Stourbridge Lion
Encyclopedia
The Stourbridge Lion was a railroad steam locomotive
. It was not only the first locomotive to be operated in the United States
, it was also one of the first locomotives to operate outside of England
, where it was manufactured in 1828.
The locomotive earned the name Lion from the picture of a lion
's face that was painted on the front of the locomotive by its builder. The Stourbridge portion of the name is from the town of Stourbridge
in England, where the locomotive was manufactured.
, the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company (D&H), was originally chartered in 1823 to build and operate canals between New York, NY and the coal fields around Carbondale, PA. While the line was originally planned as a canal for the entire route, company engineers began thinking about rail transportation as early as 1825; the initial plan was to build a railroad between the mines and the western end of the canal as a way to get the coal to the canal boats.
John B. Jervis
, who later became the designer of the 4-2-0
(the Jervis type) locomotive, was named the D&H's chief engineer in 1827. Jervis planned out a series of inclines connected by level, but themselves disconnected, railroads. The company directors liked Jervis's plan and authorized its construction with some hesitation for the as-yet unproven railroad technology.
In 1828, a former coworker of Jervis, Horatio Allen
went on a railroad research tour of England. Through Allen, Jervis sent specifications for locomotives that could be used on the D&H. Allen wrote back in July that four locomotives had been ordered, three from Foster, Rastrick and Company
and one from Robert Stephenson and Company
, for the D&H.
Stourbridge Lion was one of these three locomotives built by Rastrick, but Stephenson's shop had completed their locomotive, the Pride of Newcastle before any of Rastrick's locomotives. The Pride of Newcastle even arrived in America nearly two months before the Stourbridge Lion, but it was the latter that was used for the first railroad trials.
The locomotive was assembled after shipment at the West Point Foundry
in New York where it was first tested under steam in 1829. Its first official run took place on August 8 of that year in Honesdale, PA. The locomotive performed admirably, but the track that was built on which to run it was insufficient for the task. Jervis had specified that the locomotives should weigh no more than 4 tons; the Stourbridge Lion weighed nearly double that, 7.5 tons.
Rastrick built another engine after completing the three that were sent to America. This engine, the Agenoria, is believed to be a duplicate of the Stourbridge Lion. The Agenoria was built in 1829 and is currently preserved at the National Railway Museum
in York, England.
By 1834, documents show that the railroad attempted to sell the Stourbridge Lion and its early sisters to the Pennsylvania Canal Commission, but the deal was not finalized. The locomotives were deemed too unsuitable for the now expanding railroads; American locomotive manufacturers had begun producing their own locomotives of improved designs as early as 1830. The four locomotives were used as sources of English wrought-iron bar stock
until the middle of the 1840s.
By 1845, all that was left of the Stourbridge Lion was its boiler. The boiler was still functional, however, and it was used in a foundry in Carbondale for about another five years until the foundry's owner headed west to try his luck as a Forty-niner. The foundry was sold a few years later to new owners who recognized the boiler's value as a piece of history, and reportedly tried to sell it for $1,000 (equal to $ today) in 1874. The owners weren't able to find a buyer so they hung onto it themselves.
In 1883, the D&H borrowed the boiler to display at the Exposition of Railway Appliances in Chicago, IL. Unfortunately, security around the boiler's transportation was lax; souvenir hunters pulled every loose item that they could off the now historic boiler, even resorting to hammers and chisels to remove portions of it.
The boiler was stored again and eventually acquired by the Smithsonian Institution
in 1890. A few other parts that are believed to have been from the Stourbridge Lion are also preserved, but their authenticity is questioned. These other parts may have come from one or more of the locomotive's sister engines. The museum has made a few attempts to rebuild the locomotive with the parts that remain. However, with the parts' origins still in question, and the lack of a few other key parts, the locomotive's reconstruction has never been completed. The boiler and assembled parts are currently on display at the B&O Railroad Museum
in Baltimore, MD.
The D&H built their own replica of the Stourbridge Lion in 1932 from plans that were made based on the parts remaining in existence. The Wayne County Historical Society Museum contains a full-scale replica of the Stourbridge Lion, and is home to many interesting photographs and artifacts. This museum is in a small brick building on Main Street, Honedale PA, which was once the D&H Canal's company office, and is where the Stourbridge Lion began its inaugural run.
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
. It was not only the first locomotive to be operated in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, it was also one of the first locomotives to operate outside of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, where it was manufactured in 1828.
The locomotive earned the name Lion from the picture of a lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
's face that was painted on the front of the locomotive by its builder. The Stourbridge portion of the name is from the town of Stourbridge
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley The...
in England, where the locomotive was manufactured.
History
One of the first railroads in the United StatesOldest railroads in North America
- Early experimental railroads :*1720: A railroad is reportedly used in the construction of the French fortress at Louisburg, Nova Scotia.*1764: Between 1762 and 1764 a gravity railroad is built by British military engineers at the Niagara Portage in Lewiston, New York.*1795: A wooden railway on...
, the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company (D&H), was originally chartered in 1823 to build and operate canals between New York, NY and the coal fields around Carbondale, PA. While the line was originally planned as a canal for the entire route, company engineers began thinking about rail transportation as early as 1825; the initial plan was to build a railroad between the mines and the western end of the canal as a way to get the coal to the canal boats.
John B. Jervis
John B. Jervis
John Bloomfield Jervis was an American civil engineer. He was America's leading consulting engineer of the antebellum era . Jervis was a pioneer in the development of canals and railroads for the expanding United States...
, who later became the designer of the 4-2-0
4-2-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-2-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, two powered and coupled driving wheels on one axle, and no trailing wheels...
(the Jervis type) locomotive, was named the D&H's chief engineer in 1827. Jervis planned out a series of inclines connected by level, but themselves disconnected, railroads. The company directors liked Jervis's plan and authorized its construction with some hesitation for the as-yet unproven railroad technology.
In 1828, a former coworker of Jervis, Horatio Allen
Horatio Allen
Horatio Allen LL.D was an American civil engineer and inventor.Born in Schenectady, New York, he graduated from Columbia in 1823, and was appointed the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company chief engineer. In 1828 he was sent to England to buy locomotives for the canal company's projected railway...
went on a railroad research tour of England. Through Allen, Jervis sent specifications for locomotives that could be used on the D&H. Allen wrote back in July that four locomotives had been ordered, three from Foster, Rastrick and Company
Foster, Rastrick and Company
Foster, Rastrick and Company was one of the pioneering steam locomotive manufacturing companies of England. It was based in Stourbridge, Worcestershire, now West Midlands....
and one from Robert Stephenson and Company
Robert Stephenson and Company
Robert Stephenson and Company was a locomotive manufacturing company founded in 1823. It was the first company set up specifically to build railway engines.- Foundation and early success :...
, for the D&H.
Stourbridge Lion was one of these three locomotives built by Rastrick, but Stephenson's shop had completed their locomotive, the Pride of Newcastle before any of Rastrick's locomotives. The Pride of Newcastle even arrived in America nearly two months before the Stourbridge Lion, but it was the latter that was used for the first railroad trials.
The locomotive was assembled after shipment at the West Point Foundry
West Point Foundry
The West Point Foundry was an early ironworks in Cold Spring, New York that operated from 1817 to 1911. Set up to remedy deficiencies in national armaments production after the War of 1812, it became most famous for its production of Parrott rifles and other munitions during the Civil War, although...
in New York where it was first tested under steam in 1829. Its first official run took place on August 8 of that year in Honesdale, PA. The locomotive performed admirably, but the track that was built on which to run it was insufficient for the task. Jervis had specified that the locomotives should weigh no more than 4 tons; the Stourbridge Lion weighed nearly double that, 7.5 tons.
Rastrick built another engine after completing the three that were sent to America. This engine, the Agenoria, is believed to be a duplicate of the Stourbridge Lion. The Agenoria was built in 1829 and is currently preserved at the National Railway Museum
National Railway Museum
The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the British National Museum of Science and Industry and telling the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It has won many awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2001...
in York, England.
By 1834, documents show that the railroad attempted to sell the Stourbridge Lion and its early sisters to the Pennsylvania Canal Commission, but the deal was not finalized. The locomotives were deemed too unsuitable for the now expanding railroads; American locomotive manufacturers had begun producing their own locomotives of improved designs as early as 1830. The four locomotives were used as sources of English wrought-iron bar stock
Bar stock
Bar stock, also colloquially known as billet, is a common form of raw purified metal, used by industry to manufacture metal parts and products....
until the middle of the 1840s.
By 1845, all that was left of the Stourbridge Lion was its boiler. The boiler was still functional, however, and it was used in a foundry in Carbondale for about another five years until the foundry's owner headed west to try his luck as a Forty-niner. The foundry was sold a few years later to new owners who recognized the boiler's value as a piece of history, and reportedly tried to sell it for $1,000 (equal to $ today) in 1874. The owners weren't able to find a buyer so they hung onto it themselves.
In 1883, the D&H borrowed the boiler to display at the Exposition of Railway Appliances in Chicago, IL. Unfortunately, security around the boiler's transportation was lax; souvenir hunters pulled every loose item that they could off the now historic boiler, even resorting to hammers and chisels to remove portions of it.
The boiler was stored again and eventually acquired by the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
in 1890. A few other parts that are believed to have been from the Stourbridge Lion are also preserved, but their authenticity is questioned. These other parts may have come from one or more of the locomotive's sister engines. The museum has made a few attempts to rebuild the locomotive with the parts that remain. However, with the parts' origins still in question, and the lack of a few other key parts, the locomotive's reconstruction has never been completed. The boiler and assembled parts are currently on display at the B&O Railroad Museum
B&O Railroad Museum
The B&O Railroad Museum is a museum exhibiting historic railroad equipment in Baltimore, Maryland, originally named the Baltimore & Ohio Transportation Museum when it opened on July 4, 1953. It has been called one of the most significant collections of railroad treasures in the world and has the...
in Baltimore, MD.
The D&H built their own replica of the Stourbridge Lion in 1932 from plans that were made based on the parts remaining in existence. The Wayne County Historical Society Museum contains a full-scale replica of the Stourbridge Lion, and is home to many interesting photographs and artifacts. This museum is in a small brick building on Main Street, Honedale PA, which was once the D&H Canal's company office, and is where the Stourbridge Lion began its inaugural run.
Mechanical description
The piston rods connected to a pair of walking beams (one for each piston) mounted above the boiler. A driving rod near the piston end of the walking beams connected to the rear axle's wheels, where it also connected to a rod that connected to the front wheels.External links
- Bridge Line Historical Society's Stourbridge Lion page
- "The Stourbridge Lion ", stourbridge.com
- "Railroads America - The Stourbridge Lion And Tom Thumb", Old and Sold, 1927
- "CHAPTER XIII: FIRST ENGLISH LOCOMOTIVE", The History of the First Locomotives In America, William H. Brown, New York: D. Appleton And Company, 1871.