Gov. Stanford

Gov. Stanford is a 4-4-0 steam locomotive originally built in 1862 by Norris Locomotive Works.[2] Following construction, it was disassembled and hauled by the ship Herald of the Morning around Cape Horn to California, then up the rivers aboard the schooner Artful Dodger, arriving in Sacramento on October 6, 1863.[3][4][5] With a dedication ceremony that included artillery discharge,[6] it entered service on November 9, 1863,[7] and it was used in the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad in North America by Central Pacific Railroad bearing road number 1.[8][9][10] 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.[1][5]

Gov. Stanford
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Norris Locomotive Works Serial number 1040 Build date 1862
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-4-0 Gauge 5 ft (1,524 mm) (as built)[1] 4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge (as rebuilt) Driver dia. 54 in (1,372 mm) Adhesive weight 35,700 lb (16,200 kg) rebuilt Loco weight 50,000 lb (23,000 kg), 56,000 lb (25,000 kg) rebuilt Boiler pressure 100 psi (690 kPa), 125 psi (860 kPa) rebuilt Cylinder size 15 in × 22 in (381.0 mm × 558.8 mm) bore × stroke; 16 in × 22 in (406.4 mm × 558.8 mm) bore × stroke rebuilt
Performance figures Tractive effort 7,791 lbf (34,660 N), 11,081 lbf (49,291 N) rebuilt
Career Operators Central Pacific, Southern Pacific Numbers 1, renum. 1174 in 1891 Official name Gov. Stanford First run November 9, 1863 Retired July 20, 1895 Current owner Stanford University, loaned to Pacific Coast chapter R&LHS Disposition static display at the California State Railroad Museum

In May 1864, the Gov. Stanford was used to pull the first ceremonial passenger train beginning in Sacramento.[11] The locomotive was rebuilt on 1878 with larger cylinders and an increased boiler pressure, which increased its tractive effort to 11,081 pounds-force (49,290 N). 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.[1][8] The locomotive was retired from regular service on July 20, 1895, then donated to Stanford University;[8] however, it was not delivered to the university until 1899.[1][3][5][12] The locomotive was disassembled and stored during World War II 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,[3][13] 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 in Sacramento.[14] The locomotive is currently a centerpiece at the museum where it has been cosmetically restored to its 1899 appearance.[2][3][4][15]

See also

• List of preserved Southern Pacific Railroad rolling stock

References

1. Joslyn (1956), p. 155.
2. Boyd (2018), p. 1862.
3. "Exhibits - Central Pacific Railroad No. 1 Gov. Stanford". California State Railroad Museum. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
4. "The Transcontinental Railroad: Transforming California and the Nation" (PDF). National Endowment for the Humanities, Division of Education Programs. p. 7. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
5. Ingram, K.G., ed. (May 1922). "Story In Every 'Iron Horse' of Early Days: 'Governor Stanford', First Central Pacific Locomotive Shipped Around Cape Horn, Was Put in Operation Early in 1863". Southern Pacific Bulletin. Vol. XI no. 5. San Francisco, CA: Southern Pacific Company, Bureau of News. p. 27 – via Google Books.
6. "The Pacific Railroad". Gold Hill Daily News. November 11, 1863. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Letter from Sacramento". The Sonoma County Journal. November 13, 1863. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
8. Diebert & Strapac (1987), p. 33.
9. Poole, Marcia (October 25, 1992). "'Road Warriors - Railroad museum breathes life into old trains". Sioux City Journal. p. 61 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Suspended". The Sacramento Bee. November 27, 1864. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "The First Passenger Trip over the Pacific Railroad". The Deseret News. May 11, 1864. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Chesley, Kate (May 8, 2019). "First Transcontinental Railroad and Stanford forever linked". Stanford University. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
13. Diebert & Strapac (1987), p. 25.
14. Rodda, Richard (March 5, 1972). "Amtrak Could Bring Back Rail Travel If..." The Sacramento Bee. p. P8 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Locomotive Collection". California Department of Parks and Recreation. State of California. Retrieved August 29, 2020.

• Boyd, Ken (2018). Historic North American Locomotives: An Illustrated Journey (E-book). Waukesha, WI: Kalmbach Books. ISBN 9781627005098 – via Google Books.
• Diebert, Timothy S.; Strapac, Joseph A. (1987). Southern Pacific Company Steam Locomotive Conpendium. Shade Tree Books. ISBN 0-930742-12-5.
• Joslyn, D.L. (March 1956). "Steam Locomotives of the Southern Pacific". The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin (94): 155–169 – via Jstor. (registration required)

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.