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Figure 7.—Tue Philadelphia, BuILT 1N 1844 By Norris Broruers for the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad. 
Shown as rebuilt 1848-1849 by Millholland. (From American Locomotives, 1849, by E. Reuter.) 
delphia to the coal fields near Pottsville, the line was 
built as an anthracite carrier. In 1835, three years 
before it began to operate, the board of managers had 
decided it was “‘of the utmost importance that the 
locomotive engines to be constructed for this company 
be built with a view to the exclusive use of anthracite 
as fuel... 1% This plan was frustrated when 
experience showed that anthracite was all but im- 
possible to burn in locomotives, and the line had to 
resort to wood. 
Millholland’s major problem was not simply to 
build a coal-burning locomotive—difficult enough in 
itself—but one that would burn anthracite. This 

18 Minute Books, April 13, 1835. 
dense, slow-burning fuel—sometimes called ‘‘stone 
coal’”’—wwas singularly inappropriate for use in the 
narrow and deep wood-burning fireboxes of the early 
19th century. Anthracite burned best when spread 
thin over a large area. Wood, on the other hand, 
being highly combustible, was stacked thick and deep 
for best results in firing. 
Because the Reading’s primary trafhe was anthra- 
cite, Millholland was expected to develop a practical 
plan for using this fuel in the company’s locomotives. 
He labored ten years with the problem, and in the end, 
despite many failures, he achieved a remarkably 
successful design. Boiler and firebox improvement 
was Millholland’s chief occupation, and he pioneered 
in this field. Most American motive-power officials 
of the period were content with wood burners, con- 
10 BULLETIN 252: CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 
