John H. White 



The "PIONEER": 



LIGHT PASSENGER LOCOMOTIVE 



of 1851 



In the Museum of History and Technology 



In the mid-nineteenth century there was a renewed interest in 

 the light, single-axle locomotives which were proving so very suc- 

 cessful for passengei traffic. These en n built in limited 

 number by nearly every well-known maker, and among tfu 

 remaining is the 6-wheel "Pioneer," on display in the Museum of 

 History and Technology, Smithsonian Institution. 'I Ins locomotive 

 is a true representation of a light passengei locomotive oj 1851 and 

 a historic relic of the mid-nineteenth century. 



The Author: John II. White is associate curator oj trans- 

 portation in the Smithsonian Institution^ Museum of History and 

 Technology. 



TIIK ""I'll inker" IS AN UNUSUA1 Ml ITIVE .iik I Oil 

 first inspection would seem to be imperfeel foi 

 service on an American railroad of the 1850's. I his 

 locomotive has only one pair of driving wheels and no 

 truck, an arrangement which marks it as very different 

 from the highly successful standard 8-wheel engine 

 of this period. All six wheels "l the Pioneer are rigidly 

 attached to the frame. It is only half the size "l an 

 8-wheel engine of 1S51 and about the same M/e of the 

 4-2-0 so common in this country some 20 years 

 earlier. Its general arrangement is thai of the rigid 

 English locomotive which had. years earlier, proven 

 unsuitable for use on U.S. railroads. 

 These objections arc more apparent than real, for 



PAP] K 42: THE "PIONEER"' OF 1851 



the Pioneer, and other engines ol the same design, 

 proved eminendy successful when used in the service 

 for which they were built, that of light passenger 

 traffic. The Pioneer's rigid wheelbase is no problem, 

 for when it is compared to that of an 8-wheel engine 

 it is found to be about lour feet less; and its small size 

 is no problem when we realize it was not intended for 

 lu-.iw service. Figure 2. a diagram, i* a comparison 

 of the Pioneei and a standard 8-wheel locomotive. 



Since the service life of the Pioneei was spent on the 

 t umberland Vallej Railroad, a brief account of that 

 line is necessary to an understanding of the service 

 histor) of this locomotive. 



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