What started out for John as an occasional weekend rendezvous as an engineer turned into a full-fledged continuing love affair. The locomotive had its formal debut on Christmas Day 1830, pulling passenger cars from Charleston to Dorchester. During the test runs, frequent derailments occurred 28 in fact before John realized the tread on the wheels needed to be one half inch wider to negotiate the track. "[2] The only faster mode of travel was by an experienced horse and rider. It returned economic prosperity to Charleston and it instituted regularly scheduled steam passenger service. ), Our Vulnerable Democracy: Past, Present, and Future (Virtual Series), Visit the State Museum and Escape From Earth, The South Carolina Watermedia Societys 45th Annual National Juried Exhibition, Apollo 16 & Beyond: South Carolina in Space, Show and Tell: Recent Acquisitions at the State Museum, Show and Tell: Adquisiciones recientes del Museo Estatal, Haz un poco de ruido: La ciencia del sonido, Drink Smalls 90th Birthday Bash Performance. A second engine, the West Point, went into use on the Charleston-Hamburg line in March 1831 but never achieved the same speeds as those of the Best Friend. If you are researching anything EMD related please visit this page first. The railroad's chief engineer, Horatio Allen, had it built in West Point Foundry based in Cold Spring, NY; and it could reach 30mph empty and 12mph loaded, which was . As one might imagine, John has his favorite stories, like meeting film star Elizabeth Taylor at a banquet in Danville, Va., and giving her a Best Friend Charm. In 1819, economic recession hit the United States hard, the first market turmoil for the relatively new nation. Though the first American-built steam locomotive to operate was the "Tom Thumb" in Maryland, it was only meant as a demo + never went into service.Just few months after its debut, the Best Friend of Charleston went into service as the first commercially operated steamer made in America (and the first to carry the . When opened for business, the Charleston & Hamburgh Railroad cost a total of $951,148.39. Her returned to Southern in 1964 as a system control engineer doing special projects. The Best Friend of Charleston Made its first trip on Dec. 25, 1830. The railroad transcended these obstacles and brought economic prosperity back to Charleston. The Best Friend Train Museum is located at 23 Ann Street behind the Charleston Area Visitor Center on Meeting Street in . The city of San Antonio, Texas was awakening to a new day. 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. I liked what I was doing, but the time away from home got tedious. Luckily for both John and Lillian, his wife of 43 years, she has traveled with hem the past few years. This exhibit features artifacts and images from both the railroad and the banking operations of the most important company of Augusta and Georgia. With this, the Best Friend of Charlestonbecame the first American-built steam locomotive to haul a train of passenger cars on a public railroad. Under Johns tutelage, the multiple tie and bolt machine and automatic spike driver were build and used extensively for jointed rail installation. When he, the crew and the Best Friend passed the reviewing stand in the 1976 Inaugural Parade, President and Mrs. Carter and Amy stood and gave us hearty waves and big smiles, John said. The Best Friend of Charleston has another, rather unfortunate distinction. With the development of The small engine and cars toured the Southern system from 1928 to 1986. In 1831 the Best Friend was used to carry mail, freight, and passengers. Historic information: The Charleston Chapter NRHS was organized in 1967 and holds meetings at the Ashley Park Retirement Community, 1451 Tobias Gadson Blvd., Charleston SC , at 11 A.M. on the second Saturday of each month. Just type in a town or city and click on the timeline of maps at the bottom of the page! The shop developed and built machinery for Maintenance of Way. Even farmers as far away as North Carolina looked south for access to markets. A replica of the Best Friend of Charleston was in the 1948-49 Chicago Railroad Fair because in 1830 it was the first commercially operated steamer constructed in America on the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company (SCC&RR). An operator shovels wood or coal into a firebox to be burned. It took ten months to shape up the little train, including the installation of a new boiler. Features include painted brass body and wheels, limited production, and this scale model operates on O-27 curves. Learn about the vital importance of Illinois to the nation's railroads and enjoy dinner aboard a train at the Monticello Railway Museum. John Steven's was granted the first charter for a steam powered railroad in America in March 21, 1823. The maximum speed of Locomotion No. [6][pageneeded], Locomotion No. John was selected to oversee the project. John has supervised every showing except one. Though its speed might not impress us today, by 19th century standards it was nothing short of incredible. design being tested on the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company in 1829 (officially, the first such locomotive ever operated in the U.S. but was built in England). ClassicTrains. organized on April 24th, 1827 was the first, true common-carrier line [20][21], "Locomotion No. Stock photos, 360 images, vectors and videos . As a means of implementing Britain's "southern strategy", such a disparate collection of militia arms was earmarked for the eventual use of Carolina Loyalists. JohnWilliams 18 jan 2020. In the early 1800s, transportation looked completely different from what it does today. But explosions became a recurring problem on the Charleston & Hamburg Railroad and elsewhere. The Best Friend of 1830 also had a porcupine boiler and burned wood. On the return we reached Sans-Souci in quick and double quick time, stopped to take up a recruiting party-darted forth like a live rocket, scattering sparks and flames on either side-passed over three salt creeks hop, step and jump, and landed us all safe at the Lines before any of us had time to determine whether or not it was prudent to be scared.. In 1830 the engine arrived by packet ship from the West Point Foundry in New York. Did you just fucking question the train fact man? [10] Locomotion always returned to its static display in Darlington,[15] the headquarters of the Stockton and Darlington Railway Company. Just A Car Guy: Southern's Best Friend of Charleston replica is unloaded from its two specialized transport cars for an event at Abingdon, VA. 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. Reportedly, a fireman . The Best Friend of Charleston took its first trip along six miles of track on Christmas Day, 1830. For local communities, depots honor the past while still meeting. Christened as theBest Friend of Charlestonthe locomotive was an 0-4-0 that burned standard wood and was capable of producing 6 to 8 horsepower with speeds reaching 30 mph empty or about 12 mph loaded (laughable, yes, by today's standards but a powerful machine in those days). In 1833, responding to the perceived economic threat, the Georgia Legislature approved a bill incorporating the Georgia Railroad Company. The only mode of travel that was any faster was by an experienced horse and rider. And the company wanted the public to be assured that in addition to its regular schedule, the railroad was also available at times more convenient to any interested party. 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. 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. 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.. Its ironic that Johns 43 year railroad career ended with steam because thats how it started.. The Best Friend Of Charleston Museum is a great place to learn about the train history of Charleston. 2015-2020 University of South Carolina aws, first locomotive built in the United States for public service, South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company, used slaves to work on the line, both as laborers and as firemen to regulate the steam engine, engine was rebuilt and rechristened the Phoenix, University of South Carolina, Institute for Southern Studies, https://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/entries/best-friend-of-charleston/. The "Best Friend of Charleston" was indeed, "The little engine that did!" Wonk alert! Rivanna Chapter, National Railway Historical Society (2005). In his 2006 book "Railroads of San . Price [10] On 26 September, the day before the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, the locomotive was taken on a trial run between Shildon and Darlington, with a number of the railway's directors aboard the railway's first passenger coach, known as Experiment. Mon: 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. His death is a loss to the community at large. 1 used high-pressure (50 psi) steam generated in a centre-flue boiler and driving a pair of vertical cylinders, 9 inches (230mm) in diameter, which were half embedded within the boiler. Cosmically Cool Summer Fun at the State Museum Get Tickets Today! There were four 4 feet (1.2m) diameter driving wheels. To accomplish their goal, Charleston had the South Carolina legislature charter the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company. Theres no doubt much of the Best Friends success is due to John. It also produced the first locomotive boiler explosion in the US. [2] The boiler had a blastpipe in the chimney. The train, which had an estimated weight of 80 tonnes was about 400 feet (120m) long, reached a maximum speed of 12 miles per hour (19km/h)), and took two hours to complete the first 8.7 miles (14.0km) of the journey to Darlington, but was slowed by a derailed wagon and a blocked feed pump valve, thus only achieving an average speed of 8 miles per hour (13km/h). Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. On 1 July 1828, it was heavily damaged when its boiler exploded at Aycliffe Lane station, resulting in the death of its driver, John Cree. [7] Locomotion No. However, the centre-flue boiler proved to be a weakness, providing for a poor heating surface compared to later multi-flue boilers. The B&O was created by Baltimore The new company considered, but rejected, the prospect of digging canals. River navigation had given Savannah the advantage, but new modes of transportation were starting to become available. 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. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 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. 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. new invention on February 21, 1804, it was clear that railroads could You can use the link to read the book online. John has repeated the tale of the tragic demise of the original Best Friend thousands of times: The train was short-lived. In October, 1830 the SCC&RR received its order after it had been delivered aboard the shipNiagara. 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.