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1. Built in the UK in 1831 and named after a famous UK personification (but put into operation in New Jersey), this is the oldest still-operable railway steam engine in the world. Operated by the Camden & Amboy Railroad Company, it ran between 1833 and 1866 and went through numerous mechanical and cosmetic improvements before being retired. It can now be seen in the Smithsonian Institute. What is its name?
2. This was an engine series rather than a single engine. Twenty-five of these steam-powered monsters were made; at 85 feet, the longest production engines ever built. They went into service shortly before the diesel-electric locomotive started replacing steam, so their useful life ended up being rather limited. They had a wheel arrangement of 4-8-8-4, with sixteen drive wheels. They were known as what?
3. Another "oldest" engine, this is the oldest surviving railway engine in the world, but this one is no longer operational. It was built in England in 1813-14 and hauled coal until 1862, at the unbelievable speed of 5 mph. It was a simple mechanism consisting of a large circular barrel and a long smoke stack, and was originally built on four wheels, but its great weight necessitated bumping that up to eight for the inferior rails available at the time. Most unusual about its appearance compared to later trains were the visible mechanical levers above the boiler that operated the wheels. It was given what name?
4. Built in 1829 by the Stephenson Company, this little engine beat out four other models in trial runs and achieved a top speed of 24 mph. With a huge smokestack in front and pistons angled 35 degrees from horizontal to drive the front wheels, it looked as unusual as its design, which featured much more copper piping for heating water into steam and a drafting system that kept the fire hot. It operated between Liverpool & Manchester and was called by what name?
5. The first American-made and designed steam locomotive was run by the Baltimore & Ohio line. In its first test run it reached a top speed of 10-15 mph, but still lost to a horse. The B&O accepted it anyway and used it for many years. The original no longer exists, and later reproductions are much larger and weigh much more. The original got its name from its small size, weighing less than a ton in weight. What was its name?
6. One of the more truly original trains to come out of the US, this model featured one of the earliest diesel engines, the earliest successful streamline design, stainless steel bodies that would later become standard, and Jacob's bogies connecting the cars, a wheel system that supported half the weight of two cars on a single "truck" rather than each car having separate wheels at each end. On its first run, the Dawn to Dusk Dash in 1934, it cut the time taken by other trains between Denver and Chicago from 25 hours to just over 13. Almost all later designed American passenger trains, including Amtrak, took their design cues from this one. What was its name?
7. The most famous engine of the US Civil War was stolen by Northern soldiers and abandoned after being chased almost single-handedly by its engineer in several other trains. While not being particularly special in its own right, this 4-4-0 steam locomotive became nationally known from the daring theft and recovery and became a "star", appearing at World's Fairs and Civil War memorial events for more than a century afterwards. Buster Keaton's best movie took its name and plot from this train. What was its name?
8. Not an early steam locomotive but a later one, this engine was named after the line it was built to be run on. Completed in 1923, it has been called the world's most famous steam train. It was the first steam locomotive to be officially timed at 100 mph, and after being retired from active service in 1963, it went on world tours in the US and Australia. While in Australia, it set a new non-stop long distance record for a steam train of 422 miles in 1989. A 4-6-2 locomotive in black and green, it is called what?
9. The first engine built for service by Matthias Baldwin was named after the nickname of the USS Constitution, an even more famous ship that managed to win four naval engagements during the War of 1812 between Britain and the US. With a relatively simple 2-2-0 design with just two driving wheels and finished in 1832, this engine was built for the Philadelphia, Germantown & Norristown Railroad. What was its name?
10. Another old-timer, one of the earliest locomotives built in the United States was an 0-4-0 model with just enough room for the engineer, and no protection of any kind from smoke, soot, or sparks from the engine, for engineer or passengers. It was the first train to offer passenger service in New York, along the Mohawk & Hudson line. When it started operation in 1831, running from Albany to Schenectady, only the very rich could afford a ticket to ride it. It was just the third engine built in the US, though designed in the UK and assembled at West Point Foundry, Cold Point, NY. Ironically named after a New York governor who had championed the building of the Erie Canal which the new engine competed with, it was known by what name?
Source: Author
HairyBear
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stedman before going online.
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