Northeast Historical Archaeology Volume 4 1974 Symposium on Industrial Archaeology, Article 4 Paterson, N.J. 1975 An Examination of the Technology that Evolved from the Rogers Locomotive & Machine Company, Paterson, NJ Ralph J. Leo Follow this and additional works at: http://orb.binghamton.edu/neha Part of the Archaeological Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Leo, Ralph J. (1975) "An Examination of the Technology that Evolved from the Rogers Locomotive & Machine Company, Paterson, NJ," Northeast Historical Archaeology: Vol. 4 4, Article 4. https://doi.org/10.22191/neha/vol4/iss1/4 Available at: http://orb.binghamton.edu/neha/vol4/iss1/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by The Open Repository @ Binghamton (The ORB). It has been accepted for inclusion in Northeast Historical Archaeology by an authorized editor of The Open Repository @ Binghamton (The ORB). For more information, please contact [email protected]. In Examination of the Technology that lvolved from the Rogers Locomotive & Machine OompanJ, Paterson, I.J. Ralph J.Leo IN TROD UCTION when early canals wer'e still under con­ struction, several pioneers became inter­ ested in the railroad as the possible Until 1815, the southern agricultural primary transportation source for America plantations, northern iron plantations, (Taylor 1951 : 76). Already, some 100 and small community-oriented sawmills years earlier in Britain, Thomas Savery and gristmills supplied services and pro­ and Thomas Neucomens bad perfected the ducts on a very small scale (Taylor 1951: modern type of stationary steam engine; 5-6 ). When population increase and in­ within 50 years it had been improved flux required increased production of steadily and used regularly for power in the basic necessities, horne industry no mining operations. These engines gener­ longer sufficed. It became apparent that ally operated pumps that eliminated water the United States would become an active from the mines, but t hey soon began to participant in the growing international power l oaded cars on tracks for hauling trade. ore (Bruce 1952: 18-19). After the War of 1812, the United Horse- drawn mining cars or wagons on States realized its potential to pro­ tracks were also used in Britain, and, duce certain basic, marketable products, in some instances, in America . One such such as iron, cotton, wood, and char­ early example was Silas Whitney's 1807 coal--components necessary to industri­ inclined railway used to move bricks and alization and economic and social growth. kiln products at Beacon Hill, Massachu­ But the country was still agrarian, with setts (Bruce 1952: 7). few large, densely populated areas (Tay­ With the English commercialization of lor 1951 : 6), a primitive transportation the railroad in the early 1820's (White system, and an almost nonexistent commer­ 1968: J), a handful of American survey­ cial transport network, consisting in ors and engineers began to realize the limited r iver travel . The lack of ade­ advantages of motive power for mass, rap­ quate transportation systems became in­ id, and overland transportation. On July creasingly evident with the growing need 4, 1828, construction of the Baltimore to move people and goods (Taylor 1951: and Ohio Railroad began (Joseph 1975: 13-14 ). 146), and in 1829, the Ame r ican engineer One of the few solutions offered for John B. Jervis's 26-year- old agent in the problem of overland transportation England, Horatio Allen, in a transac­ was the construction of a networ k of tion for the Delaware and Hudson Canal canals. Overall, canals were a dismal Company, imported the first four loco­ failure . The tremendous sums of capital motives, including the Stourbridge Lion needed for construction and the long (Fitzsimons 1971: 86- 87; Bruce 1952~ 21). periods of time required for completion Some three years later, Jervis was to proved highly unsatisfactory for rapid­ contribute one of the most important in­ ly evolving industrial America (Taylor ventions to steam locomotive engineer­ 1951: 55) . ing--the leading truck (Fitzsimons 1971: In t he opinion of economist George R. 96). The leading truck Taylor, "It was the misfortune of most canals to become obsolete even before . is a frame supported by two pairs they were opened for traffic . The advan­ of small wheels. The frame itself is tages of the railroad were so great that attached by a swivel to another frame even the strongest canals could not long which supports t he front section of a retain a profitable share of the busi- locomotive's boiler. This arrangement 24 ness" (Taylor 1951: 55). Therefore, steadies and guides the locomotive on curved sections of track. (Fitzsimons for 100 pairs of wheels and axles for 25 1971: 86) Horatio Allen and the South Carolina The leading truck accomplishes the lead Railroad (Forney 1886: 2). Equipped now point on the necessary three-point sus­ with the patterns and drawings he com- pension. pleted during his assembly of the McNeiU, Despite the facts that hardly any Rogers responded to the demand for steam track had been laid in America and most locomotive engines by preparing to con­ railroad companies were rapidly organ­ struct a locomotive in his Paterson shops ized and financially unstable, the call (Nelson and Shriner 1920: 352). for railway service was unprecedented To understand Thomas Rogers' venture and immediate. The need for locomotive into locomotive construction, we should engines was directly related to this nev1 consider the condition of the field of demand for railroads. By 1830, the Brit­ steam engine building in America in ish manufacturers had already perfected 18J5. British industrialization was the basic design of their locomotive flourishing, whereas American industry (White 1968: 7), whereas America was not was in its earliest stages. In the yet equipped to produce engines. In United States, different climate, ter­ fact, the first locomotive produced in rain, finances, and experience from those the United States was in 1830, by the of Britain necessitated the evolution of West Point Foundry Association of New similar but different areas of technology York City. It was called the Best (White 1968: 7- 8). In understanding the Friend (Bruce 1952: 22-23). basic technology of steam locomotive But the rapid growth rate of early building during this early period, we 19th-century America was established, must remember that the mechanical, tech­ and the growth of railroads was corol­ nological, scientific, and engineering lary. As the processes of industrial­ fields were in their infancy, primarily ization took place in America, increas­ concerned with the use of iron as the ing numbers of locomotive engines were major component in the developing indus­ needed and imported from Britain. "In tries of the Industrial Revolution (Tay­ all, between 1829 and 1841, about one lor 1951: 5) . Also, these early American hundred and twenty locomotives were im­ industries were still water powered; en­ ported" (White 1968: 7). ergy produced from other elements was In 1833, "Judge Dickerson, then Pres­ virtually negligible. ident of Paterson and Hudson River Rail­ In these considerations we must also road, ordered a locomotive, which was realize that steam locomotive technol­ called the McNeitZ, from George Stephen­ ogy, like all technologies , developed son . .. " (Forney 1886: 10). Stephenson over a period of time, having many con­ and his gifted son Robert exerted the tributors in many fields and areas of major influence in British locomotive study and correlating past successes and construction during this early period failures with present designs. As infor­ (Fitzsimons 1971: 87). Several features mation concerning locomotive construction that eventually contributed to the dis­ evolved from raw data to proven fact, and tinction of American engineering, with as channels developed to communicate this respect to the basic British design, were knowledge, the realm of steam locomotive actually surviving, or reevolving, de­ engineering was created. "The boring tails of early Stephenson engines (War­ machine had been introduced in England ren 1970: 309). in 1775, the shaper in 1808, and the The Paterson and Hudson River Rail­ planer a decade later . .. '' (Comstock road received the McNeill in components 1971: 51). In America, (The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin 44 1937: 43) and be­ The first steam locomotives were nec­ cause of their previous orders for struc­ essarily very crude in design and tural iron from the firm of Rogers, Ket­ construction, since there was little chum and Grosvenor for the then under or no accumulated engineering know­ construction railway, hired Thomas Rogers ledge to draw upon, and no means to assemble the engine (Trumbull 1882: available to produce and machine 114). It took Rogers nearly a month to heavy castings and forgings cr to complete the work, but when he delivered roll and fabricate large boiler it it was in good running order and was plates, all the parts entering into well received (Lucas 1933 : 34). the construction of the locomotives Therefore, by 1835, Thomas Rogers had were shaped by hand, requiring time been introduced to locomotive construc­ and patience as well as skilled tion. In 1832, he had filled an order c~aftsmen. (Bruce 1952: 26) 26 Despite these conditions, many indi- In commenting on this first engine in viduals and organizations brought prog­ 1882, John Cooke, a Paterson locomotive ress to t he field of locomotive con­ builder, noted the following: "With its struction. Certainly one of the major round- top boiler, two drivers and wooden contr i butors to the design of the loco­ frame, it was quite a differ ent affair motive that became the standard for from the locomotive of the present day" Amer ican railroads in the mid- 19th cen­ (Trumbull 1882: 116). But the Sandusky tury was the Roger s Locomotive and Ma­ should not be dismissed solely as Rogers' chine Company.