Drawings of the USS Monitor’s Steam Engine

I started to write a book many years ago on the Monitors Engine operation and construction. This work is still ongoing to this day and hopefully will be published in the very near future. My research of over 20 years involved compiling many bits of historical and written information and deciphering the remaining drawings of the engine which were published not full-size, but in small almost undecipherable text book form. There were no general dimensioned drawings that existed or were generally available at that time. Careful compiling and comparing the data along with hours of using pocket comparators resulted in drawings which I used to build my model. My original research took many years to determine accurately the sizes of the various components used in the engine. Also my original drawings of 20 years ago were at full size and then reduced to produce a miniature replica of the engine. In continuing my work in writing a book on the engines’ operation, it was realized that I needed to reproduce these images and dimensions in a current and comprehensive drawing format. It took three years but I finished drawing all the parts and components used in this magnificent piece of engineering and can now return to completing the book on the engines operation which is yet to be published.

Some of the original Ericsson drawings are now being made available and may be found on the New Jersey Digital Highway website which deals with artifacts located within the state of New Jersey. These approximately 19 prints are displayed for public information. I wish these web views were available 20 years ago as it would have saved me a substantial amount of time. Fair warning however, they are hard to read, they lack dimensions, and some inaccuracy exists.

I produced a book with 309 pages in 11 x 17 format. Only four hard copies were made and two of these were donated to the Mariners Museum in Newport News Virginia.

The Museum is currently the residence of the engine of the Monitor which was recovered from Cape Natters the Atlantic Ocean in 2001.

StationarySteam.com

Model Steam Engines

It is currently under restoration, and these efforts should be enhanced with the detailed information in these donated books. The books were presented to the Museum during a public lecture I gave on the design and construction of the Monitor’s Steam Engine. Two samples of these drawings are displayed here and here.

These engine drawings are important to Historians, Civil War buffs, Preservationists Model Builders and our National Heritage. The drawings may be viewed by visiting the library of the Mariners Museum or they may be downloaded through the generous offer of The Village Press publishers and their website for the Home Shop Machinist magazine. In keeping with my desires, these drawings are free to all for personal use only and are not to be resold or reconfigured without express permission from the author. Your downloading of these Copyrighted Drawings is automatically considered your agreement to these terms.

Presenting Howard H. Hoege III, President of the Mariners Museum in Newport News, Virginia with my drawings of the USS Monitor's Engine. October 2019.

Now You Can Download Drawings of the USS Monitor’s Steam Engine

These detailed Drawings of the Monitor's Engine are now available to download for personal use only from The Home Shop Machinist website.

The drawings consist of 18 Sections plus an Introduction about the drawings themselves. Enjoy the elegant design details of the Monitor's Steam Engine that has been painstakingly researched and documented by Rich over nearly 25 years. These drawings are a beautiful keepsake that you'll treasure for years to come.

By arrangement with The Home Shop Machinist website and Village Press, Drawings of the Monitor's Engine are available for Download in 22 groups of compressed files. Click HERE to be taken to The Home Shop Machinist Resources page where you'll be able to download Rich's Drawings of the Monitor's Engine.