MB. R. L. BOYER, VICE-PRESIDENT & CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE
COOPER-BESSEMER CORPORATION, MOUNT VERNON, OHIO, SENT US THIS
WONDERFUL PICTURE. WE THEN WROTE HIM FOR A BIRTH CERTIFICATE OF
THIS ENGINE AND THE FOLLOWING DESCRIPTION CAME CONCERNING IT. WE
QUOTE:
One thing I should tell you is that the boiler was not
bottom in one spot and felt that for our purposes it just was not
worth rebuilding the boiler. We did put a new smoke box on it and a
new stack, but that is about all. We completely overhauled the
engine itself and for demonstration purposes we operate the engine
on air. As to appearance, the engine looks exactly like a new one
for we copied completely the details shown in many sketches we have
here that were made at the time this engine was built.
‘Unfortunately we do not know the exact date of manufacture.
On all other of these old engines we have been able to find they
have had the date stamped in the crosshead slide but a complete
search has failed to reveal any date on this one. We do know that
such engines were built through the 1860’s although many of
them were built after bringing out the traction engine line in
1875. The fact that this engine has steel wheels indicates it was
built after 1875 since we believe that all of them up to that time
had wooden wheels. We believe it safe to say that this engine was
built between 1875 and 1880.’
