progress, what you find. etc., please.

Regards,

Phil

Thankyou all for the replies. Sid, i am aware of that book.I had it on my list to Santa but with no luck! Looks like i'll have to treat myself. I have heard glowing reports so constructing the model should be possible from the information contain in that one book alone.

Phil, I too have seen this man,s work and his posts on the other forum. If you are a visitor of that website i'm sure you will have read the long drawn out discussions on boiler designs and the australian boiler codes versus our published design hangups. Not something i would wish to start here.

As he is a boiler inspector for his club i may contact him direct to see if he drafted his own drawings for rocket.These if available may satisfy my club boiler inspector of the design's soundness.

I have fully modelled the 1927 Rocket Replica that is in the York Museum in SolidWorks. At some point I will build a 1/4 model but in the interim, I am happy to support serious modellers with information.

Regards

Rod

Welcome to the Forum Rod,

I'm afraid the message you have replied to is 2 years old, but I sure it would be of general interest is you could put a screen grab of your model into an album.

Neil

Two years is nothing.

The rocket is 186 years old.

God what would Ower George have given to have a copy of Solidworks ?

Not much help I'm afraid, I remember playing on Rocket and Locomotion No.1 on Darlington station back in the 40's. All the small bits had gone by then of course. I know a replica was built by apprentices after that, so is the 1927 one an earlier replica? My memory is going west so I could be totally wrong about everything.

I don't think 'Rocket' was ever displayed in Darlington station. I seem to think the other loco with 'Locomotion' was 'Derwent'. The original 'Rocket', much modified and incomplete, went to the Science Museum quite early on. A replica of 'Rocket' in more or less original condition was built for the 1930 Liverpool & Manchester centenary. At least 2 more were built around this time - one as a sectioned exhibit and another went to the Henry Ford Museum IIRC. A new, working replica was built in 1979 for Rocket 150 the following year. This one has recently been rebuilt at the NRM in York. Sorry can't help with drawings. Ray.

Ray- you may well be right, told you the old memory is not good. We were always told is was Rocket, I seem to remember a name plate also, but....

Gordon,

Ray is correct, both Locomotion and Derwent were displayed at Darlington Bank Top station, but not Rocket. They are both still in Darlington, at the Darlington Railway Centre and Museum.