Reading Rocket 

I love 0-4-0 locomotives there is just something charming about them having only drive wheels.

Nice to see Rocket get the spotlight. The braithwaite locos had pretty good lifespans, especially Rocket’s sister Spitfire. She became one of the first engines to work on the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad, and was later sold to a coal mine, being scrapped in 1885.

It has been 70 plus year since I have been to the Franklin Institute. I was 5 or 6 at the time. I remember being upset by the big locomotive we were on, could move back and forth, That was the Baldwin 60000, 4-10-2, as I learned many years later. Kid those days. Thank you Mr Dawson for the memories and the information.

Thanks for this. So British it had me thinking of a Reading UK unkown to me railway. Had me then confused looking like a giant wheeled 2-2-0 or maybe inside coupling rods. But then the 1890s restoration explained it. With so many long ago restorations they did not bother too much with historical accuracy. Often a case of here is something laughable compared to todays great progress was the aim. I expect the extra work of quartering, crank pins and coupling rods was seen as not worth it and would not be needed for its primary function of being wheeled around for display. For that purpose i can see accuracy providing extra complications that they considered best avoided unfortunately. If they made the wheels first without considering crankpins etc then they might have missed the exposition with a rework needed. Poor planning occurred even in the past. The precedent of the John Bull locomotive getting rid of coupling rods early on may have had them thinking this Rocket also used that idea early in its life. Being from that part of the world and era. Perhaps even someone around in the 1840s told them about taking coupling rods off Rocket to cope with early US track or had it confused with the John Bull. Just my guesses. Would be interested to know the real story if it could be found.

Thanks for the video. Bury locomotives were innovative for the time, using bar frames.

Thanks for highlighting Rocket on RailStory! I live in the Philadelphia area and went to the Franklin Institute a few times when I was younger. It was cool to see her there but I think she’ll be more at home at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. Can’t wait to see her in Strasburg!

The tank engine conversion was amusing, though it must be infuriating to know how close, yet off the replica wheels are! A nice little old 0-4-0, that has been brought to my attention by you, a brilliant video, looking forward to the next RailStory.

"Take a look, it's in a book, Reading Rocket!"

Its hard to explain, but our wedding reception was held Mt Airy train station in Philly... its not just about metal, its also about people. Your videos are fantastic.

I find the spokes of some of the Bury type locos interesting, with them being offset. I love how clean the lines of the Bury engines are, with the frames, cranks, and so on being between the gauge of the rails. Fascinating how many rebuilds a lot of these early locos went through - There is a fine threshold between "Old locomotive" and "Historical locomotive" when it comes to saving these earlier pieces. Old locos capable of switching/shunting seem to be more plentiful than early passenger types, it seems. Have you had a look at the Reading's early Norris 4-4-0s? I love the cab placement on them.

So many rockets, lions and tigers! Very great video! Would love to see a video on the John bull, I can't remember if you had done it already

Thank you, Anthony for introducing another veteran engine I'd not heard of. Its amazing how many of those very early engines actually survive, far more than you may imagine. There's another Bury 2-2-0, rebuilt as a 2-2-2 which survives in ireland. I love the bloopers which come up on the subtitles - this one renders 'bar frames' as 'bathrooms!

Another excellent video! Much appreciated the in-depth look at 'Rocket'- what a pity the early restorations left it with a stubby smokestack and those "driving" wheels. Still a pretty locomotive, though, and looking well cared for. Thanks for posting!

Yeah, the Franklin Institute isn't known for its locomotive preservation skills. I remember going there as a kid and all the engines were dirty and the whole room wasn't kept very well. The PRM will be a much better home for it

What a varied and interesting history.

Great video and a lovely engine.

I have watched this before. It is a most enjoyable experience. Informative, detailed and certainly interesting due to the intriguing history of the engine. This time in the development of locomotives is incredible for its speed of development and variety of ideas. A certainly critical time in the development of transport and civilisation as we know it today.

Great one Anthony. I didn't know this engine had been moved. Cheers!

Thank for the information about the Rocket and tiger .this loco would make a nice addition to the ERA 1 collection if some maker decided to continue with them mind you this fairly similar to the Hornby Tiger other than the wheel arrangement s and firebox

Thank you so much for covering this! I remember asking for this one a few months back so I'm stoked to se it!

How odd that this little engine survived on an American railway for such a long time. Perhaps it was a pet of the motive power superintendents.

I can’t wait to measure her at Strasburg soon, i want to make a model of her sister spitfire with the modifications of the DL&W.

Love your videos. Wonder if you'd ever talk about Lady Edith - an Irish 4-4-0 3' gauge locomotive and her tool car and carriage which were bought by some New Yorkers in 1959 and later moved to Allaire New Jersey? Seems in your wheelhouse

A very interesting loco. Did any other Bury type locos have the valve shaft forward of the cylinders? Was this because it had a particularly short boiler barrel (perhaps to keep down the weight)?

😊👍

1893 10 years before the Wright brothers not even a generation between the two

So strange that this extremely european looking engine comes from the same railway as the massive and perhaps slightly ugly T-1 class 4-8-4s. Quick edit: I am a Canadian, so I do have an appreciation for North American locomotives, so me calling the T-1 ugly is more personal taste. It's also more specific to the as-(re)built look of the T-1s, as I believe 2101, with its flying numberboards and more centered headlight placement added during the Freedom Train and Chessie era, looks much better.

Coke is a funny fuel for trains.