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Borrowing From Yesterday To Do the Work Of Today
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Sources for Horse-Drawn Vehicle Plans
Horse-drawn vehicles are available from a number of sources. Some of these plans and drawings were originally designed for manufacturers of horse-drawn vehicles. Many, however, were drawn by hobbyists who build models and therefore may or may not be sufficiently detailed for building/restoring a full-sized vehicle.
In the Spring 2005 issue of Rural Heritage wheelwright Stan Teitge explains how to use scale-model plans to build a full-size horse-drawn vehicle.This edition is out of print, but you can obtain a photocopy of pages 96-97 by sending $4.00 to the address at the bottom of this page.
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Carriage Museum of America, 4089 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, KY 40511, 859-259-2933,
www.carriagemuseumlibrary.org
– several thousand fashion plates and several hundred working drawings from the old trade journals Hub and Carriage Monthly, and some working drawings from Le Guide du Carrosierand Coach Builders' and Wheelwrights' Art Journal.
- Circus Model Builders, Mike Dreiling, 8020 Red Pine Ct, Citrus Heights, CA 95610, www.circusmodelbuilders.com – circus wagon drawings of varying quality.
- Wild Horse Books, Kayo Fraser, 255 Boulder Road, Deer Lodge, MT 59722, 406-846-3686, www.wildhorsebooks.com – Ivan Collins plans (1/8th scale for non-commercial use), John Thompson plans (mostly 1/8th scale), WagonMaster Plans (1/8th scale, highly detailed), Southwest Wagon & Wheel Works Plans (for full-size vehicles), and many more.
- Guild of Model Wheelwrights, Grev Lyons, 16 Marley Avenue, Crewe, Cheshire, CW1 3SN, United Kingdom, 011-44-1270-212993, www.guildofmodelwheelwrights.org – builders of precision scale models of horse-drawn vehicles including transport and utility vehicles, light and heavy commercial and passenger vehicles, private carriages, agricultural machinery, carts, and wagons.
- Oregon Historical Society, 1200 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR 97202-2483, 503-222-1741, www.ohs.org – Ivan Collins plans; houses an exhibit of model wagons built by Ivan Collins, which are included in Ron Brentano's book Historic Vehicles in Miniature: the Genius of Ivan Collins also sold by the Society.
- Smithsonian Carriage Drawings, Room 5010, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560-0628, www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmah/carriage.htm – photocopied sheets for 43 different models, mostly of American vehicles, available by mail order only.
If you know of any other sources for plans for the construction of horse-drawn vehicles, either as working scale models or full scale models, please contact info@ruralheritage.com. 
Go to: Build a Horse Drawn Wagon
