Transportation - Overview
Americans have always been a people on the move—on rails, roads, and waterways (for travel through the air, visit the National Air and Space Museum). In the transportation collections, railroad objects range from tools, tracks, and many train models to the massive 1401, a 280-ton locomotive built in 1926. Road vehicles include coaches, buggies, wagons, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, and automobiles—from the days before the Model T to modern race cars. The accessories of travel are part of the collections, too, from streetlights, gas pumps, and traffic signals to goggles and overcoats.
In the maritime collections, more than 7,000 design plans and scores of ship models show the evolution of sailing ships and other vessels. Other items range from scrimshaw, photographs, and marine paintings to life jackets from the Titanic.
"Transportation - Overview" showing 8 items.
Model of the 1825 Steam Locomotive, Dewitt Clinton
- Description
- This 1/2" scale model of the De Witt Clinton represents an early American built four-wheel connected locomotive. Peyton L. Morgan, the maker, based the model on drawings supplied by Popular Mechanics Magazine between 1931 to 1933. The model consists of the engine with horizontal boiler, steam dome, stack and a four wheel tender.
- The De Witt Clinton was the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad's first locomotive. It is named for the governor of New York who promoted the construction of the Erie Canal. Designed by John B. Jervis, the locomotive was the third engine produced by the West Point Foundry Association of New York City. Completed in 1831, it was found to be too light to haul trains of sufficient size and its wheel arrangement too rigid to negotiate sharp curves without incident. It was dismantled piecemeal between 1833 and 1836.
- The Erie Canal, completed through the state of New York in 1825, became an artery of trade and travel. Between Albany and Schenectady, the canal travelled forty miles through twenty-seven locks. Over land, however, the distance between the two towns was only sixteen miles. The Mohawk and Hudson Railroad, chartered in 1826, linked the Mohawk River at Schenectady with the Hudson at Albany. The New York Legislature intended that the railroad complement, not compete with, the canal, as it allowed traffic to bypass the roundabout section of waterway between the two towns.
- date made
- 1931
- De Witt Clinton locomotive built
- 1831
- maker
- Morgan, Peyton L.
- ID Number
- 1992.0036.01
- catalog number
- 1992.0036.01A
- accession number
- 1992.0036
- catalog number
- 1992.0036.01B
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Model of Richard Trevithick's 1804 Locomotive
- Description
- This is a 1/2 inch scale model of Richard Trevithick’s 1804 locomotive, which is considered the world’s first steam-powered railway vehicle. It shows four wheels, horizontal boiler, a single cylinder and gearing on its side.
- In the early years of the nineteenth century, Richard Trevithick, British inventor and engineer, experimented with high-pressure steam boilers, constructing several stationary steam engines and two steam-powered roadway carriages. In 1803, the owner of the Penydarren Iron Works of Merthy & Tydfill, Wales, requested a railway engine for his tram road. Completed in February of 1804, the engine hauled a five-car train loaded with 70 men and 10 tons of iron on its first trip, and later hauled a 25-ton train. Pulling a load, its normal speed was around 5 miles per hour, but the engine alone could reach 16 miles per hour. Despite its successful operation, the locomotive proved too heavy, breaking the brittle cast-iron plate rails of the tram road. It was retired and used as a stationary engine.
- Location
- Currently on loan
- date made
- 1888
- date refurbished
- 1963
- Trevithick's locomotive constructed
- 1804
- ID Number
- TR*180058
- catalog number
- 180058
- accession number
- 021090
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Model of the Steam Locomotive, Puffing Billy
- Description
- This is a 1-1/2" scale model of the Puffing Billy, a locomotive built in 1813-1814 by William Hedley, superintendent of the Wylam Colliery near Newcastle, England. The model shows a horizontal boiler, two verticle cylinders and two rocking beams.
- Hauling 50 tons at its normal operating speed of 5 mph, the locomotive did the work of ten horses at considerably less cost. Hedley’s success helped establish the locomotive as an economic and practical machine. The Puffing Billy was retired in 1862 and may now be seen at the Science Museum in London.
- Location
- Currently on loan
- date made
- 1957-1958
- Puffing Billy locomotive constructed
- 1813-1814
- maker
- Holden, E. H.
- ID Number
- TR*316652
- catalog number
- 316652
- accession number
- 224752
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Model of the Steam Locomotive, Tom Thumb
- Description
- This is a 1/2" scale four-wheel model of Peter Cooper’s Tom Thumb, which operated on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1830. Few contemporary details about the locomotive’s construction have survived. The model is based on Peter Cooper's recollection printed in the an 1875 issue of the American Railway Master Mechanics Association. The model shows a verticle boiler, a verticle cylinder and piston and a stack.
- After making a modest fortune in glue manufacturing in New York City, Peter Cooper purchased property in Baltimore on which he constructed the Canton Iron Works. He was therefore anxious about the future of the newly opened Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, since only a successful line would increase the value of his land holdings. In England, where the railway was first developed, companies operated steam locomotives over farely straight lines. B&O officials believed that their route’s sharp curves were unsuitable for locomotives, and operated trains hauled by horses instead. Cooper, by contrast, insisted that steam locomotives were not only practical but necessary if the line was to make a profit. To argue his position, he constructed a small locomotive that hauled trains carrying B&O Railroad officials during the summer of 1830. The Tom Thumb’s ability to traverse the sharp curves of the line with a speed of 18 mph proved Cooper’s point, and steam locomotives were adopted on the B&O the following year.
- date made
- 1960
- Tom Thumb locomotive constructed
- 1830
- ID Number
- TR*318210
- catalog number
- 318210
- accession number
- 233853
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Model of the 1837 Steam Locomotive, H. R. Dunham
- Description
- This is a 1/2 inch scale model of the engine and tender that represent the general service locomotive, Dunham built around 1837 by H. R. Dunham & Co. of New York City for the Harlem Rail Road. Contemporary drawings reveal that Dunham closely followed Baldwin’s Lancaster design. The locomotive model shows a 4-2-0 wheel arrangment. Steam locomotives are often classified by wheel arrangement, in the order of leading, driving, and trailing wheels. This engine has four leading wheels, two driving wheels, and no trailing wheels.
- The proliferation of new railroads encouraged many small machine shops to enter the locomotive business. While some of these firms, like that of M. W. Baldwin, would produce many engines and make a fortune, most, like H.R. Dunham & Co., built only a few machines and went out of business. Dunham constructed sixteen locomotives from 1836 to 1838 for the New York and Harlem, the Camden and Amboy, the Michigan Central and several other lines.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1961
- maker
- Severn Lamb, Ltd.
- ID Number
- TR*319306
- catalog number
- 319306
- accession number
- 234646
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Model of the 1839 Steam Locomotive, Gowan & Marx
- Description
- This is a 1/2" scale model of the Gowan and Marx, a 4-4-0 freight locomotive built in 1839 for the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad. The model consists of an engine with two inclinded cylinders, horizontal boiler, a domed firebox and a four wheel tender.
- As trains grew longer and heavier, railroad companies needed more powerful locomotives. One way to increase power was to build machines with more driving wheels, or powered wheels. However, such locomotives had previously proved too rigid for the rough tracks of early American railroads, derailing often or damaging the track. On the Gowan and Marx, locomotive builders Eastwick and Harrison of Philadelphia introduced the equalizing lever, a spring suspension that distributed the engine’s weight over three points. In this arrangement, each of the four driving wheels could bounce independently as the engine negotiated rough track, greatly improving stability and traction. According to John H. White in American Locomotives: 1830-1880, the equalizing lever, which allowed the successful operation of engines with multiple pairs of driving wheels, “was possibly the most important American contribution to locomotive design.” Eastwick and Harrison’s equalizing lever proved so successful that it was used through the end of steam locomotive construction in the 1950s.
- Steam locomotives are often classified by wheel arrangement, in the order of leading, driving, and trailing wheels. The Gowan and Marx has four leading wheels, four driving wheels, and no trailing wheels. It is therefore classified as a 4-4-0 locomotive. When compared to an earlier 4-2-0 type engine, like Baldwin’s Lancaster, the 4-4-0’s additional pair of driving wheels brought a great increase in power. Intended for slow speed, heavy coal trains, the Gowan and Marx performed extremely well; on one occasion, it pulled a 101-car train of 423 tons at an average speed of 9.8 miles per hour. After 1840, the 4-4-0 or “American type” became the most popular locomotive in the country. The exceptional performance of the Gowan and Marx greatly enhanced the reputation of Eastwick and Harrison. They were subsequently invited to Russia to build locomotives for the Moscow and St. Petersburg Railway.
- Location
- Currently on loan
- date made
- 1962
- Gowan & Marx locomotive constructed
- 1839
- maker
- Shawcraft (Models) Ltd.
- ID Number
- TR*320630
- accession number
- 242186
- catalog number
- 320630
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Model of the 1829 Steam Locomotive, Rocket
- Description
- This is a 1/2 inch scale model of the Robert Stephenson's steam locomotive Rocket which won the locomotive trials at Rainhill England in 1829. The model shows a four wheel locomotive with front leading wheels, inclined cylinders, firebox, boiler and stack with a four wheel tender.
- The Rocket attracted worldwide attention for its superior performance. Its multi-tube boiler was the basis of its success. To this time, most locomotive boilers contained only one or two tubes that carried hot gases from the fire through the boiler, which was filled with water, to make steam. The Rocket, however, employed 25 copper tubes that doubled the heating surface of the older, single-tube boiler engines. The large heating surface not only generated an abundant supply of steam, but also resulted in a remarkable fuel economy; the new engine consumed only a third of the fuel that the older style engines required. In light of such obvious advantages, the multi-tube boiler became a standard feature in subsequent steam locomotive design.
- The Rocket hauled trains on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway until 1836, when it was deemed too light for regular service. Its second owner altered the machine and operated it until 1844. In 1862, the locomotive was placed on exhibit at the Science Museum in London, where it can still be seen today.
- Location
- Currently on loan
- date made
- 1829
- Rocket locomotive constructed
- 1829
- ID Number
- TR*322289
- accession number
- 246799
- catalog number
- 322289
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center
Model of the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad’s Lancaster
- Description
- This is a 1/2" scale model of the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad’s Lancaster. Steam locomotives are often classified by wheel arrangement, in the order of leading, driving, and trailing wheels. This locomotive had four leading wheels, two driving wheels, and no trailing wheels. It is therefore classified as a 4-2-0 locomotive.
- Built in 1834, the Lancaster was the third locomotive constructed by M. W. Baldwin of Philadelphia. A jeweler turned machinist, Baldwin completed his first locomotive in 1832. The proliferation of new railroads encouraged many small machine shops, like Baldwin’s, to enter the locomotive business. Most of these firms built only a few machines and went out of business. Baldwin’s shop, however, became the largest steam locomotive builder in the world. By 1868, the firm had produced 2000 engines and employed over 1,600 workers. When the company closed its doors in 1956, it had produced over 70,000 locomotives for North American railroads and lines overseas.
- On the Lancaster, Baldwin employed the four-wheel leading truck devised by John B. Jervis, which allowed the engine to negotiate sharp curves with ease. Designed for both passenger and freight service, the Lancaster performed well; on one occasion, the locomotive pulled a 75-ton, sixteen-car train at an average speed of 12 to 14 miles per hour. The engine proved so successful that Baldwin built over one hundred locomotives on the same general design from 1834 to 1842. After operating for sixteen years, the Lancaster was retired in 1850, and dismantled the following year.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1834
- Lancaster locomotive constructed
- 1834
- ID Number
- TR*325994
- catalog number
- 325994
- accession number
- 257974
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center