The cab is solid walnut with a natural finish. It is very possible that
the second cab was added to the locomotive after the 1862 fire. A brass
gong used by the conductor to signal the engineer is fastened to the
underside of the cab roof. This style of gong was in use in the 1850's
and may well be original equipment.
The water tank is in two sections, one part extending below the deck,
between the frame. The tank holds 600 gallons of water. The tender holds
one cord of wood.
The small pedestal-mounted sandbox was used on several Cumberland Valley
engines including the _Pioneer_. This box was removed from the engine
sometime between 1901 and 1904. It was on the engine at the time of the
Carlisle sesquicentennial but disappeared by the time of the St. Louis
exposition. Two small sandboxes, mounted on the driving-wheel splash
guards, replaced the original box. The large headlamp (fig. 3)
apparently disappeared at the same time and was replaced by a crudely
made lamp formerly mounted on the cab roof as a backup light. Headlamps
of commercial manufacture were carefully finished and made with
parabolic reflectors, elaborate burners, and handsomely fitted cases.
Such a lamp could throw a beam of light for 1000 feet. The present lamp
has a flat cone-shaped piece of tin for a reflector.
The brushes attached to the pilot were used in the winter to brush snow
and loose ice off the rail and thus improve traction. In good weather
the brushes were set up to clear the tracks.
[Illustration: Figure 30.--RECONSTRUCTED SANDBOX replaced on the
locomotive, August 1962. (Drawing by J. H. White.)]
After the _Pioneer_ had come to the National Museum, it was decided that
some refinishing was required to return it as nearly as possible to the
state of the original engine. Replacing the sandbox was an obvious
change.[20] The brass cylinder jackets were also replaced. The cab was
stripped and carefully refinished as natural wood. The old safety valve
was replaced, as already mentioned. Rejacketing the boiler with
simulated Russia iron produced a most pleasing effect, adding not only
to the authenticity of the display but making the engine appear lighter
and relieving the somber blackness which was not characteristic of a
locomotive of the 1850's. Several minor replacements are yet to be done;
chiefly among these are the cylinder-cock linkage and a proper headlamp.
The question arises, has the engine survived as a true and accurate
representation of the original machine built in 1851? In answer, it can
be said that although the _Pioneer_ was damaged en route to the
Cumberland Valley Railroad, modified on receipt, burned in 1862, and
operated for altogether nearly 40 years, surprisingly few new appliances
have been added, nor has the general arrangement been changed.
Undoubtedly, the main reason the engine is so little changed is that its
small size and odd framing did not invite any large investment for
extensive alteration for other uses. But there can be no positive answer
as to its present variance from the original appearance as represented
in the oldest known illustration of it--the Hull drawing of 1871 (fig.
8). There are few, if any, surviving 19th-century locomotives that have
not suffered numerous rebuildings and are not greatly altered from the
original. The _John Bull_, also in the U.S. National Museum collection,
is a good example of a machine many times rebuilt in its 30 years of
service.[21] Unless other information is uncovered to the contrary, it
can be stated that the _Pioneer_ is a true representation of a light
passenger locomotive of 1851.
_Alba F. Smith_
Alba F. Smith, the man responsible for the purchase of the _Pioneer_,
was born in Lebanon, Connecticut, June 28, 1817.[9] Smith showed promise
as a mechanic at an early age and by the time he was 22 had established
leadpipe works in Norwich. His attention was drawn particularly to
locomotives since the tracks of the Norwich and Worcester Railroad
passed his shop. His attempts to develop a spark arrester for
locomotives brought Smith to the favorable attention of Captain Daniel
Tyler (1799-1882), president of the Norwich and Worcester Railroad. When
Tyler was hired by the Cumberland Valley Railroad in 1850 to supervise
the line's rebuilding, he persuaded the managers of that road to hire
Smith as superintendent of machinery.[10] Smith was appointed as
superintendent of the machine shop of the Cumberland Valley Railroad on
July 22, 1850.[11] On January 1, 1851, he became superintendent of the
road.
In March of 1856 Smith resigned his position with the Cumberland Valley
Railroad and became superintendent of the Hudson River Railroad, where
he remained for only a year. During that time he designed the
coal-burning locomotive _Irvington_, rebuilt the Waterman condensing
dummy locomotive for use in hauling trains through city streets, and
developed a superheater.[12]
After retiring from the Hudson River Railroad he returned to Norwich and
became active in enterprises in that area, including the presidency of
the Norwich and Worcester Railroad. While the last years of Smith's life
were devoted to administrative work, he found time for mechanical
invention as well. In 1862 he patented a safety truck for locomotives,
and became president of a concern which controlled the most important
patents for such devices.[13] Alba F. Smith died on July 21, 1879, in
Norwich, Connecticut.
[Illustration: