Gov. Stanford

For the former governor of California, see Leland Stanford.

Gov. Stanford
Gov. Stanford, now at California State Railroad Museum
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) 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

Gov. Stanford is a 4-4-0 steam locomotive originally built in 1862 by Norris Locomotive Works. 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. With a dedication ceremony that included artillery discharge, it entered service on November 9, 1863, and it was used in the construction of the First transcontinental railroad in North America by Central Pacific Railroad bearing road number 1. 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.

In May 1864, the Gov. Stanford was used to pull the first ceremonial passenger train beginning in Sacramento. The locomotive was withdrawn from mainline service in 1873, and was rebuilt in 1878 with larger cylinders and an increased boiler pressure, which increased its tractive effort to 11,081 pounds-force (49,290 N), as well as being outfitted with a water pump for extinguishing lineside fires. 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. From 1873, the engine operated as a switcher in the road's Sacramento railyard until retired on July 20, 1895, at which time the railroad donated it to Stanford University; however, it was not delivered to the university until 1899.

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, 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. The locomotive is currently a centerpiece at the museum, where it has been cosmetically restored to its 1899 appearance.

See also

• Jupiter (locomotive), Central Pacific's locomotive at the driving of a Golden spike to complete the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869
• List of preserved Southern Pacific Railroad rolling stock

References

• 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. JSTOR 43517808 – 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.