[Illustration: Figure 50.—_Rocket_, built in 1838 by Braithwaite of
London, England, and used by the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad
until 1879. Photo was made about 1900.]
The second oldest of the three complete British locomotives of the
1825-1849 period extant in North America is the _Rocket_ (figure 50),
built in early 1838 for the Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road Co. by
Braithwaite[4] of London. It was the first of eight Braithwaite
locomotives purchased by that railroad between 1838 and 1841.
The _Rocket_ was the third of the Reading’s locomotives, having been
preceded by the Baldwin-built _Neversink_ in August 1836 and the
Winans-built _Delaware_ in January 1838. It was delivered at
Philadelphia by boat in March 1838, and was then carried up the
Schuylkill Canal to the foot of Penn Street in Reading. From there it
was hauled by team to the terminus of the Reading-to-Pottstown line at
Seventh and Penn Streets, where it participated in the opening of this
portion of the road in May 1838. It was first used in passenger service
in July 1838, but in 1845, as the need grew for heavier motive power, it
was relegated to the Construction and Roadway Department, where it
remained in service until 1865. Next used for a short time to move and
assort cars at Reading, it was finally transferred to the wharves at
Port Richmond, Philadelphia, where it worked until retirement in March
1879, covering during its career some 310,164 miles.
[Illustration: Figure 51.—Photo, taken about 1887, of _Rocket_ as it
appeared during final stages of its life as _P & R locomotive No.
1_. Note absence of builder’s plate.]
The _Rocket_ was constructed as a wood burner, but in 1862 was modified
to burn anthracite coal. At that time it was also converted into a tank
locomotive, a cab was added, and, it is now thought, the original wheels
were replaced by the standard Philadelphia and Reading wheels shown in
figure 51. Its present wheels, undoubtedly installed when the locomotive
was refurbished in 1893, are 49½ inches in diameter and contain 20 round
metal spokes staggered around the hub. Published descriptions of the
_Rocket_ refer to 41¾-inch wheels, but this figure probably applies to
an earlier set, possibly that installed in 1862. The _Rocket_ was
formerly driven by all four wheels, but today only the rear two wheels
are drivers.
The cylinders of the locomotive, which are inside, have a 10½-inch bore
and a 16-inch stroke. The wheelbase is 58 inches and the weight was
originally 8.4 tons. This was raised during the 1862 rebuilding to 11.8
tons. The gauge is standard—56½ inches. The present smokestack is not
original, and a headlight was not installed until recent years. The tank
and cab added in 1862, as well as the bell, were removed at the time of
the refurbishment.
After its retirement in 1879, the _Rocket_ stood neglected at Reading
until it was placed in condition for exhibition and permanent
preservation at the time of the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. It
was exhibited in 1904 at St. Louis, and then was housed for many years
in the Reading’s Columbia Avenue station in Philadelphia. It appeared at
the Fair of the Iron Horse in 1927 (figure 52), after which it was taken
to the Reading Terminal in Philadelphia. In October 1933 the _Rocket_
was lent to The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, where it has since
remained on exhibition.
[Illustration: Figure 52.—_Rocket_ at the Fair of the Iron Horse,
October 7, 1927. Note shortened smokestack.]