A replica of the
Best Friend of Charleston was in the
1948-49 Chicago Railroad Fair because in 1830 it was the first commercially operated steamer constructed in America on the
South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company (SCC&RR). The railroad's chief engineer, Horatio Allen, had it built in West Point Foundry based in Cold Spring, NY; and it could reach 30mph empty and 12mph loaded, which was powerful for that time. The first train with 141 paying passengers left the
Camden Depot on December 25, 1830. It ran at speeds of 15-25mph. Unfortunately, it had a boiler explosion after six months service "(As legend goes the fireman became tired of listening to the hissing and whistling coming from the boiler and held down the steam pressure release valve.)....After the incident the railroad salvaged parts from the Best Friend to construct the Phoenix, which remained in use until the start of the Civil War in 1861." [
American-Rails]
Like the English designs, the Americans were still using just four driven wheels, or a 0-4-0 design. Unlike the English, who used a horizontal boiler with fire tubes from the beginning, this design uses a vertical boiler like Peter Cooper used on the
Tom Thumb.
Note that it pulled two coaches.
This photo was taken during a pageant show. It shows that the coachs are no longer stage coach bodies. But they are still using just four wheels.
A closeup view while it rested in the service area:
The wood had to be carried from the tender around the boiler to feed it from the front.
Four photos with a crew bringing it out of storage probably for its turn to travel across the stage.
Three photos of it being driven by a different engineer.
A color photo with a pile driver in the background working on a breakwater.
Another color photo as the train progressed across the "stage."
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