Here is some additional history on steam locomotives and their role in the Town of Davidson and the United States thru the 19th and 20th centuries:
Engine #1289 of the Southern Railway (which acquired the original AT&O Railroad that ran thru Davidson in 1894) was manufactured in 1906 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Pennsylvania. The most popular variant of steam locomotive engines used by Southern Railway in the late 19th and early 20th century was known as the “4-6-2 Class 1 Pacific” by the Whyte notation system – the most predominant version of passenger steam locomotives in the country. The notation references the number of wheels in order, from front to rear – including the leading wheels, the driving wheels and the trailing wheels. These locomotives were “Tender Locomotives”, meaning they were designed to pull a separate “tender” car directly behind the engine that contained the fuel (wood, coal or oil/diesel) and water supplies. Steam locomotive engines used in our area like Engine #1289 and later Class 2-4 variants of the that Pacific steam locomotive Class 1 would have the capability to typically pull 8-12 passenger cars along with its tender car, and could reach peak speeds of 80mph (although 50-60mph was more common).
Baldwin Locomotive Works was one of the world’s leading manufacturers of steam locomotives from 1825 to 1956, and had capacity to produce over 3000 locomotives annually in the early 20th century. The company navigated thru numerous “boom and bust” challenges in the US and international locomotive market, including the railroad expansion boom of the 1850’s. It saw wild swings in demand and production during the Civil War, losing significant business in the South but gaining orders from the United States military. The decade between the end of the 19th century and 1910 was widely considered the “gilded age” of steam locomotives. The company then faced various challenges including labor issues, industry changes and government regulation. The Panic of 1907 financial crisis in U.S. had a significant negative effect on the railroad industry including BLW. The company was a key manufacturing contributor to the Allies during World War 1, shipping locomotives worldwide for the war effort.
The onset of the Great Depression, combined with the industry’s gradual transition to diesel-electric locomotives during the 1940’s marked a key turning point in Baldwin Locomotive Works’ former leadership role in the locomotive industry; it was not well-positioned to take advantage of equipment needs during World War 2, and eventually ceased producing locomotives altogether in 1956 – after 125 years of continuous production!
Steam locomotive engines were predominantly fueled by wood (timber) thru the post-Civil War era until 1870-1880. Due to the rapid expansion of transportation infrastructure (trains, boats, etc.) as the U.S. continued its settlement/expansion during the 2nd Industrial Revolution, the combined demands of supply chain logistics for wood vs. coal and their increasing impact environmentally, saw the steam locomotive industry then rapidly convert to coal as the predominant fuel source. However, certain railroads particularly in the Plains and Western U.S. remained largely dependent upon readily available timber wood fuel sources vs. coal. The advent and availability of fuel oil thru the WW1 era marked the third and final fuel source for steam locomotives, as many newer engines began switching to oil and older coal-fired models were also converted to burn oil although coal remained a common fuel source due to its low cost and plentiful supply.
By the WW2 era, diesel fuel which presented specific energy, logistics and other benefits compared to coal and oil fuel, together with later advances in electricity technology saw another rapid evolution of the locomotive industry to diesel-electric powered locomotives: by the 1950’s, the commercial operational era for wood, coal and even oil-powered steam locomotives effectively ceased, although some units remained in sporadic service/use thereafter on back lines, tourist services and similar low volume uses.
Southern Railway utilized a very distinctive green and gold livery inspired by British locomotives for its key passenger rail service during the early-to-mid 20th century, including the Charlotte to Taylorsville line that passed thru Town of Davidson.
The AT&O/Southern/Norfolk-Southern “O-Line” was a critical part of the history of the Town of Davidson, not only for the ability to provide faster and more efficient passenger transportation between points North of Town (to Taylorsville) and South (to Charlotte), but also for commerce thru the industrial revolution era of the United States. As the Mecklenburg County region and Town of Davidson evolved from being predominantly an agricultural economy in the half-century following the Civil War between 1870-1920, other industries such as the cotton/textile industry rapidly emerged.
When the Linden and Davidson (Delburg) Cotton Mills were constructed in 1890 and 1907, respectively, in the downtown Davidson/Westside area, they were built directly adjacent to the rail line and depended upon it for shipping/receiving not only raw materials and finished textile products, but also its passenger service. This also fueled additional growth and diversity in the Town’s population, as manufacturing quickly rose to be a significant source of employment in Davidson along with Davidson College, agriculture and retail – the traditional industries that supported the Town’s economy dating back to its original inception in 1837.
** A later variant of the Southern Railway locomotives that powered trains thru Davidson in the 19th and early 20th centuries is illustrated by Southern Railway steam locomotive 4-6-2 PS/4 engine #1401. This engine was manufactured by the American Locomotive Company in 1926, was used by Southern Railway on their “Charlotte Division” line that ran from Greenville, SC to Salisbury, NC (along the Interstate 85 corridor) and today is fully restored and on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History: https://americanhistory.si.edu/collect…/…/object/nmah_214493