come up on. 222 He said it was al) wrong, a g-inch cyl- 

 inder with only 3-inch length of valve ports. It al- 

 ways went by screaming, pish, pish, pish, like boys 

 throwing gravel against a board fence, and he declared 

 that if he ever built an engine, the ports should be at 

 least as long as two-thirds the diameter of the cylinder. 

 I relate this to show the bent of his thoughts at that 

 early day. He did not prove a failure. He was soon 

 found by other railroad managers, and we next know 

 him as master mechanic of the New York and Erie. 

 I visited him at Piermont, spending several days 

 with him in the shops and on the road, but have no 

 memorandum to fix the date. He, at that time, 

 shewed me his plans for a 10-wheel locomotive, with 

 three pairs of drivers, and a 4-wheel truck, which 

 he had designed for the central or heavy grade 

 division of the Erie Railroad. He had tried without 

 success to get permission to build some at the Pier- 

 mont shops. He was directed to exhibit his plans 

 and get bids from locomotive builders, and had 

 taken them to Baldwin, who raised many objections, 

 and declined bidding, but the Norris works looked 

 more favorably on his plans. He left his drawings 

 with them, which were returned with their bid. 

 Previous to this he had shown his drawings to Mr. 

 Millholland, 223 of the Reading Railroad, who was 



222 Again, the English locomotive before 1835. 



«s James Millholland (181 2-1875). See Railway Gazette 

 (August 28, 1875), vol. 7, p. 362, for obituary. Millholland 

 was "master of machinery" of the Philadelphia and Reading 

 Railroad from 1848 to 1864. 



enthusiastic, and expressed his opinion that they 

 would be particularly adapted to the heavy coal 

 traffic of the Reading. 



At the time of my visit he had not got authority to 

 order any for the Erie. He said he understood that 

 Millholland was having a 10-wheeler built by Norris 

 and he (Brandt) had no doubt it would prove to be 

 the most effective freight engine. He was very 

 particular in calling my attention to the details of 

 his drawings, saying, if I should ever see the Norris 

 engine, he would like me to note how nearly it 

 conformed to his drawings. 



Some time after this, on meeting Mr. Millh jlland, I 

 learned that the 10-wheeler was in service, and its 

 performance was even better than he had anticipated. 

 I rode over part of the road with him on the "Susque- 

 hanna." In detail the engine differed considerably 

 from Brandt's drawings, as I recollected then, and 

 Millholland remarked, "that after the engine was 

 put on the road some alterations had to be made 

 that would not have been required had Mr. Brandt's 

 plans been closer adhered to." I have related the above 

 in order to award Mr. Brandt credit he richly deserves 

 as one of the pioneers in advancing the American 

 locomotive to its present perfection. 



We next find him located at Paterson, N.J., carrying 

 on locomotive works. The engines he there turned 

 out are known to most of the present master me- 

 chanics. At Paterson he and his family were as 

 restless as when at Philadelphia. He sold out and 

 returned to his old home at Lancaster, where he 

 erected shops and started locomotive works, but did 

 not live to see them in successful operation. [61] 



171 



