DH The earliest locos-

Oh Boy!

Now this is a fun question that I will dig into deeper this weekend. At a extreme summary level, these never had a major place in history for reasons of major sadness and mystery to all railroad railfans and historians alike.

 

HISTORY of Railroading in North America

This story begins in 1823 with the Wurts Brothers (founders of The D&H) who have a dream to supply coal from Pennsylvania and what would become America's oldest continually operated transportation company was born.

</font>

• April 5, 1826: Pennsylvania Legislature authorized the building of a railroad from the coal beds at Carbondale over the Moosic Mountains to Honesdale.</font>
• April 1827: John B. Jervis begins his survey for a Gravity Railroad which he presents his report on October 24, 1827. By Fall of 1827, the order to begin construction is authorized.</font>
• February 15, 1828: Horatio Allen goes to England to obtain a Steam Engine and rails. Builder of the first Steam Locomotive "Rocket" George Stephenson is contacted.</font>
• July 1828: Horatio Allen reports that he has contracted one Rocket style Engine from Robert Stephenson & Co. of Newcastle and three from Foster, Rastrick & Co. of Stourbridge. He also has obtained a large quantity of strap rail by Messrs. W. & I. Sparrow of Wolverhampton. Engines obtained are the "America", "Delaware", "Hudson", and the "Stourbridge Lion"</font>
• January 15, 1829: The Engine "America" arrives in New York aboard the clipper ship "Columbia" and was later set up on blocks and turned under steam on May 27, 1829.</font>
• May 13, 1829: The Engine "Stourbridge Lion" arrives in Gotham and is also setup on blocks and turned under steam on May 28, 1829.</font>
• July 3, 1829: Both the "America" & "Stourbridge Lion" are both loaded on the steamer "Congress" and shipped up the Hudson to Rondout. There they are transferred to canal boats to the Gravity Line at Honesdale; but, no record of the "America" arriving when the boats reached Honesdale on July 24, 1829. </font>
• Summer 1829: Engines "Delaware" & "Hudson" arrive in New York and also shipped up to Rondout where all traces of them are lost. </font>
• August 8, 1829: The Engine "Stourbridge Lion" is officially tested with Horatio Allen at the controls. This marks the first operation of a steam locomotive in North America. </font>
• September 9, 1829: The "Stourbridge Lion" makes a second test run and its determined that the weight of the engine was to excessive for the road. The engine is rolled of the tracks and moved into a makeshift shelter to rot for 20 years. It won't be until 1860 that a steam locomotive will operated on the D&H again. </font>
• 1870: The boiler from the "Stourbridge Lion" that was used in the company shops in Carbondale is replaced.</font>
• 1923: Engine Cylinder of "America" found in the Smithsonian Institution; mislabled as STOURBRIDGE LION </font>

As you see (with this very brief timeline), these are the four (4) earliest engines in North America but why only one is remembered.

Weclome to my love of the D&H...

 

TRIVA Question

Who is Dinah & Catherine Richards and how are they tied to railroad history?

 

True, they are tied to the D&H

Don't give up, the information you need is below.

 

Need another clue?

 

Very Good

Now, given this date, this would be during the D&H Gravity Railroad Era; which bascailly means this is the Roller Coaster ride on rails.

Abraham Richards (Miner) came from Wales that summer and was waiting at the Lookout Junction station for his wife and FIVE children to arrive from the old country. Trainman Elliott Skeels and Conductor A. W. Daly greeted the wife and children at Scranton to take them to Carbondale were they would be reunited once again with Abraham.

As the train neared Jermyn a fellow passenger noticed Mrs. Richards had gone into labor and the train was stopped and a doctor was summoned from the town. Not much later, twin girls were born right on the passenger car they were riding in. The mother and the twin girls were made as comfortable as possible and the train continued to Carbondale.

There, Mr. Richards was waiting for his wife and five chlidren but to his astonishment there were SEVEN children that got off the train. The only transporation he had was a wagon and the family left with him visbly shaken at the reins.

The family decided to name the girls Catherine Hudson and Dinah Delaware Richards. The D&H Superintendent (Thomas Dickson) presented the little girls with a gift of $20 and two Siler Medallions made from a 50-cent piece with the inscription.

 

Follow-up:

In "The Delaware and Hudson Bulletin" April 15, 1925 edition the girls are once again remember by The D&H.

Mrs. Richard is noted to have never forgotten the events of the girls birth until her death in 1906. Mr. Richards died when the girls were around 11 or 12 years old. Later when the girls were once again traveling on the D&H they learned that Mr. Skeels was the conductor and made their identity know to him and shared many stories.

At the time this artical was written they were both married; Catherine with 4 daughters and a son and Dinah with two daughters. Their married names are Mrs. Benjamin G. Jones and Mrs. Edward M. Jones; but the men are unrelated. Two of their cousins are employeed by the D&H and since January 20, 1898 they would be provided free tranportation over the company lines by order of C. R. Manville (Superintendent)

 

Here is Mrs. Cecelia Richards and the twins

Dinah Delaware & Catherine Hudson Richards

[ February 24, 2005, 11:05 PM: Message edited by: Stourbridge Lion ]

 

And here are the twins much later in life.