United States National Museum Bulletin 252 Contributions from The Museum of History and Technology: Paper 69 JAMES MILLHOLLAND AND EARLY RAILROAD ENGINEERING John H White Smithsonian Press Washington, D.C. 1967 215-884—6S- :^^^t^^^^^<^ shows, he spelled Figure 1.—James Millholland (1812-1875), pioneer railroad master mechanic. As this signature his name variously. (From World's Railways, p. 45.) John H. White James Millholland And Early Railroad Engineering From the apprentice 07t the "Tom ThtimF^ to the master machinist of the Philadelphia and Reading Kailroad, the career of James Millholland spanned nearly a half century in the early development of the American railroad. One of the great mechatties of the 19 th century, he is remembered not only for his highly original innovations , the most outstanding of ivhich ivas the conversion of the wood burner to the anthracite burner, but also for his locomotives, ivhich were plain, practical machines, highly distinctive from the ornate locomotives of the period. The Author: John H. White is associate curator of trans- portation in the Smithsonian Institution s Museum of History and Technology. JAMES Millholland is remembered today as one of an aptitude for mathematics and influenced by his the foremost railway master mechanics of the 19th father, who manufactured ship fittings, young Mill- century. He was fortunate in also having been holland inclined naturally toward mechanics as a esteemed in his lifetime for having perfected numerous life work. In 1829, at age 17, he was apprenticed railway mechanisms and, most particularly, for his to George \V. Johnson, a Baltimore machinist, there work on anthracite-coal-burning locomotives. He gaining his first experience in working on a locomotive was born on October 6, 1812, in Baltimore, Maryland, engine, Peter Cooper's famous Tom Thumb. and there received a private education.' Gifted with Cooper, in an effort to persuade the new Baltimore and Ohio Railroad to adopt steam power, had started ' to build this light 1829. Railroad Gazette (August 28, 1875), vol. 7, p. 362. (Obitu- steam locomotive ui He had ary notice.) worked out the general arrangement and assembled a PAPER 69: JAMES MILLHOLLAND AND EARLY RAILROAD ENGINEERING - — Figure 2. Tracing of Millholland's sketch of the George ]\'. Johnson, built in 1831 for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. r^ft^sct itbCo boiler and cylinder, but, busy with other affairs in but, unlike most. Millholland was about to embark on New York, he asked George Johnson to complete the a distinguished career. machine. Thus young Millholland had a direct hand His great opportunity came in 1838 when he in the building of the Tom Thumb—completed in returned to railroad work in Baltimore and was 1830—and shared in a pioneer effort to introduce appointed master mechanic of the Baltimore and mechanical transport in America. Considering Mill- Susquehanna Railroad. The prestige of his new holland's later involvement with anthracite coal, it position possibly was more apparent than real, for was somewhat prophetic that the Tom Thumb was de- the Baltimore and Susquehanna was a threadbare signed to burn this fuel. little company whose serpentine road wound a dis- Millholland next assisted his employer in building tance of 58 miles between Baltimore, Maryland, and a second locomotive, named the George ]\\ Johnson in York, Pennsylvania. It had 80 bridges, too many honor of its designer. It was completed in 1831 and curves, and too few locomotives or cars. The novice won SI 000 as second prize in a contest sponsored by master mechanic soon was put to the test of keeping the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The Johnson em- in working order the road's 10 engines, which could ployed a curious assemblage of design features, in- not have been more poorly adapted to the needs of cluding walking beams, geared transmission, and a the compan)-. Three were British made. The rest divided firebox, but the machine was not a success were built on patterns similar to the British engines and was retired after brief service. by the Locks and Canals machine shop of Lowell, Massachusetts. All of the engines proved too light The only authentic illustration of the Johnson is a for little sketch made by Millholland in 1873 (fig. 2). steep grades and too rigid to negotiate the road's The several illustrations which were subsequentK sharp curves. Fortunately, the company had a published are based on this sketch. fairly well-equipped repair terminal in Baltimore, Millholland left his native city for New York in adjacent to the present Mt. Royal Station, known as 1832 and entered the employment of the Allaire the Bolton shops. Millholland there began remodel- Works, a firm famous for marine engines. With ing the road's niotive power as fast as funds permitted. the exception of a brief sojourn in Mobile, Alabama, One of the most extensive locomotive remodelings where he worked on a sawmill during 1836, he stayed Millholland executed for the Baltimore and Sus- with Allaire until 1837. In his 25th year, like most quehanna was the reconstruction of the Herald,^ other young mechanics, he was obscure and unknown, the first engine on the line. It was a Sampson-class - Reconstructions of the Johnson appeared in Railway Age ' The facts presented on the Herald are from the Baltimore (July vol. 7, 1893), 18, p. 531, and in J. G. Pangborn, WorliTs and Susquehanna Railroad's annual report for 1854, and in Railways (New York: Winchcll Printing Co., 1894), p. 52. Railroad Advocate (May 26, 1855), vol. 2, p. 2. BULLETIN 252: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY ( ^^iW\^- "SW*^ .r ^ 1! ,^,,,oHV. s. so,,, ^tl V Jr i- |i„ i>vssi:\(;i;!; :,..>i i!i i;i)i:> mvi\-- .,i iin- i . kU MOW RIIIII«, Hatthum'e ^V 99'riff/itsi'ifre, rh«' tiTiiiiiiation of Uh- I'hilmlt'lithiti if t'ohimhia Itail-Koail : <-oniii-<'iins vvitli tlial K»>iii himI with the i*«Miii>>,vivaiiia SttiU' CaiiHis, al lohitnbia. -4^^ 111 If ;iii<I '. Uroi.-lni.l.il Hiiji^tiiiiijii) iiinnnpr. with llic '^i C- l.icK' r.r U.iil.H<«<il hrnvi<-Kt llni) hhi'i) mi iIk I I"xl 1 .1. r.l LlKLIIHUiviS IITC l.f ill. .|T.I.I i^Tlie Hours of llepartiire and Arrival the PASSENGER TRAINS, at present, are as follows, : Of viz I- :.w YORK • "* ^.,M ".v< i 1' ^! •4i- I>\^S1M,I!KS I'. .1.1, 11, l> 1. • I>. i. H. BOUI>Li:i> StiiHHnletulfnl. iiiitl ^.isaiu-tiiinun Kii.t.lt.tii.l t «.. 1 r,...-|..,ii iti«ii ofU»«- ItiiliiiM.trr J^. Figure 3. — The Baltimore (1837) built by Locks and Canals and reconstructed by Alillholland in later years with a leading truck and cast-iron crank axle. (From Thomas NorrcU.) PAPER 69: JAMES AEILLHOLLAND AND EARLY RAILROAD ENGINEERING 0-4-0, a standard design of its English maker, Robert wrought-iron one. The American Railroad Journal con- Stephenson & Cb. The engine had proved entirely tinued its report: Baltimore and Susquehanna, and unsatisfactory for the — A few evenings since, the engine with the cast iron had been rebuilt in October 1832 -only a few months crank axle, was, together with its tender, thrown entirely after its delivery—as a 4-2-0 wheel arrangement. off the track, by a large hog getting under the \\heels By 1846, however, it was found too small for further behind the cow-catcher—no damage having been done service and accordingly was taken into the company to any part of the engine, it was thus shown that the cast shops for major remodeling. Millholland fashioned axle can bear without injury the sudden and violent strain to which it was subjected by this accident, as well a powerful 13-ton 0-6-0, nearly twice the weight of as the wrought iron crank axle. There is therefore good the original Herald, from which only the boiler was reason for believing that this improvement, which will so used. Other major features of this remodeling were materially reduce the cost of replacing a broken crank a gear drive for power and low speed, and a lateral- axle, may with perfect safety be introduced into general use. motion arrangement for each driving a.xle to permit Baltimore and navigation of sharp cur\'es. The engine was in- The Susquehanna subsequently fitted its other inside-connected engines with tended for the movement of trains through city cast-iron crank axles. evidence exists that other streets between the railroad's various Baltimore No roads followed suit, but the Baltimore road seenied well terminals. The Herald was still in ser\'ice in 1857, Millholland's but was sold for scrap two years later. pleased with innovation. In a letter to Co., Millholland's gifts as mechanic and innovator first Robert Stephenson and dated March 8, 1850, received notice in a report by the American Railroad Robert S. Hollins, secretary of the Baltimore and Susquehanna, stated: preference is the Cranked Journal for November 6, 1845, on the use of cast iron "Our for making crank axles. Inside-connected engines, Axle Locomotive, but repeated breaking of the axle; which were then popular, were fitted with wrought- Every Locomotive having broken one or more, we iron crank axles. Although \vrought iron was the were induced to try cast iron, and after an experience years, adopted entirely, strongest material available, it was not only costlv, of 5 we have them never yet a Cast Iron Axle''' ^ This state- but its variable quality and fibrous character made it having broken Crank unreliable for use in crank axles. These broke ment, made two years after Millholland had left the frequently, creating a costly hazard and serious Baltimore and Susquehanna, testifies that the cast- accidents.