William Crooks (locomotive): Difference between revisions
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The locomotive was originally a wood-burner with a [[Tender (rail)|tender]] that held just two [[Cord (unit)|cords]] of wood. Often, the tender's wood was used before the train could reach a wood pile, forcing the crew to make use of the wooden right-of-way fences to keep the train moving. Later the locomotive was converted into a coal-burner.<ref name=Crooks/> As built, the engine had a straight boiler (was not tapered from a larger diameter at the firebox end to a smaller diameter at the smokebox end), had the balloon stack typical of wood burning engines, and three domes, the center of which was for sanding the rails to improve traction when needed. As the engine aged and parts replaced, the engine's appearance changed. The engine received a diamond stack for burning coal, its boiler replaced with a tapered design, and was reduced to a two dome configuration. |
The locomotive was originally a wood-burner with a [[Tender (rail)|tender]] that held just two [[Cord (unit)|cords]] of wood. Often, the tender's wood was used before the train could reach a wood pile, forcing the crew to make use of the wooden right-of-way fences to keep the train moving. Later the locomotive was converted into a coal-burner.<ref name=Crooks/> As built, the engine had a straight boiler (was not tapered from a larger diameter at the firebox end to a smaller diameter at the smokebox end), had the balloon stack typical of wood burning engines, and three domes, the center of which was for sanding the rails to improve traction when needed. As the engine aged and parts replaced, the engine's appearance changed. The engine received a diamond stack for burning coal, its boiler replaced with a tapered design, and was reduced to a two dome configuration. |
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In 1868, a fire partially destroyed the ''William Crooks''. Albion B. Smith was tasked with restoring the locomotive and became the locomotive's engineer once it returned to service.<ref name=mhs/><ref name=Crooks/> He became a personal friend to James J. Hill through his works and service with the William Crooks. The old locomotive had served almost 50 years and had eventually been assigned to runs in [[Montana]] and [[Washington (state)|Washington]]. The ''William Crooks'' was in passenger service until September 30, 1897,<ref name=wc>{{cite web|url= |
In 1868, a fire partially destroyed the ''William Crooks''. Albion B. Smith was tasked with restoring the locomotive and became the locomotive's engineer once it returned to service.<ref name=mhs/><ref name=Crooks/> He became a personal friend to James J. Hill through his works and service with the William Crooks. The old locomotive had served almost 50 years and had eventually been assigned to runs in [[Montana]] and [[Washington (state)|Washington]]. The ''William Crooks'' was in passenger service until September 30, 1897,<ref name=wc>{{cite web|url=https://www.friendsofbnsf.com/node |title=The William Crooks |date=June 19, 2014 |publisher=Friends of BNSF |accessdate=July 27, 2014 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140727184903/https://www.friendsofbnsf.com/node |archivedate=July 27, 2014 }}</ref><ref name=Smith/> after which it was retired and by the turn of the century, was sitting decommissioned in a corner of the Great Northern yard in St. Paul.<ref name=Montana>{{cite news|url=http://www.newspapers.com/clip/950564/william_crooks_at_billings_montana_1927/?|title=Changes Of Fifty Years In Transportation To Be Shown During Founders' Jubilee|date=June 19, 1927|page=15|publisher=Billings Gazette|accessdate=September 1, 2014|via = [[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> The locomotive was restored to operation for Hill's 70th birthday in 1908, as he had insisted when informed of its condition.<ref name=Crooks/><ref name=Smith/> Smith, who worked a regular schedule for the Great Northern Railway, would be reassigned to duty with the William Crooks for special events such as this and later, the [[Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition]].<ref name=Smith/> After he received word that the William Crooks was to be scrapped, it was Smith who spoke to Hill about it, with Hill declaring, "Not as long as I live.".<ref name=Smith>{{cite news|url=http://www.newspapers.com/clip/950183/albion_b_smith_and_the_william_crooks/?|title=Worry Kills; Work Kills worry:Motto of America's Oldest Engineer|date=September 6, 1909|publisher=Tacoma Times|page=6|accessdate=September 1, 2014|via = [[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> After Hill's death in 1916, the Great Northern continued to exhibit the train at special events.<ref name=mhs/><ref name=wc/> The railroad gave the engine a balloon stack similar in appearance to its original, but internally designed suitable for coal as well as wood. |
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In 1924, the locomotive went on an exhibition tour from Chicago to Seattle.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/archive/6/6b/20120911063046%21Pullman_sleeping_car_circa_1860s.JPG|title=1924 exhibition tour information|accessdate=11 September 2012}}</ref> For this event, the railroad rebuilt the engine to further resemble its original form, restoring it to the original three dome configuration, though it retained the tapered boiler. ''William Crooks'' was displayed at the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]]'s "Fair of the Iron Horse" in 1927, then at the [[1939 New York World's Fair]] and finally at the [[Chicago Railroad Fair]] in 1948 as part of the "Wheels A-Rolling" pageant, traveling to and from all three events under its own power.<ref name=Crooks/><ref name=wc/> Though the locomotive had been converted from burning wood to burning coal as fuel, its headlight remained lit by [[kerosene]]; this restricted the William Crooks' travel to daylight hours only.<ref name=morehistory>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4710748/william_crooks_kerosene_headlamp/|title=Savanna Second Lap of Ancient Engine's Trip|date=March 16, 1939|publisher=Freeport Journal-Standard|page=11|accessdate=March 23, 2016|via = [[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> |
In 1924, the locomotive went on an exhibition tour from Chicago to Seattle.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/archive/6/6b/20120911063046%21Pullman_sleeping_car_circa_1860s.JPG|title=1924 exhibition tour information|accessdate=11 September 2012}}</ref> For this event, the railroad rebuilt the engine to further resemble its original form, restoring it to the original three dome configuration, though it retained the tapered boiler. ''William Crooks'' was displayed at the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]]'s "Fair of the Iron Horse" in 1927, then at the [[1939 New York World's Fair]] and finally at the [[Chicago Railroad Fair]] in 1948 as part of the "Wheels A-Rolling" pageant, traveling to and from all three events under its own power.<ref name=Crooks/><ref name=wc/> Though the locomotive had been converted from burning wood to burning coal as fuel, its headlight remained lit by [[kerosene]]; this restricted the William Crooks' travel to daylight hours only.<ref name=morehistory>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4710748/william_crooks_kerosene_headlamp/|title=Savanna Second Lap of Ancient Engine's Trip|date=March 16, 1939|publisher=Freeport Journal-Standard|page=11|accessdate=March 23, 2016|via = [[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> |
Revision as of 01:48, 1 April 2016
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William Crooks in Chicago enroute to the 1939 New York World's Fair. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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William Crooks locomotive | |
William Crooks at the St. Paul Union Depot. | |
Location | Duluth, Minnesota |
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Built | 1861 |
Architect | New Jersey Locomotive and Machine Works |
NRHP reference No. | 74002403 |
Added to NRHP | April 5, 1974 |
William Crooks, named after the Colonel of the Minnesota Volunteers' Sixth Regiment during the American Civil War (and later Chief Mechanical Engineer for the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad),[2] is a 4-4-0 steam locomotive that was the first locomotive to operate in the U.S. state of Minnesota.[3] William Crooks laid out the initial ten-mile track between Minneapolis and St. Paul the locomotive operated on.[4] The William Crooks was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 5, 1974.[5]
Constructed in 1861 for the Minnesota and Pacific Railroad as their number 1,[6] it first provided service a year later in 1862 for the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (into which the M&P had been reorganized by that time).[6] After completion, the locomotive traveled by rail to La Crosse, Wisconsin, which was the nearest rail point to St. Paul at the time. From there, it was loaded onto a Mississippi River barge bound for St. Paul. Though it arrived in St. Paul on September 9, 1861, it was not until June 28, 1862, that the passenger equipment arrived and ten miles of track could be laid. The William Crooks carried its first train load of passengers on the same day. The trip began at 2:30 PM from St. Paul with the train and its passengers returning from its ten mile trip to St. Anthony (now Minneapolis) at 6 PM.[7][8] While the governor of Minnesota, the founder of the railroad and other dignitaries were the train's first passengers, the train moved into regular service four days later.[3]
The locomotive was originally a wood-burner with a tender that held just two cords of wood. Often, the tender's wood was used before the train could reach a wood pile, forcing the crew to make use of the wooden right-of-way fences to keep the train moving. Later the locomotive was converted into a coal-burner.[3] As built, the engine had a straight boiler (was not tapered from a larger diameter at the firebox end to a smaller diameter at the smokebox end), had the balloon stack typical of wood burning engines, and three domes, the center of which was for sanding the rails to improve traction when needed. As the engine aged and parts replaced, the engine's appearance changed. The engine received a diamond stack for burning coal, its boiler replaced with a tapered design, and was reduced to a two dome configuration.
In 1868, a fire partially destroyed the William Crooks. Albion B. Smith was tasked with restoring the locomotive and became the locomotive's engineer once it returned to service.[1][3] He became a personal friend to James J. Hill through his works and service with the William Crooks. The old locomotive had served almost 50 years and had eventually been assigned to runs in Montana and Washington. The William Crooks was in passenger service until September 30, 1897,[7][9] after which it was retired and by the turn of the century, was sitting decommissioned in a corner of the Great Northern yard in St. Paul.[10] The locomotive was restored to operation for Hill's 70th birthday in 1908, as he had insisted when informed of its condition.[3][9] Smith, who worked a regular schedule for the Great Northern Railway, would be reassigned to duty with the William Crooks for special events such as this and later, the Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition.[9] After he received word that the William Crooks was to be scrapped, it was Smith who spoke to Hill about it, with Hill declaring, "Not as long as I live.".[9] After Hill's death in 1916, the Great Northern continued to exhibit the train at special events.[1][7] The railroad gave the engine a balloon stack similar in appearance to its original, but internally designed suitable for coal as well as wood.
In 1924, the locomotive went on an exhibition tour from Chicago to Seattle.[11] For this event, the railroad rebuilt the engine to further resemble its original form, restoring it to the original three dome configuration, though it retained the tapered boiler. William Crooks was displayed at the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's "Fair of the Iron Horse" in 1927, then at the 1939 New York World's Fair and finally at the Chicago Railroad Fair in 1948 as part of the "Wheels A-Rolling" pageant, traveling to and from all three events under its own power.[3][7] Though the locomotive had been converted from burning wood to burning coal as fuel, its headlight remained lit by kerosene; this restricted the William Crooks' travel to daylight hours only.[12]
On the way to the 1939 World's Fair, the locomotive made a stop in Paterson, New Jersey, where it had been built 78 years before.[13] The old locomotive made many stops en route to New York City, drawing crowds everywhere it went. At that time, it was the oldest locomotive operating under its own power. Accompanying the William Crooks was John J. Maher, a retired Great Northern engineer. Maher began his career with the railroad in 1881 as a fireman for the William Crooks; he became the locomotive's engineer in 1888. He indicated that there had been no breakdowns during the trip from St. Paul and speculated that the locomotive could probably travel at up to 60 miles an hour without difficulty.[4]
Maher, whose work as a fireman took place before the William Crooks was converted to burning coal, recalled that in the early days, part of a fireman's equipment was an axe, so wood could be chopped if the wood in the locomotive's tender ran out. He said he often needed to go out and look for wood to keep the William Crooks moving.[4] The locomotive was accompanied to the World's Fair by two of its original coaches which still had their original candle holders from the days when they were lit by candle light and their original wood stoves for warmth.[4]
Its cylinders, rods and bearings were all rebuilt at the Great Northern's Dale Street Shops in St. Paul, MN in 1947-48 by machinist George A. Halvorsen as his last job before retirement.[7]
It was placed on display at the Saint Paul Union Depot in June 1954.[6] In June 1962, the Great Northern transferred ownership of the engine to the Minnesota Historical Society,[6] though the engine remained displayed in the depot. The St. Paul Union Depot closed to passenger traffic in 1971, however, the engine was not removed until 1975, when it was moved to the newly established Lake Superior Railroad Museum in Duluth, Minnesota, where it currently remains. The William Crooks is one of only a few locomotives from the time of the Civil War that survive today.[7] For the celebration of the 150th anniversary of rail service in Minnesota, the locomotive's whistle was blown for the first time since 1948, when it appeared at the Chicago Railroad Fair.[7]
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William Crooks near Elk River, Minnesota in 1864.
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William Crooks being placed on display at the Saint Paul Union Depot.
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This Pullman sleeping car, original to the train, was part of the 1924 exhibition tour.
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William Crooks being dismantled in preparation for its move to the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in 1975.
Works cited
- Wills Boosters, Hustlers and Speculators St. Paul MN Hist. Soc. 2005
- Chicago Railroad Fair Official Guide Book (1949).
- Middleton, Kenneth R.; Keyes, Norman C., Jr. (Autumn 1980). "The Great Northern Railway Company: Predecessors and Fully-Controlled Subsidiaries". Railroad History (143). Boston, Massachusetts: The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society, Inc.: 8–19. ISSN 0090-7847.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Keyes, Norman C., Jr.; Middleton, Kenneth R. (Autumn 1980). "The Great Northern Railway Company: All-Time Locomotive Roster, 1861–1970". Railroad History (143). Boston, Massachusetts: The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society, Inc.: 20–162. ISSN 0090-7847.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
- Family History- George Antonius Halvorsen 1881-1959.
References
- ^ a b c d e "The William Crooks". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
- ^ Wills, Jocelyn. Boosters, Hustlers and Speculators: Entrepreneurial Culture and the Rise of Minneapolis and St. Paul 1849-1883. Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul, MN p. 105. 2005
- ^ a b c d e f "Yesterday Today". Great Northern Railway. 1927. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
- ^ a b c d "Throngs See Fair Engine". Middletown Times Herald. March 27, 1939. p. 6. Retrieved September 1, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "William Crooks locomotive". gohistoric.com. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Keyes & Middleton (1980). p.40
- ^ a b c d e f g "The William Crooks". Friends of BNSF. June 19, 2014. Archived from the original on July 27, 2014. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
{{cite web}}
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ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ Glischinski, Steve (June 28, 2012). "The day Minnesota railroads turned 150" (PDF). Minnesota Railroads. pp. 6, 7. Retrieved July 27, 2014.(PDF)
- ^ a b c d "Worry Kills; Work Kills worry:Motto of America's Oldest Engineer". Tacoma Times. September 6, 1909. p. 6. Retrieved September 1, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Changes Of Fifty Years In Transportation To Be Shown During Founders' Jubilee". Billings Gazette. June 19, 1927. p. 15. Retrieved September 1, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "1924 exhibition tour information". Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ^ "Savanna Second Lap of Ancient Engine's Trip". Freeport Journal-Standard. March 16, 1939. p. 11. Retrieved March 23, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "An Engine Of Long Ago". Appleton Post-Crescent. April 7, 1939. p. 6. Retrieved September 1, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
Media related to William Crooks (locomotive) at Wikimedia Commons
- 4-4-0 locomotives
- Individual locomotives of the United States
- Steam locomotives of the United States
- Passenger locomotives
- History of Minnesota
- National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota
- Railway locomotives on the National Register of Historic Places
- Great Northern Railway (United States) locomotives