The First Quarter-Century of Steam Locomotives in North America: Remaining Relics and Operable Replicas with a Catalog of Locomotive Models in the U. S. National Museum. United States National Museum Bulletin 210Oliver, Smith Hempstone
History
The First Quarter-Century of Steam Locomotives in North America: Remaining Relics and Operable Replicas with a Catalog of Locomotive Models in the U. S. National Museum. United States National Museum Bulletin 210
Oliver, Smith Hempstone
Locomotives -- History
The _Pioneer_ had a full and active life, for it was in operation 12
years prior to its acquisition by the Galena road and 26 years after
(figure 47). It was at one time temporarily lent to the new Chicago,
Burlington and Quincy line, until that company was able to buy an engine
of its own, and was finally retired by the Chicago and North Western in
1874.
The _Pioneer_ is a typical Baldwin design of the period. A wood burner,
it weighs 10 tons, has slightly inclined cylinders 11 by 18 inches in
size, one pair of 54-inch driving wheels at the rear, and a 4-wheeled
swiveling truck at the front. The cylinder bore was originally 10
inches, but in 1872 the Chicago and North Western changed it to the
present slightly larger dimension.
While owned by the Michigan Central, it had been altered in several
ways, the principal change being in the valve motion. The locomotive
originally had a single fixed eccentric for each cylinder, with two arms
extending backward. These arms were fitted with drop hooks to engage
with a pin on a rocker arm that actuated the valve rod. The new motion,
installed by the Michigan Central, uses double eccentrics with V-hooks
for each cylinder. The cab and the cowcatcher, not applied to the
locomotive when it was constructed in 1836, are of a slightly later
period according to an article in “Baldwin Locomotives” (vol. 10, No. 2,
October 1931, pp. 3, 4).
In common with many of the other surviving old locomotives, the
_Pioneer_ has been on exhibition at many places, including the
Exposition of Railway Appliances at Chicago in 1883, the World’s
Columbian Exposition held there 10 years later, the Louisiana Purchase
Exposition at St. Louis in 1904, the Chicago World’s Fair 30 years
later, and the Chicago Railroad Fair in 1948 and 1949. At the latter
fair it operated under its own power every day each summer, requiring
only the replacement of the old boiler flues with new ones of sturdier
construction to make it again serviceable. In recent years it has been
exhibited at the Museum of Science and Industry at Chicago, but is now
stored in that city in one of the shops of the Chicago and North
Western.
Not a great deal is known of the early history of the _Mississippi_
(figure 48), which is now exhibited at the Museum of Science and
Industry at Chicago. Originally it was used on a pioneering railroad
operating east out of Natchez in the late 1830’s. Some writers have
contended that it was imported from England. Others, including Angus
Sinclair, the railroad historian, have stated that it was probably built
by the New York firm of H. R. Dunham and Co.
[Illustration: Figure 48.—_Mississippi_, probably built in the
1830’s, with tender of a later period. Photo may have been taken
after locomotive was rebuilt for exhibition at World’s Columbian
Exposition at Chicago, in 1893.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account