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| ISBN-13: | 9780486142777 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Dover Publications |
| Publication date: | 01/17/2013 |
| Series: | Dover Transportation |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 240 |
| File size: | 41 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
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Iron Horses
American Locomotives 1829-1900
By E. P. Alexander
Dover Publications, Inc.
Copyright © 1969 E. P. AlexanderAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-486-14277-7
CHAPTER 1
Iron Horses
THE story of the iron horse begins as far back as the eighteenth century when, in 1769, Nicholas Joseph Cugnot built a steam carriage which he operated on the streets of Paris. Some thirty-five years later the first American steam-propelled vehicle appeared—the Oructor Amphibolis. This was a crude combination carriage and boat built by Oliver Evans of Philadelphia in 1804. Nevertheless, it actually ran through the streets of that city and then made a number of trips on the Delaware. But locomotives are perhaps more correctly thought of as engines which operate on rails and are designed to pull a number of cars. According to this meaning, the first actual locomotive was built in 1803 by Richard Trevithick, a Cornishman, and is known to have hauled a load of about 9 tons. Another early locomotive was the creation of William Hedley, constructed in 1813 at Newcastle upon Tyne and named the Puffing Billy. Other experiments continued in England until, in 1825, George Stephenson built the Locomotion. for the Stockton and Darlington Railway. What has been called the first really successful locomotive, however, was his Rocket built four years later. At a public competition, the famous Rainhill Trials, this engine won over several other entrants, among which was the Novelty of Braithwaite and Ericsson. This was the same Ericsson who is perhaps better known for the screw propeller and the ironclad Monitor.
Turning now to America, we find that, as in England, the early development of the iron horse was inextricably interwoven with that of the first railroads and their evolution depended upon each other. Although a number of short early lines were built (1809 and before) for the private transport of coal and stone, they can more accurately be called "tramways" than railroads. The first public railroad was chartered in 1815, though not built, and the incorporators of the succeeding embyro lines had, of course, horse traction in mind. Not until after 1825 were the possibilities of steam seriously considered and even then railroad builders generally were still skeptical of its practical application and of the satisfactory performance of locomotives. Regarding the subject of the kind of traction to be used, one of the earliest and perhaps least-known works (A Treatise on Rail-Roads and Internal Communications, Thomas Earle, Philadelphia, 1830) has this to say:
The first thing to be determined in the formation of a rail-road is the kind of power that is to be employed on it, whether horses, or steam engines. It is desirable not to use both kinds of power on the same road; because the graduation for each should be different, as will hereafter appear;—because the slow traveling of horses will present a serious obstruction to the free operations of locomotive steam engines, compelling them frequently to turn out, and occasioning delay and inconvenience; because a road for horses may be made of less strength and expensiveness than for steam carriages; and because the action of the horses' feet will throw dust and gravel on the rails, which it will be desirable to avoid on roads for engines, inasmuch as it will increase the resistance, and the power required to move the wagons. A further reason is, that the dust thrown on the rails, will be converted into mud, in wet weather, and will materially diminish the adhesion of the wheels of the locomotive engine to the rails.
On the use of horses, this writer continues:
It is therefore a great desideratum to devise a mode by which a horse can perform about the same amount of work on an undulating, as he could do on a level road. This is to be effected by graduating the road in such a manner that the power expended in ascents may be returned in propelling the wagons down descents and upon levels. To effect this, the horse must ride, in a spare wagon, wherever the ground is descending.
Where steam is to be used, the same author gives the following advice:
It is however by no means so important for locomotive engines to preserve long continued ascents and descents. On the contrary, one composed of short undulations may be considered preferable to one of long continued ascents and descents, as the capacities of the steam engine are such, that a fund or reservoir of steam may be accumulated, while the engine and wagons are descending a declivity of moderate length by their own gravity, to enable the engine to surmount the next ascent by vigor and speed. But if descents are very long continued, the fire must be allowed to go down, or the steam to be wasted, by escaping at the safety valve.
At the same time that the first experiments with "locomotive engines" were being carried on, and the kind of power to be used was being discussed, rails were being laid. Although the question of the kind of traction was still, in most cases, a controversial subject, a notable exception to this was the decision to use steam only on the Charleston & Hamburg Railroad in South Carolina, and on this road in 1830 was operated the first steam-driven train in America. Generally, however, the problem waited upon satisfactory locomotives, since their efficiency was still considered doubtful compared to good horses.
One man more than any other deserves the title "Father of American Railroads." He was Colonel John Stevens of Hoboken, New Jersey, who as far back as 1811 petitioned the state legislature for a charter to permit him to construct a railroad—the first application of this sort in America. He shortly afterward reconsidered this as he decided that such an undertaking should be a public enterprise. The next year he published a pamphlet entitled "Documents Tending to Prove the Superior Advantages of Railways and Steam Carriages Over Canal Navigation" and urged Congress to consider railroad construction as a national endeavor. But the second war with England at this time claimed most attention and nothing was done. In 1815 he revived his plan of securing a charter and New Jersey granted him one to build a railway between Trenton and New Brunswick, but he could not obtain the necessary financing. In 1819 he tried to get the Pennsylvania state legislature to build a line from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh but was unsuccessful. By 1825 Stevens decided to prove, at his own expense, that railroads and locomotives were entirely practical and built a circular railway on his Hoboken estate. By the following year he had completed a locomotive to run on the track and it made a number of trips to the astonishment of everyone who saw it. This was the first locomotive to be built and operated on rails in America. The demonstration, although not productive of immediate results, helped to give impetus to the railway movement generally.
In 1823, since he had at last abandoned the hope that the federal government could be counted upon for aid, Stevens obtained a charter in Pennsylvania for a railroad from Philadelphia to Columbia. Two prominent figures of the time—Stephen Girard and Horace Binney—aided him in this but once again, due to financial difficulties, the project never got under way. This was the route adopted by the state some years later as part of the public works plan (Philadelphia & Columbia Railroad and Portage Railroad), although then Stevens had no part in it. Finally, in 1830, Colonel Stevens and his sons Robert L. and Edwin A. obtained a charter for the Camden & Amboy Railroad and Transportation Company, and, with the necessary backing secured, proceeded with this undertaking. Robert Stevens was president of the company although its affairs were jointly managed by all three. Thus at last the colonel had the satisfaction of participating in an actual railroad construction program after so many years of pioneering and disappointments.
Another of the pioneer railroaders was Horatio Allen. At the age of twenty-five, after having been engineer in charge of the construction of a section of the Delaware & Hudson Canal, he resigned in order to make a trip to England and gain a firsthand knowledge of railways. John B. Jervis, the canal company's chief engineer, made an arrangement with him to pay his expenses and commissioned him to purchase chains for the canal's inclined planes, bar-iron rails, and four locomotives for use on the levels. Accordingly he sailed in the fall of 1827 and returned the following year after having accomplished his mission. The supplies arrived about the time he did and the locomotives (three from Foster, Rastrick & Co. and one from George Stephenson) came shortly after, only the Lion being sent on to Honesdale (see Plate 1). The other engines were stored in New York and nothing is definitely known of their ultimate disposal. After Mr. Allen's trial trip with the Lion on August 8, 1829, he was appointed chief engineer of the Charleston & Hamburg Railroad. He recommended that only steam be used for traction and in January, 1830, a resolution affirming this was passed by the directors of the road. He also obtained approval for the purchase of four locomotives which were ordered from the West Point Foundry in New York, the designs being collaborated on by E. L. Miller of Charleston. The first was the Best Friend of Charleston which was delivered in the fall of 1830 and first tried in December of that year (see Plate 2).
While Horatio Allen was thus occupied, another man was busy with an experimental locomotive. This was Peter Cooper who was assembling his Tom Thumb in Baltimore. A little engine of about 1 horsepower was brought from New York and mounted on a small car frame, being geared to one axle. A tiny boiler was built, using musket barrels for tubes, and a blower was devised for forcing a draught. In all, this diminutive locomotive weighed hardly more than a ton and its one cylinder was only 3½ inches in diameter with a 14-inch stroke. On August 28, 1830, drawing a boat-shaped car which carried the directors of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, it made its trial run, being the first locomotive in America to pull a load of passengers. Its performance was highly satisfactory despite its losing a race with a horse-drawn car on its return trip from Ellicotts Mills (due to the blower belt slipping) and Cooper definitely proved to the officials of the road the practicability of steam motive power.
The second engine to draw a train, the first having been the Best Friend, was also operated on the Charleston & Hamburg Railroad. It was the West Point, named after the firm which built it and its predecessor in New York. It was designed by E. L. Miller, this time with a horizontal boiler. Its first trip was on March 5,1831, when it hauled four cars carrying 117 passengers a distance of 2¾ miles in 11 minutes. After the boiler of the Best Friend exploded, a "barrier" car loaded with cotton was advertised as a protective measure against a possible repetition of the accident.
Although not what might be called a full-sized locomotive, a miniature engine—the first built by Matthias Baldwin—is chronologically the next in line. This was built to gratify public curiosity in steam engines and Baldwin was assisted in his work by Franklin Peale, manager of the Philadelphia Museum. A track was laid around the room of this building and the little locomotive was first put into operation on April 25, 1831. It made the trip around the track many times a day for several months, drawing two small cars with seats for four persons but often pulling twice this number. Crowds came to see for the first time in Philadelphia a practical demonstration of the use of steam for railroad operation.
In January, 1831, the directors of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad announced a public competition for the purpose of obtaining the best American locomotives. Based somewhat on the plan of the Rainhill Trials, a prize of $4,000 was offered for the best engine, entries to be ready not later than June first of that year. The York built by Phineas Davis of the Pennsylvania town of that name won the contest. Weighing only 3½ tons, the York had 30-inch drivers and an upright boiler built on the same design as Peter Cooper's. It was, as far as the records show, the only satisfactory locomotive among the five entered. One was built by Ezekiel Childs of Philadelphia, a watchmaker—as were also Baldwin and Davis. This used a rotary steam engine which in a model had promised good results. It was designed to produce 50 horsepower but did not prove practical. Another was Stacey Costell's engine which had four connected 36-inch driving wheels. Two 6-inch cylinders of 12-inch stroke had their pistons connected to cranks on a countershaft which in turn was geared to one of the axles. Nothing much is known of this machine and it is even doubtful whether it was actually sent from Philadelphia to Baltimore. George W. Johnson of Baltimore, in whose shop the Tom Thumb had been assembled, was the builder of the fourth entry. This, as were all the others, was a four-wheeled engine, two of which were drivers. Two vertical cylinders were used which transmitted power to the wheels through walking beams mounted on top of the firebox. The last entrant was William T. James of New York (though the date is sometimes given as 1832), who entered his sixth engine, others having been experiments and models. The boiler was upright and the cylinders, set at a 30-degree angle, were 10 by 10 inches. Power was transmitted through a shaft and an elementary form of gearshift, the forerunner of that used in automobiles. The peculiar boiler construction with inward projecting tubes was weak and it soon exploded.
Although the DeWitt Clinton is generally given credit for being the third engine to haul a train in America, according to available dates one other actually preceded it. This was an unnamed engine, designed by Colonel Stephen Long for the New Castle and Frenchtown Railroad, which made its trial trip on July 4, 1831. It was not, however, too successful, although it hauled two cars with about seventy people, as it was incapable of furnishing sufficient steam and was later rebuilt.
Next came the well-known DeWitt Clinton, built for the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad by the West Point Foundry. Designed by John B. Jervis, its total weight with tender was 12,098 pounds. It made a trial run in July, 1831, and on August 9 made the 17-mile trip from Albany to Schenectady in less than an hour. Its wheels were 54 inches in diameter and all were drivers. The lower part of the tender was actually a tank for the water supply, probably the first "water-bottom tank" ever used. Its train usually consisted of stagecoach-type cars. It was not particularly successful and was broken up a few years later. The replica frequently seen was built in 1892 for the Columbian Exposition.
Since we are tracing this early motive-power history by dates of first operation rather than when the various locomotives were built, the next we find is the famous John Bull, which was actually being constructed in England about the time that Baldwin was building his first model. After the Camden & Amboy Railroad was chartered, Robert Stevens, who was chief engineer as well as president, went to England in October of 1830. His mission was to purchase rails and other track equipment as well as a locomotive. He was familiar with the types of rails then in use and, to pass the time on shipboard, designed and whittled several models of improved rail section—the first H rail ever devised (commonly called T rail today). He also designed the hook-headed spike for fastening it. Upon his arrival in England, Francis B. Ogden, the United States Consul at Liverpool, introduced him to John Guest whose firm in Dowlais, Wales, was persuaded to undertake the rolling of the new rail. There was at first some difficulty in straightening it as it came from the rolls but this was soon remedied. The lengths supplied were 12, 15, and 18 feet, the weight of that first produced being 36 pounds to the yard and that made later 42 pounds per yard.
While the necessary rail and fastenings were being manufactured, the locomotive known variously as John Bull, Number 1, or Stevens had been ordered and was being built by the Stephensons. It was shipped shortly after the first lot of rail from Liverpool on July 14, 1831, by the packet Allegheny and arrived at Philadelphia in June. From there it was sent to Bordentown where the parts were assembled and where it was first tried in November, 1831, going into regular passenger service two years later. It is interesting to note that while it remained at Bordentown Matthias Baldwin inspected it, and his first full-sized engine reflected some of its features of construction. Figure 8 shows the John Bull as it appeared when rebuilt with the first pilot or cowcatcher, while Plate 3 shows it as first assembled.
Another English importation, the Robert Fulton, received by the Mohawk and Hudson Road at about the same time as the John Bull arrived, should be mentioned. It was generally similar in design, being of the so-called Samson class, but not so successful. Still another locomotive built abroad was the Herald for the Baltimore and Susquehanna Railroad. This line had 7 miles of track ready in 1831 but the exact date when this engine was received and run is not recorded.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Iron Horses by E. P. Alexander. Copyright © 1969 E. P. Alexander. Excerpted by permission of Dover Publications, Inc..
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Table of Contents
List of IllustrationsAcknowledgments
Preface
Iron Horses
Plates
Locomotive Builders of the United States
Whyte's System of Locomotive Classification
Bibliography