Gowan & Marx
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First Day of Issue: October 1, 1987; First Issue Location: Baltimore, Maryland. Once the novelty of the railroad started to wane, businessmen began to seriously consider it as a profitable enterprise. The key to this enterprise was power. The more a train could carry, the more economical its use would be. Thus, designers focused on the design of engines which could haul huge loads, but with the weight evenly enough distributed so as not to overburden the tracks. It was quite a challenge and many of America's railroad lines suffered much wear during development and trial stages. There were successes, however. Among them was the "Gowan & Marx." Built in 1839, this engine was one of the most powerful of early locomotives. On a single trip, the "Gowan & Marx" was able to pull 101 four-wheeled train cars, weighing 423 tons. The little engine thus could haul forty times its own weight. Suddenly, it seemed railroads would be the wave of the future, offering inexpensive transit through the rugged American wilderness Unicover Corporation |
