A Rocket in America 



Figure 50. — Rocket, built in 1838 by Braithwaite of London, England, and used 

 by the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad until 1 879. Photo was made about 

 1900. 



The second oldest of the three complete British locomo- 

 tives of the 1825-1849 period extant in North America is the 

 Rocket (figure 50), built in early 1838 for the Philadelphia 

 and Reading Rail Road Co. by Braithwaite' of London. It 

 was the first of eight Braithwaite locomotives purchased by 

 that railroad between 1838 and 1841. 



' The correct name of the builder of the Rocket, according to Dendy Marshall, was 

 Braithwaite, Milner and Co. The two brass maker's plates on the opposite sides of 

 the front of the locomotive's boiler read "Braithwaite & Co./ London./ March 

 1838." However, as they are of the same size and shape as the shop plates of the 

 Philadelphia and Reading in the early 1890's, and as there was no plate on the loco- 

 motive in the late 1880's (see figure 5 1), it is quite likely that these plates are not 

 original with the locomotive. They were probably made and installed at the time 

 it was refurbished for exhibition at Chicago in 1893. 



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