The most beautiful locomotive in the world (largish image)

[normhart]

The D. C. Haskin

Photo Credit; California State Railroad Museum Library

Built by the Mason Locomotive Works of Taunton, Massachusetts on June 28[SUP]th[/SUP] 1870 for the California Pacific Railroad Company. She and her sister engine the Wm. F. Roelofson epitomize the era of steam. From her extended pilot through the clean straight lines of her boiler to the fine woodwork of her drawn out cab she virtually screams speed!

Name – D. C. Haskin
Builder # - 361
Date – 6/28/1870
Type - 4-4-0
Road # - 11
Railroad - California Pacific, to Southern Pacific #1241
Cylinder - 16x24
Driver – 56 (60?)(57?)
Gauge - Standard
Weight - 37,000 (39,000)

Name – Wm. F. Roelofson
Builder # - 362
Date – 6/28/1870
Type – 4-4-0
Road # - 12
Railroad – California Pacific, to Southern Pacific #1242
Cylinder – 16x24
Driver – 56 (60?)(57?)
Gauge - Standard
Weight - 37,000 (39,000)

Edit: While looking up the weight I discovered that the correct name of the railroad was the California Pacific Railroad Company in 1870. I also discovered that while the builder's data showed these engines as having been with the Central Pacific I could find no evidence of that, they apparently went directly to SP. Nor was there any evidence that the Stockton and Cooperopolis had ever leased the engine.

Edit again: Gads more conflicts, according the the Encyclopedia of Western Railroad History these had 60" drivers and the correct name was Wm F Roelofson which makes sense since he was an officer of the company as was Mr. Haskin.

Edit some more: More gads, I tracked down the SP entry for these locomotives in the Encyclopedia of Western Railroad History and Mr. Robertson gives the driver diameter there as 57" furthermore he lists the weight as 39,000. Gads! Sadly he also lists the Haskin as having been scrapped in June of 1899 and the Roelofson in January of 1900.

And I am a putz too, I had read 54" drivers on Mason Locomotive Works pdf but what they wrote was 56". D'oh

 

[TramDU1214]

Is she art or is she a locomotive?
She is a true beauty, is she still with us?

 

[normhart]

Is she art or is she a locomotive?
She is a true beauty, is she still with us?

I am still digging through the SP records but my guess is that she was scrapped. SP had over 600 4-4-0s.

 

[JCitron]

She would look awesome running on a western-themed Trainz route somewhere.

John

 

[jjanmarine3]

Very pretty indeed...where do we get to take her for a spin on trainz pse.

 

[rjhowie]

Can't say whether she is the most beautiful engine in the world or not but it certainly is very attractive. Probably a lot more so than the modern clunky looking locos over there now.

 

[tbryson2]

Yes she is! Very symmetrical. She looks a LOT like my Museum General, a bit longer and not as tall (possibly). Obviously my engine is a bit different, but close...

Of course, Pencil42, (Carson Car shops) has some almost like the old photo.

Hmmm, Wonder if there is any more data on her.... Might make my next project! Wonder what her colors are? If everyone wants, take a poll and IF I get around to making her, I'll use the most voted for color scheme.

Just a though.

TBryson2

 

[sawyer811]

^
I wondered when he'd show up! :hehe:

 

[Euphod]

Back in those days every piece of machinery was given the "fine furniture" treatment; now it's all form following function and not much in the way of gilded lacquer. She's a beauty, that's certain!

 

[tbryson2]

^
I wondered when he'd show up! :hehe:

I just happend to be lurking around today! Lucky you! :wave:


TB

 

[sawyer811]

Hmm...maybe I should bother you for one of these then :wave:

http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr0500/sp1903.jpg

 

[normhart]

Hmm...maybe I should bother you for one of these then :wave:

http://donsdepot.donrossgroup.net/dr0500/sp1903.jpg

Now that, that is not beautiful. :hehe:

Terry, I've been searching for awhile now and the info and the single photo in the first post is about all I've found so far. The thing that stands out in my mind is that the barrel is cylindrical for it's whole length. I haven't seen any other engine of the period that was like that. All the engines I've seen pictures of, like your General, have a flair or widening near the cab. That, combined with the straight line from the back of the cab through the footboard, gives this engine very clean lines.

As for you building it for Trainz, that would be awesome! (Although, I did not start this thread as a teaser, or gimme.) I haven't seen any color pictures of any restored Mason locomotives and I have not found any color chips or descriptions of their colors either.

 

[tbryson2]

Could get interesting. Got into enough "trouble" with creating the Civil War General. Not enough ACTUAL FACTS on original engine, so I had to do the best I could. Some out there still had a bone to pick, but in all reality, she probably isn't anything like the original! :hehe: Even if I had used their "suggestions". Not griping, just a taste of what's to come if I create her as pictured. I'm sure there are those who truly know some of the details, and that would be great!

I'm making the Pioneer right now, when I finish her I might consider the above. Would look cool!

Terry

 

[normhart]

Could get interesting. Got into enough "trouble" with creating the Civil War General. Not enough ACTUAL FACTS on original engine, so I had to do the best I could. Some out there still had a bone to pick, but in all reality, she probably isn't anything like the original! :hehe: Even if I had used their "suggestions". Not griping, just a taste of what's to come if I create her as pictured. I'm sure there are those who truly know some of the details, and that would be great!

I'm making the Pioneer right now, when I finish her I might consider the above. Would look cool!

Terry

Yes, given that one of my sources can't agree internally on how much she weighed or how big her drivers were there is a lot to go wrong. I did manage to find some pictures of other Mason engines here, http://www.the-ashpit.com/mik/1850s.html including one color sketch of the 1856 Amazon. Most of them have this clean appearance.

"Mason favored clean architectural lines over what he felt was the 'clutter' of other builders. However, his perfectionism would also often delay the actual building of locomotives at his works."

So far as I can tell Mason did not make very many engines of this type, perhaps it would be better to build something that everybody had and can use. <sigh>

BTW here is the Records of the Mason Locomotive Works http://cprr.org/Museum/Books/I_ACCEPT_the_User_Agreement/Builders_Lists_DF_Hensley/MASON_HAVRON.pdf

Ah, color photos of the only surviving Mason Locomotive Works standard gauge locomotive. http://www.borail.org/William-Mason.aspx The 1856 Wm. Mason. Out of over 700 locomotives built by MLW only two survive.

 

[sawyer811]

Now that, that is not beautiful. :hehe:

we gonna have that whole "Ugly engine" debate again?

 

[normhart]

No, no we are not. This is my thread about what I consider the most beautiful engine in the world. Start your own thread, if you wish.

When these engines were acquired it must have been a big deal. I bet there was a write up in the San Francisco papers.

 

[sawyer811]

I didn't mean to intentionally hijack your thread, norm: I can have a bit of a twisted sense of humor that can be taken the wrong way frequently. sorry.

in any event, back on topic.

(P.S., for the record, I don't really consider those very beautiful myself, just in case you're wondering )

 

[normhart]

I haven't found much more about this engine, I picked up "The Central Pacific and The Southern Pacific Railroads" by Mr. Beebe for a song (available for under $15 from Amazon) but it didn't have any pictures of this engine although it has a fine dimensional drawing of the C. P. Huntington (C.P. #3 4-2-4T built by Danforth) and over 900 other photos and drawings (although no other dimensional drawings). It also had a very clear picture of a California Pacific tender of the era with Cal. P. RR lettering. Amazon also has "Mason Steam Locomotives: Melodies, Cast, And Wrought in Metal" by Arthur W. Wallace which is nowhere near as cheap (over $50) but I'm going to order it as soon as I can afford it.

There are several water color sketches of various Mason locomotives scattered about the Internet but nothing from the 1870's so far. I did find a Norris locomotive that had a similar clean cylindrical barrel but she was from the late 1880's.

 

[normhart]

Hurray, my copy of "Mason Steam Locomotives" arrived today. As I had anticipated there was not much on these two locomotives.

This source gives the dimensions as

Driver - 60"
Cyl - 16x24
Weight - 61000

Which doesn't agree with much of the data from the Mason locomotive pdf nor from the EWRH.

However in comparing the data with other locomotives manufactured in July of 1870 there are another two who match these exactly and this was a common size for passenger locomotives of the time.

Of more interest is the following quote from Historian Gerald Best included in the book;

"... the Cal. P. management went out of its way to decorate their engines with emerald colored driving wheels, gold designs in the center and on the spokes, maroon tanks and cabs, permanent red colored pilots and anything else which would make the engines outstanding. They were always spotlessly clean... "

So for my $50 I got the color scheme. :'( Ah, well. It really is a very nice book with a listing for all the Mason engines and, frequently a paragraph or two on specific engines.