Gridley Bryant
Encyclopedia
Gridley Bryant was an American
construction engineer
who ended up building the first commercial railroad in the United States and inventing most of the basic technologies involved in it. His son, Gridley James Fox Bryant
, was a famous 19th century architect and builder.
in Boston, Massachusetts, and the Bunker Hill Monument
in Charlestown, Massachusetts
. In investigating how to move the granite
needed for these projects from the quarry in Quincy
to the work sites, he concluded that the best method would be via a railroad, much like that of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway
which was still in the planning stages at the time. A reluctant state legislature
granted Bryant a charter to build a railroad with Bunker Hill monument director Thomas Handasyd Perkins
as the principal financier and owner of a majority of the shares. Construction began on the Granite Railway
, one of the first railroads in North America, on April 1, 1826, with the first train operating on the railroad on October 7, 1826.
Since the railroad was essentially new technology, Bryant had to create the designs for nearly every aspect of the railroad, including the cars (4- and 8-wheel designs), track, switches, wheels, turntable, and load transfer equipment. Mr. Bryant utilized similar developments and technologies that had already been in use on the railroads in England, but he modified his design to allow for heavier, more concentrated loads and a three-foot frost line. The only real difference between Bryant's Granite Railway and the Liverpool and Manchester was in the motive power; Bryant used horse
s and gravity to pull his trains, while the Liverpool and Manchester used steam locomotive
s. Although he designed and created all of the machinery, Bryant did not file patent
s on any of his inventions for the railroad. In 1834, Ross Winans
filed a patent for the eight-wheel car design that Bryant had first invented. Bryant was called upon as an expert witness by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
in an effort to invalidate Winans' patent.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
construction engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
who ended up building the first commercial railroad in the United States and inventing most of the basic technologies involved in it. His son, Gridley James Fox Bryant
Gridley James Fox Bryant
Gridley James Fox Bryant was a famous 19th century Boston architect and builder. His work was seen in custom houses, government buildings, churches, schoolhouses, and private residences across the United States.Bryant was born to Marcia Winship Fox and Gridley Bryant, noted railway pioneer...
, was a famous 19th century architect and builder.
Biography
Bryant invented a portable derrick in 1823 and soon gained a reputation for being a master structure builder. He was awarded the contract to build the United States BankSecond Bank of the United States
The Second Bank of the United States was chartered in 1816, five years after the First Bank of the United States lost its own charter. The Second Bank of the United States was initially headquartered in Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, the same as the First Bank, and had branches throughout the...
in Boston, Massachusetts, and the Bunker Hill Monument
Bunker Hill Monument
-External links:****: cultural context**...
in Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located on a peninsula north of downtown Boston. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...
. In investigating how to move the granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
needed for these projects from the quarry in Quincy
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
to the work sites, he concluded that the best method would be via a railroad, much like that of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway
Liverpool and Manchester Railway
The Liverpool and Manchester Railway was the world's first inter-city passenger railway in which all the trains were timetabled and were hauled for most of the distance solely by steam locomotives. The line opened on 15 September 1830 and ran between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester in North...
which was still in the planning stages at the time. A reluctant state legislature
Massachusetts General Court
The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...
granted Bryant a charter to build a railroad with Bunker Hill monument director Thomas Handasyd Perkins
Thomas Handasyd Perkins
Colonel Thomas Handasyd Perkins, or T. H. Perkins was a wealthy Boston merchant and an archetypical Boston Brahmin. Starting with bequests from his grandfather and father-in-law, he amassed a huge fortune...
as the principal financier and owner of a majority of the shares. Construction began on the Granite Railway
Granite Railway
-References:** privately printed for The Granite Railway Company, 1926.* Scholes, Robert E. , .******Dutton, E.P. Published 1867. A good map of roads and rail lines around Quincy and Milton including the Granite Railroad.* * *...
, one of the first railroads in North America, on April 1, 1826, with the first train operating on the railroad on October 7, 1826.
Since the railroad was essentially new technology, Bryant had to create the designs for nearly every aspect of the railroad, including the cars (4- and 8-wheel designs), track, switches, wheels, turntable, and load transfer equipment. Mr. Bryant utilized similar developments and technologies that had already been in use on the railroads in England, but he modified his design to allow for heavier, more concentrated loads and a three-foot frost line. The only real difference between Bryant's Granite Railway and the Liverpool and Manchester was in the motive power; Bryant used horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s and gravity to pull his trains, while the Liverpool and Manchester used steam locomotive
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...
s. Although he designed and created all of the machinery, Bryant did not file patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s on any of his inventions for the railroad. In 1834, Ross Winans
Ross Winans
Ross Winans was an American inventor, mechanic, and builder of locomotives and railroad machinery. He is also noted for design of pioneering cigar-hulled ships. Winans, one of the United States' first multi-millionaires, was involved in politics and was a vehement states' rights advocate...
filed a patent for the eight-wheel car design that Bryant had first invented. Bryant was called upon as an expert witness by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
in an effort to invalidate Winans' patent.