Flying Dutchman (South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company)
| Flying Dutchman | |
|---|---|
 The Flying Dutchman
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| Number: | 1 |
| Manufacturer: | Christian Edward Detmold |
| Year of construction (s): | 1829 |
| Retirement: | 1830 |
| Axis formula : | B. |
| Top speed: | 19.3 km / h |
| Traction power: | 1 horse |
| Drive: | Horse power |
The Flying Dutchman was a horse-powered locomotive for the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company .
A year before the opening of the first section, the directors of the railway company, founded in 1827 and also known as Charleston & Hamburg Railroad after its terminal stations, were by no means convinced that rail operations could be carried out exclusively with steam locomotives . So in 1829 they announced a competition for a horse-powered locomotive and offered a $ 500 prize for the best design. The winner was the young German-American engineer Christian Edward Detmold . The Flying Dutchman was built according to his plans : a horse on an endless conveyor belt moved the two-axle vehicle forward; Side benches mounted along the direction of travel offered passengers space.
The test drives carried out on the railway in 1830 were satisfactory: The Flying Dutchman transported 12 passengers at a speed of 12 miles (19.3 kilometers ) per hour. Compared to the Best Friend of Charleston steam locomotive , which was delivered to the railroad company in October and could move an entire train of wagons at 25 miles (40 kilometers) per hour, the horse-drawn locomotive ultimately looked too modest, and the undertaking horse-powered Railway operations were not pursued any further.
literature
- Carl W. Mitman: Catalog of the Mechanical Engineering Collection in the United States National Museum. United States Government Printing Office , Washington DC 1922.
- Thomas Fetters: The Charleston & Hamburg: A South Carolina Railroad and an American Legacy. The History Press, 2008.
- Popular Mechanics Magazine. Vol. 55, Issue 2, February 1931 (p. 209)