4-2-0 John Bull Profile and Models

4-2-0 John Bull

"John Bull" in 1893. Unknown location. ©Public Domain

"John Bull" is a British-built steam locomotive, designed for operation in the United States. Built by Robert Stephenson and Company, it was initially purchased by and operated for the Camden and Amboy Railroad, the first railroad in New Jersey, which gave it the number 1 and its first name, "Stevens". The C&A used it heavily from 1833 until 1866, when it was removed from active service and placed in storage. After the C&A's assets were acquired by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in 1871, the PRR refurbished and operated the locomotive a few times for public displays: it was fired up for the Centennial Exposition in 1876 and again for the National Railway Appliance Exhibition in 1883. In 1884 it was purchased by the Smithsonian Institution as the museum's first major industrial exhibit. After being on static display for 42 years, the Smithsonian commemorated the locomotive's 150th birthday in 1981 by firing it up; it was then the world's oldest surviving operable steam locomotive. As of 2021, the original John Bull is on static display in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

(Information provided via Wikipedia)

Type of Locomotive

Steam

Builder

Robert Stephenson and Company

Build Date

1831

Total Built

1

Top Speed

15 mph

Wheel Configuration

4-2-0

Operated By

Camden & Amboy Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad

Main Duties

Mixed Traffic

In Service Until

1866 (Active Service)

Surviving Examples

1