- Sandusky (locomotive)
Infobox Locomotive
name="Sandusky"
powertype=Steam
whytetype=4-2-0
builder=Rogers, Ketchum & Grosvenor
builddate=1837
railroad=Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad
gauge=4 ft 10 in (1,473 mm)
cylindersize=11 in (279 mm) dia. x 16 in (406 mm) stroke
driversize=4 ft 6 in (1,372 mm) dia.
leadingsize=2 ft 6 in (762 mm) dia.
firstrundate=December 2 1837 inOhio "Sandusky" was the name of a steam
railroad locomotive , a4-2-0 , built in theUnited States . This locomotive included engineering features that hadn't been used before in locomotive construction and it played an integral role in the railroad history ofOhio .History
"Sandusky" was the first locomotive built by Rogers, Ketchum & Grosvenor; it was completed in
1837 . Thomas Rogers, the manufacturing company's founder, designed the locomotive. While some references cite "Sandusky" as the first locomotive built in theUnited States , the "Best Friend of Charleston " is more widely accepted as the first; the "Best Friend of Charleston" was built in1831 .The "Sandusky", however, was the first locomotive to feature counterweights in its
driving wheel s to offset the force of the piston stroke and the combined weight of the axle, wheels and piston rod against the railroad track. Rogers filed apatent for the engine's counterbalance onJuly 12 1837 . "Sandusky" also featured the first use of hollow oval-shaped spokes in its driving wheels. [White - History of the American locomotive p 177]While "Sandusky" was built for the New Jersey Railroad and Transportation Company, that railroad never actually purchased the engine. It was eventually sold to the
Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad (MR&LE), the first railroad built inOhio . Through this purchase, "Sandusky" earned a couple more firsts — it became the first locomotive to cross theAllegheny Mountains (although this crossing was made by river ferry and not by rail) and it was the first locomotive to operate in Ohio. Its transportation to Ohio was supervised by Thomas Hogg. The "Sandusky" pulled the first train on the MR&LE from Sandusky to Bellevue.Timeline
*
October 3 orOctober 6 1837 : The "Sandusky" makes its first trial run between Paterson, Jersey City, and New BrunswickNew Jersey . Some references citeOctober 3 while others citeOctober 6 as the locomotive's first trial operations.
*October 14 1837 : The Mad River & Lake Erie railroad purchases "Sandusky".
*December 2 1837 : "Sandusky" makes its first run on the MR&LE inOhio .References
* Moshein, Peter and Rothfus, Robert R., (
1992 ) Rogers locomotives: A brief history and construction list, "Railroad History" (167) 13-147.
* [http://www.steamlocomotive.com/builders/ "Steam Locomotive Builders"]
* [http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/absa3.Html "The Evolution of the American Locomotive"]
* [http://www.onebellevue.com/madriver/MR&LERRH.htm Mad River & Lake Erie Railroad History]
* [http://www.onebellevue.com/madriver/MadRiverHogg.html Obituary of Thomas Hogg]
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