| times been
purchased from various builders and even imported from abroad, and valuable
results have been obtained from the operation of such locomotives. With
few exceptions, however, all the locomotives now operating on the Pennsylvania
were built from designs prepared by the Motive Power Department, and an
engine built by contract is in all respects a duplicate of one of the same
class constructed in the Company's shops at Altoona.
As the Pennsylvania Railroad Company  was not incorporated until 1846 and did not begin to function as a common carrier until 1849, it cannot be classed as one of the pioneer railroad organizations of the United States. Subsequently, however, it purchased or leased roads which were among the first to be built in this country, so that its history properly goes back to the early days of railroading. Some account of the locomotives used on the more important of these roads, therefore, naturally forms a part of the history of the Pennsylvania's motive power, and will be first presented in this series of articles Among the railroads which were absorbed by the Pennsylvania System, probably the most important was the Philadelphia and Columbia, which constituted part of what was known as the Main Line of the Public Works of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This line consisted of a combination of |
railroads and
canals, the construction of which was authorized by the State Legislature
in 1828. The contracts for the work were placed by the Canal Commissioners,
under whose supervision the line was operated. This line consisted of a
railroad from Philadelphia to Columbia, 82 miles; the Eastern Division
of the Canal, from Columbia to Hollidaysburg, 172 miles; the Allegheny
Portage Railroad, from Hollidaysburg to Johnstown, 36 miles, crossing the
Allegheny Mountains; and the Western Division of the Canal, from Johnstown
to Pittsburgh, 104 miles. The line was opened throughout its entire length
in 1834, and at the time was considered a remarkable example of engineering
skill. According to a report made by the Auditor General in 1843, the total
cost to the State, of these roads and canals, was $14,362,320.35; but the
System, while of great value to the public, did not prove remunerative.
The Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad had an inclined plane at either end, worked by stationary engines, for climbing the banks of the Schuylkill and Susquehanna Rivers respectively. The intervening railroad had frequent curves, the sharpest of 631 feet radius, and maximum short grades of 45 feet per mile, with longer grades of 30 feet per mile. It was at first used as a public highway for privately owned vehicles, which were drawn by horses. This practice was continued until April 1, 1844, when it was finally prohibited by law, owing to the confusion resulting from the use of two radically different types of motive power on the same railroad. The advantages of steam power had been early recognized, however, and by an act of the Pennsylvania Legislature approved April 15, 1834, the Canal Commissioners were authorized to use locomotives. Matthias W. Baldwin, founder of The Baldwin Locomotive Works, had by that time established himself in Philadelphia as a locomotive builder, and he received an order from the Commissioners for several engines. The first of these, the " Lancaster, " was completed on June 25, 1834, and the second, the " Columbia, " on September 2nd of the same year. These locomotives were of the 4-2-0 type with 9 x 16-inch cylinders and driving wheels 54 inches in diameter; and they weighed each 17,000 pounds in working order. The general design is clearly shown in an accompanying illustration. These first locomotives were followed by |