Hello Mr. Andrew J Oxford ,

I suspect your transistor circuit have problems which you are unaware of. There is an easy way to determine this which is to try another circuit. A suitable device is an L293. The L293 is an integrated circuit motor driver designed to drive small motors. It is easy to hook up and readily available. A good web site to get familiar with this device is
http://www.me.umn.edu/courses/m.../L293.html

Good luck,

Charles Bannister