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ROGERS LOCOMOTIVE & MACHINE WORKS 



Figure i i . — The New Jersey Railroad and Transportation Company Ao. 36, built by the Rogers Locomotive 

 and Machine Works in 1863, was one of the first locomotives to be equipped by this firm with a 2-wheel 

 Bissell truck. {Smithsonian photo ^6806-m) 



the same report Feger stated that he planned to re- 

 equip another locomotive in the same manner. 



The Baldwin Locomotive Works in December 1 860 

 built a group of rather awkward looking 2-6-0's for 

 the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. Equipped 

 with Bissell trucks, these were undoubtedly among the 

 very first new locomotives to be so built. The first 

 consolidation type was built by Baldwin in 1866; it 

 was equipped with a 2-wheel Bissell safety truck. 



The Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works and 

 the New Jersey Locomotive and Machine Works, 

 both of Paterson, New Jersey, in the early 1860's 

 began building Moguls; these are known to have had 

 Bissell trucks. Other builders followed their example, 

 so that by the 1870's 2-wheel trucks had become 

 relatively common. 



It should be noted that the 2-wheel truck was not 

 an absolute success until it was equalized with the 

 front driving axle. This arrangement was perfected 



in 1864 by William S. Hudson, but before describing 

 his invention it will be helpful to discuss several earlier 

 attempts to equalize pony trucks with the drivers. 



In 1857 John P. Laird, then master mechanic of 

 the Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad, rebuilt an old 

 Niles 8-wheeler into a curious 2-6-0 on which only 

 the two rear driving wheels were coupled. The front 

 driver was driven by a chain and sprocket, and the 

 pilot wheels were equalized with the front driving 

 axle. The success or failure of the arrangement has 

 not been definitely determined, but whatever the 

 outcome, Laird continued his experiments when he 

 became superintendent of motive power for the 

 Pennsylvania Railroad in 1862. He abandoned the 

 chain drive for a more conventional arrangement of 

 side rods, but the truck and his plan of equaliza- 

 tion were much the same as that tried earlier. Laird 

 used two equalizing levers, attached at one end to the 

 front spring hangers and at the other to the truck. 



PAPER 24: INTRODUCTION OF THE LOCOMOTIVE SAFETY TRUCK 



129 



