Brother Jonathan
Additional Details:
| First Day of Issue: October 1, 1987; First Issue Location: Baltimore, Maryland. The early 1830's were marked by improvements in the railroad industry. A man named John Jervis was among the innovators. Jervis was chief engineer for the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad. In 1832, he made improvements which would become standard in locomotives throughout the country. His idea was to lighten the engine by removing the rigid front axle with its single pair of wheels and substituting a front truck with two axles and four wheels. The "Experiment" was built at the West Point Foundry according to Jervis' new design. It was a success and Jervis' concept was adopted almost immediately. The engine was renamed "Brother Jonathan" and, achieving speeds of 60 miles per hour, became the fastest locomotive in the world. "Brother Jonathan" was later converted to an eight-wheel construction and served for many years along the rails of America. Jervis had thus paved the way for "Americanization" of the locomotive. The result was a period of progress for the railroad industry |
