For a good overview of the strike, I recommend starting with Wikipedia.
Another source would be History of the United States from the Compromise of 1850: 1877-1896 by James Ford Rhodes.
The strike was fueled by several things, one the decrease of the wages being paid to the employees and the 1873 depression. It probably became as violent as it was because of Taft and how he won the election. But all of that is speculating, which our characters might do in conversation. If you choose to use the strike in your novel be sure of the dates and the time it entered your area.
Showing posts with label Railroad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Railroad. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Monday, June 5, 2017
Railroad Overview
The railroads played an important part in the expansion and history of the 19th century. Today's tidbit I'm sharing a link to a book that was printed in 1901 but is a cyclopedia of all kinds of terms used when referring to the railroads. As a writer, this is a helpful tool to keep in your pile of reference books imho.
A Railroad Pocket Book
A Railroad Pocket Book
Friday, November 18, 2016
The Mumbles Train
Below is a link to a fascinating tidbit of history, the first railway service. This train began to transport people on March 25, 1807. The train in Wales went from Swansea Bay to Mumbles. Note that trains were first pulled by horses.
Here's a link to read all about it.
Here's a link to read all about it.
The Camp Hill Disaster or The Great Train Wreck of 1856
Trains are increasingly popular in 1856 and tracks have expanded all over the United States. The tragic event happened on July 17, 1856 between Camp Hill & Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. Records of fatalities are unclear the number is between 39 to 67 and another 100 were injured. In the end the excursion train filled with families & children from a church left behind schedule and were on the track they shouldn't have been when they were hit by a train coming in the opposite direction.
What makes this event worth mentioning on this blog? It was the deadliest railroad catastrophe in the world up to this time.
A copy of the Philadelphia Daily News articles compiled by Stu Beitier has the most information on this disaster.
Additional sources:
The NY Times article
And Wikipedia article
What makes this event worth mentioning on this blog? It was the deadliest railroad catastrophe in the world up to this time.
A copy of the Philadelphia Daily News articles compiled by Stu Beitier has the most information on this disaster.
Additional sources:
The NY Times article
And Wikipedia article
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Railroad Growth
Hi all,
Here's a link found by an author friend, DiAnn Mills that I thought was great for those of us who are visual. These maps show the development of the railroads throughout the 19th century. It's a quick overview for anyone to check and see if the railroad reached the area they are researching, or how soon the railroad reached them.
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
Here's a link found by an author friend, DiAnn Mills that I thought was great for those of us who are visual. These maps show the development of the railroads throughout the 19th century. It's a quick overview for anyone to check and see if the railroad reached the area they are researching, or how soon the railroad reached them.
Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum
Thoughts about the Railroads from 1856
Here's an excerpt from the "Incidents of Western Travels" by Rev. George Pierce. The letters were written in 1856 and published in 1857.
Here are his thoughts on railroad travel:
I should cheerfully resign all my interest, as a traveller, in horses, buggies, and steamboats, to be assured on every route of a railroad. It is a grand invention. A pyramid is a regal toy compared with this modern contrivance for getting along. I trust that all which have been built will last for ever; that all in progress will go on to completion; that those which have been talked about will become realities, and that thousands more will be projected and finished. Success to them all! Highways of travel and commerce, they facilitate intercourse, enrich the country, save time, and enable a man to see as much—to go as far in a few months—as in the ordinary lifetime of our grandfathers. What a boon to a man who has been long from home ! How swiftly they bear him on his way! The iron horse seems to sympathize with his impatience, and, breathing smoke and fire, bounds along his destined track as though he were glad to confer a favor. I acknowledge my indebtedness for his help on many a weary journey.
Here are his thoughts on railroad travel:
I should cheerfully resign all my interest, as a traveller, in horses, buggies, and steamboats, to be assured on every route of a railroad. It is a grand invention. A pyramid is a regal toy compared with this modern contrivance for getting along. I trust that all which have been built will last for ever; that all in progress will go on to completion; that those which have been talked about will become realities, and that thousands more will be projected and finished. Success to them all! Highways of travel and commerce, they facilitate intercourse, enrich the country, save time, and enable a man to see as much—to go as far in a few months—as in the ordinary lifetime of our grandfathers. What a boon to a man who has been long from home ! How swiftly they bear him on his way! The iron horse seems to sympathize with his impatience, and, breathing smoke and fire, bounds along his destined track as though he were glad to confer a favor. I acknowledge my indebtedness for his help on many a weary journey.
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Central Railroad in GA
The information below comes from Hand-book of the state of Georgia: accompanied by a geological map of the state ©1878
CENTRAL RAILROAD
The Georgia also controls and operates the Macon and Augusta Railroad from Macon to Camak, 74 miles.
The cost of Building the Road is $4,253,048 40
Capital Stock 4,200,000 00
Funded Debt 615,500 00
Average Gross Receipts per annum 1,800,000 00
Average Operating Expenses 800,000 00
Annual Dividend 8 per cent.
Hon. John P. King is President. He has filled this office continuously since 1841. S. K. Johnson is Superintendent ; and Carlton Hillyer, Auditor. The principal office is at Augusta.
The Central Railroad Of Georgia.—This important railway was built about the same time as that of the Georgia. It was chartered December 20th, 1833; work commenced November, 1836, and was completed to Macon, October 13th, 1843, nearly 2 years before the Georgia was finished to Atlanta. It is a strong corporation, with extensive connections, and is one of the most important roads in the country.
Its length from Savannah to Macon is 192 miles. This was the original chartered line of road. It also built a branch from Gordon to Milledgeville, 17.25 miles. In 1872, the Macon and Western Railroad, from Macon to Atlanta, 103 miles, including the branch from Barnesville to Thomaston, 16.5 miles, was consolidated with the Central. During the present year (1876), the Savannah, Griffin, and North Alabama Railroad, from Griffin, on the Macon and Western, to Carrollton, Carroll County, 59.29 miles long, has become the property of the Central, thus making a total length of 388.29 miles actually owned by the Company.
In 1852, it leased the road from Milledgeville to Eatonton, 22 miles, and operates and controls it, virtually making a branch of the Central from Gordon, via Milledgeville to Eatonton, 39.25 miles.
In 1862, it leased the Augusta and Savannah Railroad, from Augusta to Millen, on the Central Road, 53 miles, which it controls and operates.
In 1871, it leased the South-western Railroad and branches as follows : Main line, Macon to Albany, 104 miles ; Branch, Fort Valley to Columbus, 71 miles ; Branch, Fort Valley to Perry, 11 miles ; Branch, Smithville to Eufaula, Ala., 61 miles ; Branch, Cuthbert to Fort Gaines, 22 miles ; Branch, Albany to Arlington, 37 miles : making a total of 306 miles.
It also leased the Vicksburg and Clayton Road from Eufaula, Ala., to Clayton, Ala., 21 miles. It also owns a half interest in the Western Railroad of Alabama, from West Point, Ga., to Selma, Ala., 138 miles, with branch from Columbus, Ga., to Opelika, Ala., 28 miles, or 166 miles in all. This road is owned jointly by the Central and the Georgia, obtained by joint purchase at public sale, in April, 1875.
It has also leased the Mobile and Girard Railroad, from Columbus, Ala., to Troy, Ala., 84 miles. It also owns a steamer on the Tombigbee River, plying between Columbus, Mississippi, and Demopolis, Ala.
It also owns a line of steamers on the Chattahoochee River, plying between Columbus, Ga., and Appalachicola, Fla. These boats are worth $97,000.
It also owns 6 steamships plying between New York and Savannah, involving a capital of $800,000.
The income of the road for the year ending September 1st, 1876, was $2,657,096.97, and its operating expenses, $1,635,131.10.
Its President is Wm. M. Wadley, and Superintendent Wm. Rogers ; principal office in Savannah. The principal office of the New York Steamship Line is in New York, Wm. R. Garretson being the Agent.
The Capital Stock of the Central Railroad Company is $7,500,000 ; its Bonded Indebtedness, $3,772,000.
CENTRAL RAILROAD
The Georgia also controls and operates the Macon and Augusta Railroad from Macon to Camak, 74 miles.
The cost of Building the Road is $4,253,048 40
Capital Stock 4,200,000 00
Funded Debt 615,500 00
Average Gross Receipts per annum 1,800,000 00
Average Operating Expenses 800,000 00
Annual Dividend 8 per cent.
Hon. John P. King is President. He has filled this office continuously since 1841. S. K. Johnson is Superintendent ; and Carlton Hillyer, Auditor. The principal office is at Augusta.
The Central Railroad Of Georgia.—This important railway was built about the same time as that of the Georgia. It was chartered December 20th, 1833; work commenced November, 1836, and was completed to Macon, October 13th, 1843, nearly 2 years before the Georgia was finished to Atlanta. It is a strong corporation, with extensive connections, and is one of the most important roads in the country.
Its length from Savannah to Macon is 192 miles. This was the original chartered line of road. It also built a branch from Gordon to Milledgeville, 17.25 miles. In 1872, the Macon and Western Railroad, from Macon to Atlanta, 103 miles, including the branch from Barnesville to Thomaston, 16.5 miles, was consolidated with the Central. During the present year (1876), the Savannah, Griffin, and North Alabama Railroad, from Griffin, on the Macon and Western, to Carrollton, Carroll County, 59.29 miles long, has become the property of the Central, thus making a total length of 388.29 miles actually owned by the Company.
In 1852, it leased the road from Milledgeville to Eatonton, 22 miles, and operates and controls it, virtually making a branch of the Central from Gordon, via Milledgeville to Eatonton, 39.25 miles.
In 1862, it leased the Augusta and Savannah Railroad, from Augusta to Millen, on the Central Road, 53 miles, which it controls and operates.
In 1871, it leased the South-western Railroad and branches as follows : Main line, Macon to Albany, 104 miles ; Branch, Fort Valley to Columbus, 71 miles ; Branch, Fort Valley to Perry, 11 miles ; Branch, Smithville to Eufaula, Ala., 61 miles ; Branch, Cuthbert to Fort Gaines, 22 miles ; Branch, Albany to Arlington, 37 miles : making a total of 306 miles.
It also leased the Vicksburg and Clayton Road from Eufaula, Ala., to Clayton, Ala., 21 miles. It also owns a half interest in the Western Railroad of Alabama, from West Point, Ga., to Selma, Ala., 138 miles, with branch from Columbus, Ga., to Opelika, Ala., 28 miles, or 166 miles in all. This road is owned jointly by the Central and the Georgia, obtained by joint purchase at public sale, in April, 1875.
It has also leased the Mobile and Girard Railroad, from Columbus, Ala., to Troy, Ala., 84 miles. It also owns a steamer on the Tombigbee River, plying between Columbus, Mississippi, and Demopolis, Ala.
It also owns a line of steamers on the Chattahoochee River, plying between Columbus, Ga., and Appalachicola, Fla. These boats are worth $97,000.
It also owns 6 steamships plying between New York and Savannah, involving a capital of $800,000.
The income of the road for the year ending September 1st, 1876, was $2,657,096.97, and its operating expenses, $1,635,131.10.
Its President is Wm. M. Wadley, and Superintendent Wm. Rogers ; principal office in Savannah. The principal office of the New York Steamship Line is in New York, Wm. R. Garretson being the Agent.
The Capital Stock of the Central Railroad Company is $7,500,000 ; its Bonded Indebtedness, $3,772,000.
Central Railroad, GA 1852
CENTRAL RAILROAD,
FROM SAVANNAH TO MACON, GA.,
190.5 Miles
Passenger Trains leave Savannah daily, at 8 00 A. M.
................................... Macon daily at 8 00 A.M.
...........................arrive daily at Savannah at 6 15 P. M.
............................................at Macon, at 6 45 P. M.
This Road in connection with the Macon and Western Road from Macon to Atlanta, and the Western and Atlantic Road from Atlanta to Dalton, now forms a continuous line of 39.5 miles in length from Savannah to Dalton, Murray county, Ga., and with the Memphis Branch Rail Road, and stages, connect with the following places:
Tickets from Savannah to Jacksonville, Ala., $20.00
................................... to Huntsville, Ala., $22.00
........................................Decatur, Ala., $22.00
........................................Tuscumbia, Ala. 22.50
........................................Columbus, Miss. 28.00
........................................Holly Springs, 28.00
........................................Nashville, Tenn. 25.00
........................................Murfreesboro' 25.00
........................................Memphis, Tenn 30.00
An extra Passenger Train leaves Savannah on Saturdays, after the arrival of the steamships from New York,-for Macon, and connects with the Macon and Western Rail Road ; and on Tuesdays, after the arrival of the Macon and Western cars, an extra Passenger Train leaves Macon to connect with the steamships for New York.
Stages for Tallahasse and intermediate places connect with the road at Macon on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and with Milledgeville at Gordon daily.
Passengers for Montgomery, Mobile, and New Orleans, take stage for Opelika from Barnesville through Columbus, a distance of 97 miles, or from Griffin through West Point, a distance of 93 miles.
Goods consigned to Thos. S. Wayne, Forwarding Agent, Savannah, will be forwarded free of commission.
Wm. M. WADLEY, Sup't.
Savannah, Ga., 1852.
FROM SAVANNAH TO MACON, GA.,
190.5 Miles
Passenger Trains leave Savannah daily, at 8 00 A. M.
................................... Macon daily at 8 00 A.M.
...........................arrive daily at Savannah at 6 15 P. M.
............................................at Macon, at 6 45 P. M.
This Road in connection with the Macon and Western Road from Macon to Atlanta, and the Western and Atlantic Road from Atlanta to Dalton, now forms a continuous line of 39.5 miles in length from Savannah to Dalton, Murray county, Ga., and with the Memphis Branch Rail Road, and stages, connect with the following places:
Tickets from Savannah to Jacksonville, Ala., $20.00
................................... to Huntsville, Ala., $22.00
........................................Decatur, Ala., $22.00
........................................Tuscumbia, Ala. 22.50
........................................Columbus, Miss. 28.00
........................................Holly Springs, 28.00
........................................Nashville, Tenn. 25.00
........................................Murfreesboro' 25.00
........................................Memphis, Tenn 30.00
An extra Passenger Train leaves Savannah on Saturdays, after the arrival of the steamships from New York,-for Macon, and connects with the Macon and Western Rail Road ; and on Tuesdays, after the arrival of the Macon and Western cars, an extra Passenger Train leaves Macon to connect with the steamships for New York.
Stages for Tallahasse and intermediate places connect with the road at Macon on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and with Milledgeville at Gordon daily.
Passengers for Montgomery, Mobile, and New Orleans, take stage for Opelika from Barnesville through Columbus, a distance of 97 miles, or from Griffin through West Point, a distance of 93 miles.
Goods consigned to Thos. S. Wayne, Forwarding Agent, Savannah, will be forwarded free of commission.
Wm. M. WADLEY, Sup't.
Savannah, Ga., 1852.
Friday, August 19, 2016
The American Riviera
In 1884 Henry M. Flagler, sometimes known as a captain of industry, came to St. Augustine, Florida. It was during that visit when he purchased some marsh land within the city gates of St. Augustine, filled it up and built Ponce de Leon Hotel. A couple years later he purchased a small stretch of track from Jacksonville to St. Augustine. This small track would eventually stretch all the way down to Key West.
Flagler purchased land to build his railroad but to also build hotels. "In fact, whenever a town was platted, arrangements were contemporaneously made to supply a church and a school--and he was not particular as to the denomination of the religion to be supplied." Flagler did not finish this work by the end of the 19th century but he wasn't too farway from it's completion. He reached Miami by the end of the century and completed on to Key West in 1912.
There is much to read about Flagler and the growth of Florida. Here's how Nevin O. Winter in his book "Florida" © 1918, began his chapter on the American Riviera.
"The east coast of Florida has already developed into one of the famous playgrounds of the world. Because of the influence of the Gulf Stream, it enjoys unusual natural advantages, and there is a splendid equability of temperature. There is a general absence of foggy and rainy days, a preponderance of sunshine, and an opportunity for sea bathing every day in the year without joining the " polar club." Although the summers are long, the extreme heat is less than would naturally be expected, and the nights are almost invariably pleasant."
Flagler purchased land to build his railroad but to also build hotels. "In fact, whenever a town was platted, arrangements were contemporaneously made to supply a church and a school--and he was not particular as to the denomination of the religion to be supplied." Flagler did not finish this work by the end of the 19th century but he wasn't too farway from it's completion. He reached Miami by the end of the century and completed on to Key West in 1912.
There is much to read about Flagler and the growth of Florida. Here's how Nevin O. Winter in his book "Florida" © 1918, began his chapter on the American Riviera.
"The east coast of Florida has already developed into one of the famous playgrounds of the world. Because of the influence of the Gulf Stream, it enjoys unusual natural advantages, and there is a splendid equability of temperature. There is a general absence of foggy and rainy days, a preponderance of sunshine, and an opportunity for sea bathing every day in the year without joining the " polar club." Although the summers are long, the extreme heat is less than would naturally be expected, and the nights are almost invariably pleasant."
Thursday, August 18, 2016
19th Century Railroad Timeline
1800: Oliver Evans, an American, creates the earliest successful non-condensing high pressure stationary steam-engine.
1804: Oliver Evans builds his first steam-powered boat, weight: 4,000 lbs.
1804: Matthew Murray of Leeds, England invents a steam locomotive which runs on timber rails. This is probably the FIRST RAILROAD ENGINE. Seen by Richard Trevithick before he builds his loco.
1804: Richard Trevithick of Cornwall builds 40 psi steam locomotive for the Welsh Penydarran Railroad.
1807: The very first passenger train ran from Swansea to Mumbles on March 25th.
1808: Trevithick builds a circular railway in London's Torrington Square. Steam carriage Catch Me Who Can weighes 10 tons and makes 15 mph.
1812: The first commercially successful steam locomotives, using the Blenkinsop rack and pinion drive, commenced operation on the Middleton Railway. This was the world's first regular revenue-earning use of steam traction, as distinct from experimental operation.
1812: American Colonel John Stevens publishes a pamphlet containing:
"Documents tending to prove the superior advantages of Railways and Steam Carriages over Canal Navigation."
He also states,
"I can see nothing to hinder a steam carriage moving on its ways with a velocity of 100 miles an hour."
1813: Englishman William Hedley builds and patents 50 psi railroad loco which could haul 10 coal wagons at 5 mph, equal to 10 horses.
1814: Englishman George Stephenson builds Blucher, his first railway engine. Pulls 30 tons at 4 mph, but is not efficient.
1815: Stephenson's second engine: 6 wheels and a multitubular boiler.
1821: Englishman Julius Griffiths patents a passenger road locomotive.
1824: Construction begins on the 1st locomotive workshop in New Castle, England.
1824: Englishman David Gordon patents a steam-driven machine with legs which imitates the action of a horse's legs and feet. Not successful.
1825: Stephenson's 8-ton LOCOMOTION No. 1 built for the Stockton & Darlington Railroad. Capable of pulling 90 tons of coal at 15 mph. Stephenson plans all details of the line, and even designs the bridges, machinery, engines, turntables, switches, and crossings, and is responsible for every part of the work of their construction. (The passenger coaches of this time were all drawn by horses.)
1825: Colonel John Stevens builds a steam waggon which he placed on a circular railway before his house now Hudson Terrace at Hoboken, New Jersey.
1826: The first line of rails in the New England States is said to have been laid down at Quincy, Mass., 3 miles in length and pulled by horses.
1827: The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad is chartered to run from Baltimore to the Ohio River in Virginia. It was the first westward bound railroad in America. Wind power (sail on carriage) was tried, followed by horse power, with the horse walking on a treadmill which drove the carriage wheels!
1827: The Switch Back Gravity Railroad in Pennsylvania began operation in May of 1827 before work began on the B&O. It was the second railroad in the U.S., the first railroad in Pennsylvania and the first common carrier railroad in the U.S.
1828: Delaware & Hudson Canal Co. builds a railroad from their mines to the termination of the canal at Honesdale. Also pulled by horses.
1829: The first steam locomotive used in America, the English-built Stourbridge Lion, is put to work on the Delaware & Hudson. It is too heavy for the track (twice as heavy as had been promised by the builders), and is laid up next to the tracks as a stationary boiler.
1829: Peter Cooper of New York in 6 weeks time builds the Tom Thumb, a vertical boiler 1.4 HP locomotive, for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. It hauled 36 passengers at 18 mph in August 1830. It had a revolving fan for draught, used gun barrels for boiler tubes, and weighed less than one ton.
1829: James Wright of Columbia, PA. invents the cone "tread" of the wheel, which prevents wear of flanges and reduces resistance.
1829: Stephenson's Rocket wins a competition for locomotive power at the Rainhill Trials on the Manchester & Liverpool Railway. Capable of 30 mph with 30 passengers.
1830: The Best Friend is built at the West Point Foundery at New York for the Charlston & Hamburg Railroad. It was the first completely American-built steam engine to go into scheduled passenger service. It did excellent work until 1831 when the boiler exploded due to a reckless fireman, unexpectedly ending its, and his career.
1831: The 3.5 ton De Witt Clinton hauls 5 stage coach bodies on railroad wheels at 25 mph on the Mohawk & Hudson Railroad between Albany and Schenectady. This engine was lightly built, and was retired less than two years after going into service.
1831: The South Carolina was the first eight-wheeled engine.
1831: Robert Stevens, son of Colonel John Stevens, went to England and shipped back (unassembled) the John Bull for the Camden & Amboy Railroad in New Jersey. It was erected by mechanic Isaac Dripps, who had never seen a steam locomotive. There was no assembly manual. He made this the first locomotive fitted with a bell, headlight and cowcatcher, and it remained in service until 1866. Dripps went on to become superintendent of motive power for the Pennsylvania Railroad at Altoona.
1832: The Brother Jonathon was the first locomotive in the world to have a four-wheel leading truck. Designed by John B. Jervis for the Mohawk & Hudson Railroad.
1832: The American No. 1 was the first 4-4-0, the first of its class. It was capable of regular speeds of 60 mph with its 9.5" by 16" cylinders. Designed by John B. Jervis, Chief Engineer for the Mohawk & Hudson.
1832: The Atlantic on the B&O hauls 50 tons from Baltimore over a distance of 40 miles at 12 to 15 mph. This engine weighed 6.5 tons, carried 50 pounds of steam and burned a ton of anthracite coal on the round trip. The round trip cost $16, doing the work of 42 horses, which had cost $33 per trip. The engine cost $4,500, and was designed by Phineas Davis, assisted by Ross Winans. English locomotives burned bituminous coal.
1833: George Stephenson applies a small steam brake cylinder to operate brake shoes on driving wheels of locomotives.
1855: The first land grant railroad in the U. S. is completed. The Illinois Central arrives in Dunleith, Illinois (now East Dubuque).
1856: The first railroad bridge across the Mississippi River is completed between Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa.
1860: Nehemiah Hodge, a Connecticut railway mechanic, patents a locomotive vacuum brake. Pressure is limited to atmospheric (14.7 psi), but practical considerations limit pressure to 7 to 8 psi. Thus, available braking power is low, especially above 3,000 feet altitude.
1862: President Abraham Lincoln signs the Pacific Railway Act, which authorizes the construction of the first transcontinental railroad. Theodore Judah had the vision to build a railroad across the Sierra Nevada mountains in California, and then to continue the railroad across the United States. The Central Pacific Railroad was financed by The Big Four: Collis Huntington, Leland Stanford, Charles Crocker and Mark Hopkins.
1868: Major Eli Janney, a confederate veteran of the civil war, invents the knuckle coupler. This semi-automatic device locks upon the cars closing together without the rail worker getting between the cars. This replaces the "link and pin" coupler, which was a major cause of injuries to railroad workers. A "cut" lever at the corner of the car releases the coupler knuckle making uncoupling safer.
1869: George Westinghouse, an inventive Civil War veteran, develops the straight air brake. A Pennsy 4-4-0 and a couple of passenger cars are fitted with the system and successfully demonstrated on April 13th.
1869: The Central Pacific and Union Pacific meet at Promontory Summit, Utah for the driving of the golden spike on May 10th.
1872: George Westinghouse patents the first automatic air brake. This is basically the same system as is used by today's railroads.
1876: All Southern Pacific and Central Pacific passenger cars converted to air brakes.
1883: The Northern Pacific is completed at Gold Creek, Montana.
1883: The Southern Pacific is completed.
1885: The Santa Fe is completed.
1893: The Great Northern is completed in the Cascade Mountains of Washington.
1893: Federal Railway Safety Appliances Act instituted mandatory requirements for automatic air brake systems and automatic couplers, and required standardization of the location and specifications for appliances such as handholds and grab irons necessary for employees' use. This applied only to interstate rail traffic.
1893: On May 10th locomotive #999 of the New York Central & Hudson River RR hauled four heavy Wagner cars of the Empire State Express down a 0.28% grade at record-breaking speed. Although unverified, the conductor timed the speed at 112.5 mph over 1 mile, and at 102.8 mph over 5 miles. This 4-4-0 had 86" drivers for this run, and was later fitted with more normal 78" wheels as it now has on museum display.
1893: The first mainline electrification was in Baltimore, MD. A rigid overhead conductor supplied 675 VDC via one-sided tilted pantograph to the 96 ton 4-axle, 4-motor locomotives. These were very successful, hauling 1,800 ton trains up the 0.8% grade in the 1.25 mile Howard Street tunnel, where steam was not allowed to operate.
1804: Oliver Evans builds his first steam-powered boat, weight: 4,000 lbs.
1804: Matthew Murray of Leeds, England invents a steam locomotive which runs on timber rails. This is probably the FIRST RAILROAD ENGINE. Seen by Richard Trevithick before he builds his loco.
1804: Richard Trevithick of Cornwall builds 40 psi steam locomotive for the Welsh Penydarran Railroad.
1807: The very first passenger train ran from Swansea to Mumbles on March 25th.
1808: Trevithick builds a circular railway in London's Torrington Square. Steam carriage Catch Me Who Can weighes 10 tons and makes 15 mph.
1812: The first commercially successful steam locomotives, using the Blenkinsop rack and pinion drive, commenced operation on the Middleton Railway. This was the world's first regular revenue-earning use of steam traction, as distinct from experimental operation.
1812: American Colonel John Stevens publishes a pamphlet containing:
"Documents tending to prove the superior advantages of Railways and Steam Carriages over Canal Navigation."
He also states,
"I can see nothing to hinder a steam carriage moving on its ways with a velocity of 100 miles an hour."
1813: Englishman William Hedley builds and patents 50 psi railroad loco which could haul 10 coal wagons at 5 mph, equal to 10 horses.
1814: Englishman George Stephenson builds Blucher, his first railway engine. Pulls 30 tons at 4 mph, but is not efficient.
1815: Stephenson's second engine: 6 wheels and a multitubular boiler.
1821: Englishman Julius Griffiths patents a passenger road locomotive.
1824: Construction begins on the 1st locomotive workshop in New Castle, England.
1824: Englishman David Gordon patents a steam-driven machine with legs which imitates the action of a horse's legs and feet. Not successful.
1825: Stephenson's 8-ton LOCOMOTION No. 1 built for the Stockton & Darlington Railroad. Capable of pulling 90 tons of coal at 15 mph. Stephenson plans all details of the line, and even designs the bridges, machinery, engines, turntables, switches, and crossings, and is responsible for every part of the work of their construction. (The passenger coaches of this time were all drawn by horses.)
1825: Colonel John Stevens builds a steam waggon which he placed on a circular railway before his house now Hudson Terrace at Hoboken, New Jersey.
1826: The first line of rails in the New England States is said to have been laid down at Quincy, Mass., 3 miles in length and pulled by horses.
1827: The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad is chartered to run from Baltimore to the Ohio River in Virginia. It was the first westward bound railroad in America. Wind power (sail on carriage) was tried, followed by horse power, with the horse walking on a treadmill which drove the carriage wheels!
1827: The Switch Back Gravity Railroad in Pennsylvania began operation in May of 1827 before work began on the B&O. It was the second railroad in the U.S., the first railroad in Pennsylvania and the first common carrier railroad in the U.S.
1828: Delaware & Hudson Canal Co. builds a railroad from their mines to the termination of the canal at Honesdale. Also pulled by horses.
1829: The first steam locomotive used in America, the English-built Stourbridge Lion, is put to work on the Delaware & Hudson. It is too heavy for the track (twice as heavy as had been promised by the builders), and is laid up next to the tracks as a stationary boiler.
1829: Peter Cooper of New York in 6 weeks time builds the Tom Thumb, a vertical boiler 1.4 HP locomotive, for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. It hauled 36 passengers at 18 mph in August 1830. It had a revolving fan for draught, used gun barrels for boiler tubes, and weighed less than one ton.
1829: James Wright of Columbia, PA. invents the cone "tread" of the wheel, which prevents wear of flanges and reduces resistance.
1829: Stephenson's Rocket wins a competition for locomotive power at the Rainhill Trials on the Manchester & Liverpool Railway. Capable of 30 mph with 30 passengers.
1830: The Best Friend is built at the West Point Foundery at New York for the Charlston & Hamburg Railroad. It was the first completely American-built steam engine to go into scheduled passenger service. It did excellent work until 1831 when the boiler exploded due to a reckless fireman, unexpectedly ending its, and his career.
1831: The 3.5 ton De Witt Clinton hauls 5 stage coach bodies on railroad wheels at 25 mph on the Mohawk & Hudson Railroad between Albany and Schenectady. This engine was lightly built, and was retired less than two years after going into service.
1831: The South Carolina was the first eight-wheeled engine.
1831: Robert Stevens, son of Colonel John Stevens, went to England and shipped back (unassembled) the John Bull for the Camden & Amboy Railroad in New Jersey. It was erected by mechanic Isaac Dripps, who had never seen a steam locomotive. There was no assembly manual. He made this the first locomotive fitted with a bell, headlight and cowcatcher, and it remained in service until 1866. Dripps went on to become superintendent of motive power for the Pennsylvania Railroad at Altoona.
1832: The Brother Jonathon was the first locomotive in the world to have a four-wheel leading truck. Designed by John B. Jervis for the Mohawk & Hudson Railroad.
1832: The American No. 1 was the first 4-4-0, the first of its class. It was capable of regular speeds of 60 mph with its 9.5" by 16" cylinders. Designed by John B. Jervis, Chief Engineer for the Mohawk & Hudson.
1832: The Atlantic on the B&O hauls 50 tons from Baltimore over a distance of 40 miles at 12 to 15 mph. This engine weighed 6.5 tons, carried 50 pounds of steam and burned a ton of anthracite coal on the round trip. The round trip cost $16, doing the work of 42 horses, which had cost $33 per trip. The engine cost $4,500, and was designed by Phineas Davis, assisted by Ross Winans. English locomotives burned bituminous coal.
1833: George Stephenson applies a small steam brake cylinder to operate brake shoes on driving wheels of locomotives.
1855: The first land grant railroad in the U. S. is completed. The Illinois Central arrives in Dunleith, Illinois (now East Dubuque).
1856: The first railroad bridge across the Mississippi River is completed between Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa.
1860: Nehemiah Hodge, a Connecticut railway mechanic, patents a locomotive vacuum brake. Pressure is limited to atmospheric (14.7 psi), but practical considerations limit pressure to 7 to 8 psi. Thus, available braking power is low, especially above 3,000 feet altitude.
1862: President Abraham Lincoln signs the Pacific Railway Act, which authorizes the construction of the first transcontinental railroad. Theodore Judah had the vision to build a railroad across the Sierra Nevada mountains in California, and then to continue the railroad across the United States. The Central Pacific Railroad was financed by The Big Four: Collis Huntington, Leland Stanford, Charles Crocker and Mark Hopkins.
1868: Major Eli Janney, a confederate veteran of the civil war, invents the knuckle coupler. This semi-automatic device locks upon the cars closing together without the rail worker getting between the cars. This replaces the "link and pin" coupler, which was a major cause of injuries to railroad workers. A "cut" lever at the corner of the car releases the coupler knuckle making uncoupling safer.
1869: George Westinghouse, an inventive Civil War veteran, develops the straight air brake. A Pennsy 4-4-0 and a couple of passenger cars are fitted with the system and successfully demonstrated on April 13th.
1869: The Central Pacific and Union Pacific meet at Promontory Summit, Utah for the driving of the golden spike on May 10th.
1872: George Westinghouse patents the first automatic air brake. This is basically the same system as is used by today's railroads.
1876: All Southern Pacific and Central Pacific passenger cars converted to air brakes.
1883: The Northern Pacific is completed at Gold Creek, Montana.
1883: The Southern Pacific is completed.
1885: The Santa Fe is completed.
1893: The Great Northern is completed in the Cascade Mountains of Washington.
1893: Federal Railway Safety Appliances Act instituted mandatory requirements for automatic air brake systems and automatic couplers, and required standardization of the location and specifications for appliances such as handholds and grab irons necessary for employees' use. This applied only to interstate rail traffic.
1893: On May 10th locomotive #999 of the New York Central & Hudson River RR hauled four heavy Wagner cars of the Empire State Express down a 0.28% grade at record-breaking speed. Although unverified, the conductor timed the speed at 112.5 mph over 1 mile, and at 102.8 mph over 5 miles. This 4-4-0 had 86" drivers for this run, and was later fitted with more normal 78" wheels as it now has on museum display.
1893: The first mainline electrification was in Baltimore, MD. A rigid overhead conductor supplied 675 VDC via one-sided tilted pantograph to the 96 ton 4-axle, 4-motor locomotives. These were very successful, hauling 1,800 ton trains up the 0.8% grade in the 1.25 mile Howard Street tunnel, where steam was not allowed to operate.
Monday, March 14, 2016
Sand House for Railroads
I'm not sure that I'd ever given much thought to the Railroads needing or using sand before but below is some basic information on a Sand house build for and maintained in Richmond VA. from "Buildings and Structures of American Railroads."
Sand-house at Richmond, Va., Richmond & Alleghany Railroad.—The sand-house of the Richmond & Alleghany Railroad, shown in Figs. 174 and 175, is a good type of a cheap sand-house, where a limited amount of sand is used.
The house is a low frame structure, 16 ft. 6 in. × 14 ft. 6 in., with an open bin, 6 ft. 6 in. X 14 ft. 6 in., adjoining one end of the building for the wet sand. In operating this house the wet sand is delivered from cars into the open bin, and from thence it is shovelled, as required, through an opening in the side of the building into an interior storage-bin for wet sand. A cast-iron sand-drying stove is located in the middle of the house, which is filled from the wet-sand bin. As the sand dries, it drops to the floor through openings in the sides of the stove, from where it is thrown on a screen placed over the dry-sand bin at the other end of the building. The enginemen are required to enter the house and fill their buckets with sand directly from the dry-sand bin.
The frame is 10 ft. high on the front of the building and 9 ft. on the rear. The principal sizes are as follows: sills, 4 in. x 6 in. ; plates, 4 in. X 4 in.; corner and door studs, 4 in. X 4 in.; intermediate studding, 3 in. X 4 in., spaced about 18 in.; nailers, 3 in. X 4 in.; rafters, 2 in. X 6 in.; posts for bin partitions, 3 in. X 4 in.; rails for bin partitions, 4 m. X 6 in.; floor in bins, 2 in. ; outside sheathing, J-in. vertical boards with battens; roof-sheathing, Jan. boards, covered with tin.
While, as stated above, this is a representative design for a cheap sand-house, it could be improved by roofing over the outer wet-sand bin, and the second handling of the wet sand from the outside bin to the interior one should be avoided.
Sand-house at Richmond, Va., Richmond & Alleghany Railroad.—The sand-house of the Richmond & Alleghany Railroad, shown in Figs. 174 and 175, is a good type of a cheap sand-house, where a limited amount of sand is used.
The house is a low frame structure, 16 ft. 6 in. × 14 ft. 6 in., with an open bin, 6 ft. 6 in. X 14 ft. 6 in., adjoining one end of the building for the wet sand. In operating this house the wet sand is delivered from cars into the open bin, and from thence it is shovelled, as required, through an opening in the side of the building into an interior storage-bin for wet sand. A cast-iron sand-drying stove is located in the middle of the house, which is filled from the wet-sand bin. As the sand dries, it drops to the floor through openings in the sides of the stove, from where it is thrown on a screen placed over the dry-sand bin at the other end of the building. The enginemen are required to enter the house and fill their buckets with sand directly from the dry-sand bin.
The frame is 10 ft. high on the front of the building and 9 ft. on the rear. The principal sizes are as follows: sills, 4 in. x 6 in. ; plates, 4 in. X 4 in.; corner and door studs, 4 in. X 4 in.; intermediate studding, 3 in. X 4 in., spaced about 18 in.; nailers, 3 in. X 4 in.; rafters, 2 in. X 6 in.; posts for bin partitions, 3 in. X 4 in.; rails for bin partitions, 4 m. X 6 in.; floor in bins, 2 in. ; outside sheathing, J-in. vertical boards with battens; roof-sheathing, Jan. boards, covered with tin.
While, as stated above, this is a representative design for a cheap sand-house, it could be improved by roofing over the outer wet-sand bin, and the second handling of the wet sand from the outside bin to the interior one should be avoided.
Monday, March 7, 2016
Ice Houses for Railroads
Below is the opening paragraphs from a chapter of "Buildings and Structures of American Railroads." I'm always fascinated by how 19th Century folks stored ice. As a writer I'm also curious as to the reasoning behind how and why things were done in the past. So, enjoy this little tidbit.
ICE-HOUSES.
Railroads have to supply ice for drinking purposes at depots, offices, shops, and in passenger-cars, and for preserving perishable freight while it is in transit in refrigerator cars or stored in freight-houses. The consumption of ice on railroads has reached such propor tions that it has been found advantageous to build special ice houses, so as to allow the railroad company to have control of its ice supply, and to be independent of local ice companies.
These houses are stocked by the railroad company during the winter season, either from convenient sources under their own control, and with their own men, or the work is let out by contract. Ice-houses should be so located as to admit of a track being run alongside of them, in order to reduce the cost of handling the ice to a minimum. Two systems have been adopted by railroads for obtaining their ice supply. One is to locate large storage-houses at lakes, ponds, or rivers, in other words, adjacent to the sources of the supply, and to ship ice daily or at intervals from these large storage-houses to smaller houses along the line, from where it is dealt out in such quantities as required. In the other system, the ice, when harvested, is immediately loaded on cars and transferred, while the weather is cold, and hence with small wastage, to large storage-houses at important stations along the line, where considerable quantities of ice are used, as at junction or terminal stations, or where passengertrains change engines and cars are iced, or at division yards where refrigerator-cars require icing before continuing on to their destination.
Ice-coolers of passenger-trains are usually iced at stations where engines are changed, the work being done by car-inspectors or station hands. For this purpose ice is generally carried in baskets from the ice-house to the station building before the arrival of trains. Where the ice-house is some distance from the station building, ice is brought in hampers or on trucks, once or several times a day, to a spare room or enclosure at the station building, and there washed, cut to size, and held ready for use. Refrigerator-cars are iced in the same way while en route, if necessary. Where feasible, however, they arc run on to a special siding, as near the ice-house as possible, with a trestling or elevated platform alongside the siding at about the height of the top of the cars connecting with the ice-house to facilitate the handling of the ice from the house to the cars.
Relative to the quantity of ice used for various purposes, it is impossible to give data that will hold in all parts of the country. The following information can be taken as a fair average obtained from actual observation on one of the leading Eastern trunk lines. There are, generally, one or two coolers in every passenger-car or Pullman coach, each cooler holding from 30 to 40 lbs. of ice. This amount will last about 16 hours in summer and about 24 hours in winter, although, if the cars are kept well heated in winter, the ice will melt about as fast as it does in summer. Thus, with the knowledge of the number of regular trains running on a road, the approximate amount of ice required for the passenger service can be ascertained. Provision should be made, however, for irregular and summer excursion trains, which latter require fully twice as much ice as regular trains. The quantity of ice needed for station and office use is determined by the number of coolers. Small stations, on the road referred to above, receive 30 lbs. of ice daily in summer, while large stations receive from 75 to 125 lbs. The amount of ice required at shops varies according to the number of men employed. Probably from 200 lbs. to 1000 lbs. daily during the summer months will answer, the latter amount being ample for the largest shop system. The data at hand relative to the ice capacity of refrigerator-cars varies considerably. According to the kind of car used and the service expected of it, one charge will take from 1000 to 4100 lbs., which charge will last from 2$ or 3 days to a week. Ice melts faster in cars that are in motion than when they are standing.
ICE-HOUSES.
Railroads have to supply ice for drinking purposes at depots, offices, shops, and in passenger-cars, and for preserving perishable freight while it is in transit in refrigerator cars or stored in freight-houses. The consumption of ice on railroads has reached such propor tions that it has been found advantageous to build special ice houses, so as to allow the railroad company to have control of its ice supply, and to be independent of local ice companies.
These houses are stocked by the railroad company during the winter season, either from convenient sources under their own control, and with their own men, or the work is let out by contract. Ice-houses should be so located as to admit of a track being run alongside of them, in order to reduce the cost of handling the ice to a minimum. Two systems have been adopted by railroads for obtaining their ice supply. One is to locate large storage-houses at lakes, ponds, or rivers, in other words, adjacent to the sources of the supply, and to ship ice daily or at intervals from these large storage-houses to smaller houses along the line, from where it is dealt out in such quantities as required. In the other system, the ice, when harvested, is immediately loaded on cars and transferred, while the weather is cold, and hence with small wastage, to large storage-houses at important stations along the line, where considerable quantities of ice are used, as at junction or terminal stations, or where passengertrains change engines and cars are iced, or at division yards where refrigerator-cars require icing before continuing on to their destination.
Ice-coolers of passenger-trains are usually iced at stations where engines are changed, the work being done by car-inspectors or station hands. For this purpose ice is generally carried in baskets from the ice-house to the station building before the arrival of trains. Where the ice-house is some distance from the station building, ice is brought in hampers or on trucks, once or several times a day, to a spare room or enclosure at the station building, and there washed, cut to size, and held ready for use. Refrigerator-cars are iced in the same way while en route, if necessary. Where feasible, however, they arc run on to a special siding, as near the ice-house as possible, with a trestling or elevated platform alongside the siding at about the height of the top of the cars connecting with the ice-house to facilitate the handling of the ice from the house to the cars.
Relative to the quantity of ice used for various purposes, it is impossible to give data that will hold in all parts of the country. The following information can be taken as a fair average obtained from actual observation on one of the leading Eastern trunk lines. There are, generally, one or two coolers in every passenger-car or Pullman coach, each cooler holding from 30 to 40 lbs. of ice. This amount will last about 16 hours in summer and about 24 hours in winter, although, if the cars are kept well heated in winter, the ice will melt about as fast as it does in summer. Thus, with the knowledge of the number of regular trains running on a road, the approximate amount of ice required for the passenger service can be ascertained. Provision should be made, however, for irregular and summer excursion trains, which latter require fully twice as much ice as regular trains. The quantity of ice needed for station and office use is determined by the number of coolers. Small stations, on the road referred to above, receive 30 lbs. of ice daily in summer, while large stations receive from 75 to 125 lbs. The amount of ice required at shops varies according to the number of men employed. Probably from 200 lbs. to 1000 lbs. daily during the summer months will answer, the latter amount being ample for the largest shop system. The data at hand relative to the ice capacity of refrigerator-cars varies considerably. According to the kind of car used and the service expected of it, one charge will take from 1000 to 4100 lbs., which charge will last from 2$ or 3 days to a week. Ice melts faster in cars that are in motion than when they are standing.
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