the exhibition of historic locomotives at the Fair of the Iron 

 Horse in 1927 (figure 55). 



In June 1928, when the two old locomotives were given by 

 the B & O to the Province of Nova Scotia, the Samson re- 

 turned to the land of its youth, only to be placed in storage 

 in Halifax. Later, however, it was given to the town of New 

 Glasgow, through which it had run almost daily in its early 

 days, and it is now housed in a small building especially 

 constructed for it at the town's railroad station. 



The F/na/ Decode 



In 1839 the Philadelphia locomotive building firm of 

 Eastwick and Harrison constructed to the order of Moncure 

 Robinson for the Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road Co. 

 a noteworthy anthracite-burning locomotive, named the 

 Gowan and Marx after an English banking firm. This engine 

 during trials on February 20, 1840, turned in what was for 

 the time an outstanding performance. It hauled from Read- 

 ing to the inclined plane on the Columbia and Philadelphia 

 Rail Road, located several miles from Vine and Broad 

 Streets in Philadelphia, 101 cars of freight, a load of 423 long 

 tons (2,240 pounds). The total weight of this load was 

 947,520 pounds not including the weight of the engine itself 

 and its tender. The engine, in running order, weighed 24,660 

 pounds. The story of this remarkable feat is told by Joseph 

 Harrison, Jr., in his book, "The Locomotive Engine, and 

 Philadelphia's Share in Its Early Improvements." 



So pleased was the Philadelphia and Reading with this 

 locomotive that the road decided to order more of the same 

 general style. However, as Eastwick and Harrison shortly 

 became involved with plans to construct locomotives in 

 Russia, and contemplated closing their Philadelphia works, 

 most of these additional locomotives were made by other 

 builders. A dozen or so, somewhat similar to the Gowan and 

 Marx, were built in the machine shop of a Lowell, Mass., 

 firm named "Proprietors of Locks and Canals on Merrimack 

 River." Others were built by the New Castle Manufacturing 

 Co. at New Castle, Del. 



66 



