A Very Early Locomotive
By Marty Maloy
A bit of historical background is in order for full appreciation of this extremely rare find, an early American-style toy locomotive found quite dirty on a mantle in Philadelphia where she sat for many years.
England was responsible for all the major developments in early steam locomotives. Consequently, America imported its first locomotives in the 1830s from Britain (usually the rigid 0-4-0 types). The British railways at that time enjoyed some major advantages over ours: they were sufficiently financed, covered shorter distances, had superior track, and carried more passengers and freight. Conversely, the United States was a poor and wild country—with inexpensive track stretched to its limits by necessity—which in turn caused the imported British locomotives to frequently derail. This led to the development in the US of locomotives with better tracking thanks to the addition of an “equalized” front truck and two large driving wheels. This development occurred around 1840. For the next 10 years or so, many of these 2-4-0 types were constructed.
The “Brother Jonathan” is an excellent early example of an engine […]