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Steam Locomotive, John Bull

National Museum of American History

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Object Details

Camden and Amboy Railroad
Stevens, Robert
assembled by
Dripps, Isaac
Robert Stephenson and Company
Description
Knowing the best locomotives were made in England, Robert Stevens ordered one from Robert Stevenson & Company of New Castle for the Camden and Amboy Railroad which ran across central New Jersey. The "John Bull," named later for the mythical gentleman who symbolized England, was the result.
The locomotive was built as a standard 0-4-0 Planet class. Never seeing a locomotive before, Isaac Dripps, a young steamboat mechanic, assembled the engine from the parts that arrived in New Jersey in September 1831. It was tested that same month. The locomotive proved vulnerable to derailment. Dripps installed an extra pair of wheels, carried in a frame out front. Stevens called them "guide wheels"; they helped to steer the locomotive in curves and over uneven rails. The innovation worked so well that the Camden and Amboy bought 15 American copies of "John Bull" with the added wheels. By the end of the 1830s, American manufacturers were building locomotives and exporting to Russia and other countries that had vast terrain much like America.
The steam locomotive "John Bull" ran for 35 years, pulling trains of passengers and cargo between the two largest cities of the time, Philadelphia and New York. A short ferry ride connected Camden with Philadelphia and a longer ferry run connected South Amboy with New York. The locomotive propelled trains at 25 to 30 miles per hour.
Credit Line
Pennsylvania Railroad Co.
1831
ID Number
TR.180001
accession number
15804
catalog number
180001
Object Name
locomotive
locomotive, full size
Other Terms
locomotive, steam; Rail
Physical Description
iron (overall material)
wood (overall material)
copper (overall material)
brass (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 11 1/2 ft x 7 1/2 ft x 36 1/4 ft; 3.5052 m x 2.286 m x 11.049 m
Place Made
United Kingdom: England, Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne
place assembled
United States: New Jersey
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Work and Industry: Transportation, Railroad
Transportation
Exhibition
East End First Floor Lobby
Exhibition Location
National Museum of American History
National Museum of American History
subject
Railroads
Locomotives
Record ID
nmah_841968
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b3-4fa3-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

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Locomotive, John Bull
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