''Gov. Stanford'' is a
4-4-0
4-4-0 is a locomotive type with a classification that uses the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement and represents the arrangement: four leading wheels on two axles (usually in a leading bogie), four po ...
steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
originally built in 1862 by
Norris Locomotive Works
The Norris Locomotive Works was a steam locomotive manufacturing company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that produced nearly one thousand railroad engines between 1832 and 1866. It was the dominant American locomotive producer during most of ...
. Following construction, it was disassembled and hauled by the ship ''
Herald of the Morning'' around
Cape Horn
Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramírez ...
to California, then up the rivers aboard the schooner ''Artful Dodger'', arriving in Sacramento on October 6, 1863.
With a dedication ceremony that included artillery discharge, it entered service on November 9, 1863, and it was used in the construction of the
First transcontinental railroad
North America's first transcontinental railroad (known originally as the "Pacific Railroad" and later as the " Overland Route") was a continuous railroad line constructed between 1863 and 1869 that connected the existing eastern U.S. rail netwo ...
in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
by
Central Pacific Railroad
The Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR) was a rail company chartered by Pacific Railroad Acts, U.S. Congress in 1862 to build a railroad eastwards from Sacramento, California, to complete the western part of the "First transcontinental railroad" in N ...
bearing road number 1. It was Central Pacific's first locomotive and it is named in honor of the road's first president and ex-California governor,
Leland Stanford
Amasa Leland Stanford (March 9, 1824June 21, 1893) was an American industrialist and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 8th governor of California from 1862 to 1863 and represented California in the United States Se ...
.
In May 1864, the ''Gov. Stanford'' was used to pull the first ceremonial passenger train beginning in Sacramento. The locomotive was withdrawn from mainline service in 1873, and was rebuilt in 1878 with larger cylinders and an increased boiler pressure, which increased its tractive effort to , as well as being outfitted with a water pump for extinguishing lineside fires. In 1891 the locomotive was renumbered to 1174, although both Joslyn (1956) and Diebert & Strapac (1987) both assert that this number was never actually applied to the locomotive. From 1873, the engine operated as a switcher in the road's Sacramento railyard until retired on July 20, 1895, at which time the railroad donated it to
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
; however, it was not delivered to the university until 1899.
The locomotive was disassembled and stored during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
but was returned to display at the university after reassembly by retired Southern Pacific engineer
Billy Jones. In the 1960s, the university needed the space occupied by the engine for other uses, so the engine was removed and loaned in 1963 to the
Railway & Locomotive Historical Society
''Railroad History'' (initially, ''The Railway & Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin'') is a biannual peer-reviewed academic journal published by the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society since 1921.
''Railroad History'' consists primarily ...
,
which had been in the process of collecting historic locomotives and rolling stock to be displayed in what would ultimately become the
California State Railroad Museum
The California State Railroad Museum is a museum in the state park system of California, United States, interpreting the role of the "iron horse" in connecting California to the rest of the nation. It is located in Old Sacramento State Historic ...
in
Sacramento
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
. The locomotive is currently a centerpiece at the museum where it has been cosmetically restored to its 1899 appearance.
See also
*
Jupiter (locomotive)
The ''Jupiter'' (officially known as Central Pacific Railroad #60) was a 4-4-0 steam locomotive owned by the Central Pacific Railroad. It made history when it joined the Union Pacific No. 119, Union Pacific ''No. 119'' at Promontory Summit, Ut ...
, Union Pacific's locomotive at
the driving of a Golden spike to complete the
Transcontinental Railroad
A transcontinental railroad or transcontinental railway is contiguous railroad trackage, that crosses a continental land mass and has terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single ...
in 1869
*
List of preserved Southern Pacific Railroad rolling stock
A large quantity of rolling stock formerly owned and operated by Southern Pacific Railroad has been preserved in museums and on tourist railroads across North America.
Preserved steam locomotives
Preserved diesel locomotives
Prese ...
References
*
*
*
External links
Locomotive Governor Stanford. # 1, Photograph scan (via Stanford.edu) of a stereogram photograph by Alfred A. Hart
'The Work Began Here' ''Sacramento Bee'' newspaper clipping (via Newspapers.com) shows photo of ''Gov. Stanford'' in Sacramento with construction materials for Central Pacific Railroad.
{{CSRM rolling stock
Individual locomotives of the United States
Southern Pacific Railroad locomotives
4-4-0 locomotives
First transcontinental railroad
Standard gauge locomotives of the United States
Railway locomotives introduced in 1862
Norris locomotives
Preserved steam locomotives of California