Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1882-08-31
THE FIRST TAMERICAN RAILROAD.
ThurIOW Weeds Story of the First Trip
From ALBANY to Schenectady.

The controversy in regard to the first steam
railroad train operated in this country is as
yet unsettled, but the preponderance of the
evidence would seem to show that it was the
train run over the Albany 4 Schenectady
road in 1881. The charter for this road was
granted in 1926 to the Mohawk 4 Hudson
River Railroad campany, and work upon 1t
was begun in 1880. 1t was completed IN
1881, and in September of that year the first
steam passenger train ever run in this coun-
try, was sent over the rails from Albany to
Schenectady and back. Among the passen-
gers on this memorable excursion was the
venerable Thurlow Weed, and his memory
of the event is still very vivid. In speaking
of it to a Times reporter yesterday, Mr..
Weed said: 1T is still more or less a dis
puted point whether the Albany & Schenec-
tady road, or q short road near Charleston.
S. c., was the first railroad operated in this
country, but am inclined to think that the
claim of the South Carolina road has been
pretty we'll disposed of, and that history will
decide that the Albany Schenectady line
was the first one completed and operated.
There is no doubt that both roads were con-
structed almost simultaneously, but l have
a very strong impression that the first train
was run over the New York line. The road
was narrow guage, and followed the same
route as it does now that it has been con-
solidated and forms the eastern terminus OF
the New York Central, but in 1881 the coun-
try through which it passes was very lightly
settled. 1t ran through pine forest. and l
suppose there was not half a dozen houses
between Albany and Schenectady, a distance
of sixteen miles. There was hill at both
the Albany & Schenectady ends of the line,
fI,a III of down
these hills by strong rope, which was
worked by stationary engine, so that the
engine did not enter either of the cities
The locomotive was queer-looking arrange
ment, and would create a sensation in these
days. 1t was imported from England,
weighed four tons and was named John
Bull. The cars of the first train were also
peculiar looking vehicles according to our
modern notions of railway coaches, but in
1881 they were looked upon as marvels
They were two in number, and consisted OF
the bodies of the old stage coaches taken
from the numbering wheels and transferred
to railroad trucks.
l remember that first excursion very we'll,
and most Of those who enjoyed it, contin-
ued Mr.. Weed. "The gentlemen who made
ethe trip were Lewis Benedict, James Alex
ander, president of the Commercial Bank of
Albany Charles E. Dudley, of the Dudley
observatory ; Jacob Hayes, high constable OF
New York Major Meggs, sheriff of Albany;
Judge Marvin, of Saratoga; John j. De Graft,
mayor OF Schenectady; Edward Croswell,
editor of the Albany Argus; John Townsend,
Billy Whine, the penny Post ut Albany; ex-
Governor Joseph c. Yates, myself, and two
or three whom do not now recall. Our en-
gineer was John Hampson, an Englishman,
whom am told is still living, but with the
exception of him and myself everyone of the
persons who made the trip are dead. l was
"a years old then, all the rest, except Cros-
we'll, who was about my age, were from 5 to
10 years older than l. A great crowd Of peO-
pie assembled at the foot of the hill in AL
bany to see us start, and among them was an
artist by the name of Brown, | think. 1t
took about three quarters OF an hour to get
ready for the start, and during that time
Brown managed to secure picture OF the
party, the portraits OF which are remarkable
for their fidelity. Several of these pictures are
in existence, and / have one Of them myself.
The original is in the possession of the Con-
necticut Historical society, at Hartford.
When all ready the coaches were pulled up
the hill by the stationary engine, the loco
motive was attached when the summit had
| Decu Iedcncu, duU we WeHC tHunucTlIlS tlOuS
toward Schenectady. We made the trip Of
about sixteen miles in sixty or seventy min
utes, and we thought we had done an extra
ordinary thing, as indeed we had for, those
early days of the century. The idea of the
modern express train running at the rate OF
fifty or sixty miles an hour would have
seemed preposterous then. We took dinner
in Schenectady and returned by the read to
Albany, making the trip in a little over al
hour" ...
The only stockholders of the Mohawk &
Hudson railroad whom Mr. Reed could re-
member were Mr.. De Wolf, of this city, tht
father of Catherine De Wolf, John Townsend
OF Albany, and mayor John j. De Graft, O
Schenectady. The old narrow guage roa6
was torn up when the consolidation with the
New York Central was made, and the sta.
tionary engine was dispensed with, the loco
motives running directly into Albany and
Schenectady. The route of the line was moi
changed, however, and travellers over the
New York Central now pass through tht
same country, although it is much more
thickly settled, that was looked out upol
by the passengers of the first railroad train
that ever made trip in America.