The railroad transcended these obstacles and brought economic prosperity back to Charleston. On June 17, 1831, the Best Friend was the first locomotive in the US to suffer a boiler explosion. small incline railways and local horse-drawn operations were in service Eventually, the large Savannah River became the primary route to eastern ports. Dubbed "Best Friend of Charleston" by eager merchants, the train made its premier trip on Christmas Day 1830, becoming the first steam locomotive in the US to establish regularly scheduled passenger service. The train depot was heavily damaged by a fire in 1995, but it has since been restored as a museum. This replica still enjoys occasional "steam ups" by the Charleston Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society during large events Switch controlled forward and . ClassicTrains. The NS employee bringing the engine and its cars down the ramp is Charlie Powell Just A Car Guy Cool things with wheels since 2006 Friday, January 15, 2021 But this meant that more goods were heading to Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston was missing out on those export taxes. Sadly, disaster struck in June, 1831, when her boiler exploded. John Steven's was granted the first charter for a steam powered railroad in America in March 21, 1823. In the 1820s, the bustling seaport of Charleston experienced an alarming economic recession as settlements expanded inland and westward. In June 1831 an accident brought an end to the Best Friend. 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). 44, and Cole D. Walters' 2-4-2 No. Its notice in the Charleston Mercury, July 25, 1831 announced: The Locomotive Engine runs every day for passengers at half past 4 P.M. Parties wishing it at any other hour can be accommodated by applying to the Engineer. JULIUS CAESAR: ROMAN MILITARY MIGHT AND MACHINES, Museum Open This Weekend Buy One, Get One General Admission, Museum Operating Status Closed Due to Inclement Weather, PAST EXHIBIT Hall of Heroes Blockbuster Exhibition, PAST EXHIBIT: The International Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes, RACE: Are We So Different? Its performance exceeded expectations, with one observer writing that passengers flew on the wings of the wind at the speed of fifteen to twenty miles per hour, annihilating time and space.. This nameless Negro fireman was killed by his injuries, and was the first fatality on an America railroad. Corrections? In 1856, Joseph Pease and his family spent 50 to restore the S&DR Company's Locomotion No. Available for both RF and RM licensing. The engine was forgotten. When the Best Friend of Charleston, a replica of the first regularly operating steam train in this country, made its last trip this season in Louisville, passengers were unaware of this special run. Rivanna Chapter, National Railway Historical Society (2005). GreatFatsby 20 jan 2020. Remember how steam engines make that loud whistling noise? 1were lined up under steam. Disassembled for shipment by boat to Charleston, South Carolina, it arrived in October of that year and was unofficially named The Best Friend of Charleston. Then, tragedy struck. [6][pageneeded] The driver, who had to perch on a small platform beside the boiler, was James Stephenson, the elder brother to George Stephenson; the fireman, William Gowling, stood on a footplate between the engine and the tender. The line later became part of the Southern Railway System, which became part of Norfolk Southern Corp. in 1982. Advisory Committee, RACE: Are We So Different? Here are some pictures of the Best Friend of Charleston inside the museum at 32 Ann Street. John has traveled hundreds of thousands of miles, met thousands of people, counting many no as friends and acquired enough memorable experiences to fill a book. On June 17, 1831, it was the first American train to suffer a boiler explosion, which seriously injured its crew. Closed Color postcards of the Southern replica train have been on sale all over the state this year, and another working Best Friend has been built, by the Marion Machine Works of Marion, N. C., for a transportation museum at Santee called Wings and Wheels, where it pulls four cars around a mile loop and vies for attention with two Ford Tri-Motors. 1 became obsolete within a decade. "[2] The only faster mode of travel was by an experienced horse and rider. Both replicas have whistles -- unknown in 1830 and Santee's also has a bell. The Best Friend had a short life. It was carrying more than 100 tons of crude oil, and it burst into flames after going off the rails outside of Charleston. I. Thats the job he has now, but he has spent little time at it. She had just returned from Egypt where Anwar Sadat had given her a huge gold pendant necklace she was wearing, he said She accepted our charm with such courtesy and graciousness.. In 1998 a gentleman by the name ofAndre Kristopans put together a web page highlighting virtually every unit out-shopped by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division. A few months later in December, What started out for John as an occasional weekend rendezvous as an engineer turned into a full-fledged continuing love affair. There were four 4 feet (1.2m) diameter driving wheels. The locomotive was built for the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company by the West Point Foundry of New York in 1830. Sadly, the Best Friend of Charleston suffered a boiler explosion in . established in the country. 1), was the first steam locomotive to haul a passenger train on a public railway. I like trains. In 1928 an operable replica of the locomotive was completed using original blueprints upon which time it was donated to the city of Charleston in celebration of the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road's 100th anniversary. A power unit in the tender provides the Southern replica with emergency chain-drive propulsion, while the replica at Santee has one to generate electricity and drive a blower. It survived until Amtrak in 1971. On that day, it pulled a passenger train along a six-mile route. climbing a gradient upon setting off); this was common practice and a common cause of boiler bursts until a tamper-proof safety valve was produced. Other east coast cities took notice and the port of Charleston, South Carolina followed suit on December 19, 1827 establishing the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. When theres too much pressure from the steam in the boiler, a safety valve releases some of it. Johns most touching Best Friend experience occurred several years ago in Charleston. Southern saw the PR value of the little train and continued operating it through the merger with NS until the major reorganization and downsizing of NS operations staff in the fall of 1987 made it unpractical to keep it operational. From 1892 to 1975, Locomotion was on static display along with Derwent, another early locomotive, on one of the platforms overlooking the S&DR line to Saltburn-by-the-Sea at Darlington's main station Bank Top. Even though he was among movie stars, beauty queens, politicians and even astronauts, John always helped shine, clean, grease, load , unload and perform any other task that kept is Best Friend in top running order. This car measures approximately 3 1/2 inches in length.Condition: Factory New (C-9)Operational Status: Functional The resulting explosion blew the locomotives into pieces and the man to Kingdom come! ever operated in the United States that August, Peter Cooper's "Tom Norfolk Southern will miss this special man whos been an invaluable link between its railroad and the communities we serve. After refurbishment at their shops in Chattanooga, NS brought the replica to New York City for display on December 12, 2005, outside the New York Stock Exchange Building in a ceremony commemorating 175years of American railroad history. It is believed that Locomotion No. [5] In November of that year, only months after the company started operations, a key order was placed by the Stockton & Darlington Railway Company for four stationary engines. It became clear that if something didnt change soon, Charlestons economy was going to be in big trouble. Service. As of January of 1831, the Charleston & Hamburg Railroad was running regular freight and passenger service. In Charleston, the weapons were delivered to a storehouse which the Americans had used as an improvised arsenal. [citation needed], On 16 September 1824, the S&DR ordered a pair of steam locomotives, at a price of 550 (about 46,810 today) each. An 18-wheeler collided with a train in Milam County, Texas, on Tuesday morning, February 23, causing several fuel tank cars to catch fire, reports said. 301 Gervais Street 1930. You want to be around to run that train.'. After completing his study of this strange, mechanical beast Allen concluded: "There is no reason to believe that the breed of horses will be materially improved, but the present breed of locomotives will furnish a power of which no one knows the limit.". June 17, 1831 - United States - After the pressure safety valve is tied down by the train's fireman, the locomotive Best Friend of Charleston suffers a boiler explosion at Charleston, South Carolina, killing him, scalding the engineer, and injuring three others. [20][21], "Locomotion No. On 1 July 1828, the locomotive was heavily damaged when the boiler exploded while the train was stopped at Aycliffe Lane station, resulting in the death of the driver, John Cree, and the wounding of water pumper, Edward Turnbull. (Another account has him placing a stout piece of lumber on the safety valve and sitting on it.) The Best Friend of Charleston was a steam-powered railroad locomotive widely considered the first locomotive to be built entirely within the United States for revenue service. In 1830, the company built a stretch of rail extending six miles up Charleston Neck for demonstration purposes, on which the engine known as the "Best Friend of Charleston" made its debut that December. Cool history and a cool train in the middle of the museum that you are not allowed to climb on, but it is still good to look at and imagine. 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. Learn about the vital importance of Illinois to the nation's railroads and enjoy dinner aboard a train at the Monticello Railway Museum. John has repeated the tale of the tragic demise of the original Best Friend thousands of times: The train was short-lived. Reportedly, a fireman accidentally caused the explosion when he closed the steam pressure release valve. During the next 50 years, the Best Friend was featured at the Chicago Railroad Fair in 1948, the Diamond Jubilee celebration at Thomasville, N.C., in 1963, the 100th birthday of Ludlow, Ky., in 1964, a Civil War commemoration at Perryville, Ky., the same year and the KentuckyRailwayMuseum at Louisville in 1966. Constructed in 1928 using original plans, the Southern Railway built a replica of the famed He and the Best Friend have appeared in three movies, the nations Bicentennial parade, and Presidents Carters Inaugural Parade. The only mode of travel that was any faster was by an experienced horse and rider. ' John remembers. 1 was preserved and put on display. [4] A pair of cross-heads above the cylinders transmitted the power through a pair of coupling rods, making use of a loose eccentric valve gear. At the time, it was considered one of the fastest modes of transport, taking its passengers "on the wings of wind at the speed of fifteen to twenty-five miles per hour (24 to 40km/h). From its first days, the rail line has most often been referred to by the unofficial, but descriptive, name, The Charleston & Hamburg Railroad.. Both means of transportation were totally dependent upon weather and temperature conditions. The Exhibit Car, a museum on wheels, tells the modern, innovative side of railroading and the continuing role Norfolk Southern and it operating subsidiaries, NW and SR, play in the development of the industry. Satisfied the railroad and its star locomotive were ready for service, Allen treated Charlestonians to a Christmas Day spectacle by initiating service on December 25, 1830. On Christmas day of 1830, the Carolinas unwrapped a bright, shiny toy: a steam-powered railroad. BEST FRIEND OF CHARLESTON First Steam Locomotive Southern Railway Replica Train C $10.54 or Best Offer +C $1.52 shipping from United States Sponsored Railroad Train The Best Friend of Charleston Replica now Southern Railway Pre-Owned C $6.58 Top Rated Seller or Best Offer +C $2.31 shipping from United States Sponsored When the Best Friend began to move again, a terrible explosion threw the boiler twenty feet into the air, killing the fireman, scalding the engineer, and injuring several workers. The first commercially-built American steam locomotive, the Best Friend of Charleston, was the first train to offer regular passenger service. in the Northeast although it was not until the B&O was chartered and trainkid 19 jan 2020. When it is loaded, the train rests on tracks installed inside the cars. [14] An agreement was reached between Darlington Borough Council and the Science Museum Group which will see Locomotion return to Darlington for extended visits in the lead-up to the 200th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 2025. Just type in a town or city and click on the timeline of maps at the bottom of the page! The George Washington became the C&O's flagship train between Cincinnati and Norfolk after it was inaugurated in 1932. Enjoy all the splendor West Virginia's natural beauty has to offer while enjoying dinner by train on the West Virginia Central and other locations. In 1830, only six (6) miles were finished; in 1831, nearly the entire road was put under contract; and, in October of 1833, the road was connected from Charleston to Hamburgh, a total of 136 miles. In September 1825, Locomotion No. Omissions? It is an excellent resource with thousands of historic maps on file throughout the country. Forged in a New York foundry and transported in parts to Charleston by ship, the Best Friend was America's first locomotive built for regular passenger and freight service. Meeting the people, he said. The locomotive had its formal debut on Christmas Day 1830, pulling passenger cars from Charleston to Dorchester. With an extra tap on his top hat, a longer pull on the shrill whistle and fond memories flooding his mind, John ended his love affair with his Best Friend. The Best Friend of Charleston has another, rather unfortunate distinction. The blast is said to have been caused by the fireman tying down the steam pressure release valve; he had grown tired of hearing it whistle, so to stop the noise he closed the valve permanently. After the incident the railroad salvaged parts from theBest Friendto construct thePhoenix, which remained in use until the start of the Civil War in 1861. In May 2014, the Best Friend of Charleston Museum opened on 23 Ann Street in the Charleston Historic District behind the Charleston Visitor Center and near the Charleston Museum. 1", "Darlington to have replica Locomotion No 1 on display", http://www.spartacus-educational.com/RAlocomotion.htm, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Locomotion_No._1&oldid=1113346039, This page was last edited on 1 October 2022, at 01:09. It has a new display building for the 1928 replica of the Best Friend of Charleston was built at 32 Ann St. in downtown Charleston. Another full-size replica is on exhibit at the South Carolina State Museum, in Columbia, South Carolina. It produced the first locomotive boiler explosion in the United States. The locomotive's name came from its home base of operations, Charleston, South Carolina as during those early years it was actually common practice to name them. With the development of The real Best Friend, destroyed six months after its debut, is American railroading's first and most famous boiler explosion, was survived by drawings -- from which today's replicas advisedly depart on several points: the original track, for example, was 5-foot gauge. That gave it the distinction of operating the first regularly scheduled passenger train service in the United States. My first question was, Whats the Best Friend? Find the perfect best friend of charleston stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. An electronically operated 50-ton winch pulls the train on and off the cars. The boilers of the modern replicas retain the vertical shape, but with more suitable innards and contours. Available for both RF and RM licensing. The "Best Friend" did much in its short life. (Steamboats had been going boom for years, so much so that many of our modern consumer protection laws can be traced directly back to efforts to protect steamboat passengers from a fiery death.). Updates? Under Johns tutelage, the multiple tie and bolt machine and automatic spike driver were build and used extensively for jointed rail installation. The Charleston Courier breathlessly reported on the inaugural excursion and on the wondrous new reality of transportation in America: 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 spaceleaving all the world behind. John served as diesel shop foreman from 1949 until 1953, moved to Charlotte Roadway Shop as assistant general foreman for a year, assistant shop superintendent for two years and superintendent for three years. Did you just fucking question the train fact man? Reputable medical authorities of the time were warning that speeds in excess of 10 mph could kill passengers on the newfangled railroad by depriving them of oxygen. Unlike the "Tom Thumb" theBest Friendfeatured a design that somewhat followed how all future steamers would be built. Reprint, Spartanburg, S.C.: Reprint Company, 1975. [11] Cree had tied down the arm of a safety valve, which caused the boiler pressure to rise to the point of explosion. Wes Barris's SteamLocomotive.com is simply the best web resource on the study of steam locomotives. Live by the train, die by the train. The Best Friend of Charleston was a steam-powered railroad locomotive which is widely acclaimed as the first locomotive to be built entirely within the United States for revenue service and produced the first locomotive boiler explosion in the United States. According to Centennial History of South Carolina Railroad, this wrote a new rule in the SCC&RR operating manual that engineers were to remain on station at all times, with the aid of newly hired conductors to manage cars, passengers and switches. The company charter was accepted in 1834 and amended in 1835 to grant bank privileges. In the Reportedly, a fireman . It returned economic prosperity to Charleston and it instituted regularly scheduled steam passenger service. Overall, the unit weighed about 3.75 tons (minus water in the boiler and fuel/wood). Copyright 2007-2023 American-Rails.com. This exhibit features artifacts and images from both the railroad and the banking operations of the most important company of Augusta and Georgia. [14] From 1975, it was formally on loan by the NRM to Head of Steam. An operator shovels wood or coal into a firebox to be burned. businessman who wanted to make sure that their city remained a vital The explosion threw the engine 25 feet and killed the fireman. The steam-powered Best Friend of Charleston made its inaugural trip along a 6-mile stretch of track reaching northwest from Charleston on Christmas Day, 1830. . On June 17, 1831 the fireman of the Best Friend of Charleston closed a steam valve because he was annoyed by the constant whistling sound it made. The Best Friend of Charleston was indeed, The little engine that did!, 2023 The Best Friend of Charleston - Site Deployment by. . John was selected to oversee the project. About six months after the first run, a sensitive fireman, annoyed by the hissing of the steam escaping from the boiler safety valve, decided to hold it down. I enjoyed that job because it offered such variety, he said. South Carolinians are excessively proud of having had the first American railroad of any length and the first locomotive to be used in revenue service. Designed by Elegant WordPress Themes | Powered by WordPress, on The Best Friend of Charleston: Short-Lived, Long Legacy, Apollo April at the South Carolina State Museum. . One month later, the rail line reached Woodstock, a point between Charleston and Summerville. This Train facts post has been going around, claiming that in 1825, the fireman aboard the Best Friend caused an explosion by sitting on a relief valve, because the sound annoyed him. It was morning, March 18, 1912. the first commercially operated steamer constructed in America went into [10] In 1975 Darlington built its railway museum around Locomotion No. This major river forms the boundary between South Carolina and Georgia, and in an era when water-borne transportation dominated (roads being deplorable), the Savannah provided an efficient route by which upland farmers in both states could ship their goods to a seaport, and then to markets beyond. Upon completion, the 136-mile-long Charleston & Hamburg was the longest railroad in the world. More times than not, roads were dry and dusty or wet and soggy, undependable whether being traveled by coach, horseback, or foot. The Best Friend of Charleston began the first regular passenger service in the country following a six-mile route in Charleston. Fun fact: we deliver faster than Amazon. Your anaconda definitely wants some. The locomotive was built for the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company by the West Point Foundry of New York in 1830. A slave fireman closed up a safety valve on the boiler while the locomotive was stopped at a platform. For a detailed account of the economic forces behind the Charleston & Hamburg Railroad and of the engineering required to build the line, see Ulrich Bonnell Phillips 1908 book A History of Transportation in the Eastern Cotton Belt to 1860. During the Second World War, it was temporarily relocated (at Stanhope) due to the threat of bombing. Moore's son, named Samuel, had been born in December 1845 and was therefore less than a year older than George. The locomotive weighed 6.6 tonnes, with many elements, including the boiler, cylinders and wheels, composed of cast iron, although the frame was timber. It became the first steam locomotive to haul a passenger-carrying train on a public railway, the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR). Hes hobnobbed with celebrities of all descriptions and captured more radio and TV attention than many well-knowns. All written content, photos, and videos copyright American-Rails.com (unless otherwise noted). It was assembled and tested. Invitations for community visits are handled through the Public Relations Department, but John visits all new location st check the physical arrangements and to meet the representatives of sponsoring organizations. The following information is provided for citations. Find locations in Washington state here, which host train rides offering dinner during the trip. Then John left Southern for five years, did building contract work and a very short stint with the Pennsylvania Railroad as industrial engineer. After its inaugural run on Christmas Day, it was used in regular passenger service along a six-mile (9.7km) demonstration route in Charleston. The original Best Friend made its six mile run Christmas Day, 1830, from Charleston to Hamburg, S.C., so named by local merchants who saw the train providing low-cost, dependable transportation, the Best Friend was build for the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company, Southern Railways earliest predecessor line. Derrick, Samuel. A replica of the "Best Friend of Charleston" stretches its legs in September, 1983. The engine was rebuilt and rechristened the Phoenix. The railroad's chief engineer, Horatio Allen, had been to England to test steam locomotives, as well as operate the. Her returned to Southern in 1964 as a system control engineer doing special projects. In 1968 Southern had the Best Friend rebuilt for a year long celebration in South Carolina. Until Best Friend, all locomotives for American rail had been imported from England, which had industrial expertise and capability far beyond that of its former colonies. During 1924, it was cosmetically restored. 1 was rebuilt and returned to service and ran until 1850. It took ten months to shape up the little train, including the installation of a new boiler. There are two full-scale replicas of The Best Friend of Charleston. By the mid-1820s the concept of railroads was gaining serious headway in Charleston, S.C.: boiler exploded on America's first passenger locomotive, The Best Friend of Charleston, injuring the fireman and the engineer. 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 spaceleaving all the world behind. Of note, there is also another, non-operable, replica on display at the South Carolina State Museum, in Columbia. The speed of The Best Friend of Charleston was laughable by our standards, but in its day, it was audacious. The Best Friend of Charleston was a steam-powered railroad locomotive which is widely acclaimed as the first locomotive to be built entirely within the United States for revenue service and produced the first locomotive boiler explosion in the United States. The year 1830 was an exciting time in the new, fledgling railroad industry which saw the first U.S.-built steam locomotive ever operated in the United States that August, Peter Cooper's "Tom Thumb" along the Baltimore & Ohio.
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