Sandusky (locomotive)
Encyclopedia
Sandusky was the name of a steam railroad locomotive
, a 4-2-0
, built in the United 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 of Ohio
.
; 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 the United States
, the Best Friend of Charleston
is more widely accepted as the first; the Best Friend of Charleston was built in 1831.
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 a patent
for the engine's counterbalance on July 12, 1837. Sandusky also featured the first use of hollow oval-shaped spokes in its driving wheels.
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 in Ohio
. Through this purchase, Sandusky earned a couple more firsts — it became the first locomotive to cross the Allegheny 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
.
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
, a 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...
, built in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. This locomotive included engineering features that hadn't been used before in locomotive construction and it played an integral role in the railroad history of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
.
History
Sandusky was the first locomotive built by Rogers, Ketchum & GrosvenorRogers Locomotive and Machine Works
Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works was a 19th-century manufacturer of railroad steam locomotives based in Paterson, in Passaic County, New Jersey, in the United States. It built more than six thousand steam locomotives for railroads around the world. Most railroads in 19th-century United States...
; it was completed in 1837. Thomas Rogers
Thomas Rogers (locomotive builder)
Thomas Rogers was an American mechanical engineer and founder of Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works of Paterson, New Jersey...
, the manufacturing company's founder, designed the locomotive. While some references cite Sandusky as the first locomotive built in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the Best Friend of Charleston
Best Friend of Charleston
The Best Friend of Charleston was a steam-powered railroad locomotive. It is widely acclaimed as the first locomotive to be built entirely within the United States. It also produced the first locomotive boiler explosion in the US.- History :...
is more widely accepted as the first; the Best Friend of Charleston was built in 1831.
The Sandusky, however, was the first locomotive to feature counterweights in its driving wheel
Driving wheel
On a steam locomotive, a driving wheel is a powered wheel which is driven by the locomotive's pistons...
s to offset the force of the piston stroke and the combined weight of the axle, wheels and piston rod against the railroad track
Rail tracks
The track on a railway or railroad, also known as the permanent way, is the structure consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers and ballast , plus the underlying subgrade...
. Rogers filed a 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....
for the engine's counterbalance on July 12, 1837. Sandusky also featured the first use of hollow oval-shaped spokes in its driving wheels.
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
Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad
The Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad was the second railroad to be built and operated in the U.S. state of Ohio...
(MR&LE), the first railroad built in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Through this purchase, Sandusky earned a couple more firsts — it became the first locomotive to cross the Allegheny Mountains
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
(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
Sandusky, Ohio
Sandusky is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Erie County. It is located in northern Ohio and is situated on the shores of Lake Erie, almost exactly half-way between Toledo to the west and Cleveland to the east....
to Bellevue
Bellevue, Ohio
Bellevue is a city in Erie, Huron, Sandusky and Seneca counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 8,193 at the 2000 census. The National Arbor Day Foundation has designated Bellevue as a Tree City USA....
.
Timeline
- October 3 or October 6, 1837: The Sandusky makes its first trial run between PatersonPaterson, New JerseyPaterson is a city serving as the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 146,199, rendering it New Jersey's third largest city and one of the largest cities in the New York City Metropolitan Area, despite a decrease of 3,023...
, Jersey CityJersey City, New JerseyJersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
, and New BrunswickNew Brunswick, New JerseyNew Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Some references cite October 3 while others cite October 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 in OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
.