Throughout a retirement well into its 13th decade, the John Bull has been seen by
thousands of people from around the world. However, the locomotive exhibited in the
Smithsonian today is very different from the device unloaded in Philadelphia 168 years
ago.
In the summer of 1831, the first locomotive of the Camden and Amboy railroad
was shipped in pieces from the Robert Stephenson factory at Newcastle upon Tyne in
England. Completed on the 18th of June that year, the ten ton, four coupled locomotive
would be the fifth engine exported to our country by that firm. In September, the parts
arrived in Bordentown, New Jersey, where they were assembled without the aid of plans
or drawings, in eleven days by a young mechanic named Isaac Dripps, who had never
before seen a locomotive. Built for under $4,000, the locomotive did not come with a
tender, so one was constructed using a four wheel contractors flat car. A whisky cask
from a local grocer constituted the water tank. Less than a month later the engine pulled
a demonstration train of state legislatures, convincing them of the utility of a steam
powered railway.
It was not until 1833 when an appreciable amount of the 4 foot ten inch gauge
line was constructed that the locomotive saw regular service. Not far into its active life
the locomotive received many changes and alterations. First, the side rods were
removed, allowing only the rear set of drivers to be powered. This allowed the engine to
take sharp curves and permitted a one inch play on the lead pair of drivers. To the ends
of the axles where a crank for the side rods were formerly mounted, bearings were
installed that held a beam in place that extended forward of the locomotive to be
supported by a pair of small wheels used to guide the locomotive. Attached to this
assembly is a cowcatcher capable of obliterating a wagon. During this period the
wooden driving wheels, which were found to last about a year, were replaced with cast
iron wheels. In addition a metal frame inside frame replaced the original wood even
though a wood outside frame continued to be used. The original brass steam dome
containing an internal throttle and dry pipe was replaced with a steam dome near the
stack containing an uninsulated throttle and external drypipe to the cylinders. The
cylinders at some point were also replaced and increased from 9 by 20” to 11 by 20”. In
the process, the entire smoke box in which they are contained was deepened by three
inches. The valve gear, originally operated by a foot treadle was modified to be lever
controlled, however, the irregular arrangement is such that each cylinder must be
reversed separately. In the mid 1830’s, the original stack was replaced with a bonnet
stack used until 1876. More visibly, an eight wheel box tender was utilized.
The locomotive worked faithfully for over three decades until it was retired in
1866. In 1871, the Camden and Amboy railroad was purchased by the Pennsylvania
Railroad. As early as 1858, the engine had been considered antique, but it was in 1876
that it’s historical nature was used to it’s advantage. In preparation for exhibition at the
centennial celebration in Philadelphia, the engine was “restored” by the Pennsylvania
Railroad. The tender was rebuilt into the four wheel box form it exists in today. The
wooden box actually contains a cylindrical, 70” diameter, 1,150 gallon water tank.
Another change saw the smoke stack replaced with a straight, serrated top version. The
resulting locomotive was a hybrid of various periods, never showing the engine exactly
as it was during one specific time. In 1885 the locomotive was donated to the
Smithsonian. In 1893, it made it’s famous trip under steam from New York to Chicago
where it operated during the Colombian Exposition. In 1940, the locomotive was
displayed at the New York Worlds Fair, but it was not operated. Instead, a newly built,
exact replica was run. The replica was built in the Altoona Shops of the Pennsylvania
railroad. Today it resides in the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania where it is
occasionally operated. This engine ran at Railfair in June of 1999. With the construction
of a bonnet stack for the replica in the early 1980’s, it is now more accurate a
representation of the mid 1830’s appearance than the original locomotive. The genuine
John Bull last operated in 1981 and is presently exhibited in the National Museum of
American History.
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