In 1998 a gentleman by the name of Andre Kristopans put together a web page highlighting virtually every unit every out-shopped by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division. Besides the 48 conterminous states that occupy the middle latitudes of the continent, the United States includes the state of Alaska, at the northwestern extreme of North America, and the island state of Hawaii, in the…, Steam engine, machine using steam power to perform mechanical work through the agency of heat. Today, there are tens of thousands of miles scattered throughout the country. It sported an upright boiler like Cooper's "Tom Thumb" but also featured some now-common steam designs such as rod-connected drivers and a trailing tender to store the wood (really just a two-axle flat car with small sides). Upon departing the steam locomotive enshrined itself into the history books as the first ever to pull a regularly scheduled passenger train in the United States. A few months later in December, “Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”, Charleston in Charleston County, South Carolina —, The Best Friend of Charleston. And then the train exploded. The city's newspaper, the Charleston Courier noted, "The one hundred and forty-one persons flew on the wings of wind at the speed of fifteen to twenty-five miles per hour, annihilating time and spaceâ¦leaving all the world behind. On June 17, 1831, only 6 months after its launch, the Best Friend of Charleston made history again. All photos and videos, copyright individual owners/organizations. Of note, there is also another, non-operable, replica on display at the South Carolina State Museum, in Columbia. The information includes original numbers, serials, and order numbers. After arriving disassembled in Charleston it was rebuilt and ready for trails by November 2nd. A vertical boiler mounted on a four-wheel carriage, the Best Friend was built by the West Point Foundry of New York and put into service on a broad-gauge line from Charleston to Hamburg, S.C., by the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company on Dec. 25, 1830. The B&O was created by Baltimore This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Best-Friend-of-Charleston, South Carolina Encyclopedia - Best Friend of Charleston, Teaching American History in South Carolina - The Best Friend of Charleston, The Charleston Railroad. After the incident the railroad salvaged parts from the Best Friend to construct the Phoenix, which remained in use until the start of the Civil War in 1861. organized on April 24th, 1827 was the first, true common-carrier line It is an excellent resource with thousands of historic maps on file throughout the country. © Copyright 2007-2020 American-Rails.com. In October, 1830 the SCC&RR received its order after it had been delivered aboard the ship Niagara. NS had the locomotive completely overhauled at its Chattanooga shops and it looks quite stunning repainted in its original ornate livery of red and green with gold trim. In a steam engine, hot steam, usually…. He convinced the owners to use steam instead of horses to power their first locomotive, noting, "there was no reason to believe that the breed of horses would be materially improved, but that the present breed of locomotives was to furnish a power of which no one knew its limit." new invention on February 21, 1804, it was clear that railroads could established in the country. Wes Barris's SteamLocomotive.com is simply the best web resource in the study of steam locomotives. Today, two replicas of the Best Friend survive and both are owned by South Carolina institutions. After its inaugural run on ChristmasDay, the Best Friend was used in regular passenger service along a six-mile (9.7 km) demonstration route in Charleston. Although motive power for a train-set can be incorporated into a car that also has passenger, baggage, or freight accommodations, it most often is provided by a separate unit, the locomotive, which includes…, United States, country in North America, a federal republic of 50 states. Sadly, disaster struck in June, 1831, when her boiler exploded. Alas, in 2013 the site closed by thankfully Don Strack rescued the data and transferred it over to his UtahRails.net site (another fine resource).
DeWitt Clinton John Bull Stephenson's "Planet" Stephenson's "Rocket" Stourbridge Lion Tom Thumb, The Largest System Of Its Day, The South Carolina Canal And Rail Road Company. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). the steam locomotive by Richard Trevithick of England who showcased his Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. The first commercially-built American steam locomotive, the Best Friend of Charleston, was the first train to offer regular passenger service. Alas, in 2013 the site closed by thankfully Don Strack rescued the data and transferred it over to his. Today, there are tens of thousands of miles scattered throughout the country. The line later became part of the Southern Railway System, which became part of Norfolk Southern Corp. in 1982. Many were pulled up in the 1970's and 1980's although others were removed long before that. Best Friend of Charleston, first steam locomotive built in the United States for regular railway service. Unfortunately, locomotives of this era were not exactly constructed to any type of standards or overseen by regulations and after less than one year of service it suffered a boiler explosion. small incline railways and local horse-drawn operations were in service For full treatment of steam power and production and of steam engines and turbines, see Energy Conversion: Steam engines. Best Friend was subsequently rebuilt and served as the Phoenix. The explosion threw the engine 25 feet and killed the fireman. The website contains everything from historic (fallen flags) to contemporary (Class I's, regionals, short lines, and even some museums/tourist lines) rosters, locomotive production information, technical data, all notable models cataloged by the five major builders (American Locomotive, Electro-Motive, General Electric, Fairbanks-Morse, and Baldwin), and much more.
The first commercially-built American steam locomotive, the, 3. Copyright © 2006–2020, Some rights reserved. Roger Puta photo. Y tell me your dirtiest train fact In 1825, there was a guy so thicc, he literally caused a steam locomotive to explode using only his The locomotive's name was Best Friend of Charleston, and the thice man was the fireman, the man in charge of keeping the fire burning. A popular pastime for many is studying and/or exploring abandoned rights-of-way. base of operations, Charleston, South Carolina as during those early service, the Best Friend of Charleston on the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. He pressed down the valve and few moments later an explosion rocked the locomotive killing him, scalding the engineer and scattering the boiler all over the country side. A popular pastime for many is studying and/or exploring abandoned rights-of-way. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Locomotive, any of various self-propelled vehicles used for hauling railroad cars on tracks.