| Old 299 |
 |
| Panama Canal Construction Locomotive #299 |
| Present Location: Paterson Museum 2 Market Street Paterson, NJ 07501 Tel: (973) 881-3874 |
 |
| Technical Data: Manufactured by American Locomotive Cooke Works Paterson New Jersey "Mogul" type, 2-6-0 Locomotive, 1906 Purchase price - $11,307.00 Coal Fired, Tender Capacity 8 Tons Coal, 4,000 gallons of water Tractive Effort: 23,980 pounds at 10 MPH Hauling Capacity: 3,317 tons on level track Track Gauge 5 Feet Drive Piston: 19" Diameter, 24" stroke Weights Engine - 125,500 pounds, Tender - 97,000 pounds Oil Head and Rear Lights |
| Hours: Tuesday thru Friday 10am to 4pm, Saturday/Sunday 12:30-4:30pm Admission: Adults $2.00 and Children FREE Reservations for groups at least 4 weeks in advance Lunch: nearby fast foods Handicapped: Accessible |
 |
 |
| Tender Markings As Purchased: I.C.C. for Issthmian Canal Commission Under Corps of Engineers: U.S. When acquired by Panama Railroad Company: P.R.R. Later it became: Panama Railroad Cab Engine Number It was oversized as shown for manual identification during its actual Construction Service where all movement was under visual control. When removed from active service it was refurbished and placed on exhibit at teh Balboa Railroad Station. Later it was donated to the Paterson Museum in Paterson, New Jersey as a representative of the many Locomotives built at the American Locomotive Cooke Works, Paterson, New Jersey for service during the Construction of the Panama Canal. From time to time..."Old 299" has been painted by various Paterson High School Civic Classes as a joint community project. Mr. J. E. Dorn Thomas CHS 1949 provided much of the expert historical data for this article. Thank you. |
|
 |
| Above is a postcard that celebrates 100 years of the Panama Railroad |
|
| Here are some amazing facts about the Panama Railroad: * The Panama Railroad traded on the New York Stock Exchange at $295 a share... It was the highest priced stock at one time. * The PRR was the most expensive (per mile) railroad ever built. It cost $8 Million and took 5 years to complete. * That in 11913 the Panama Railroad hauled 2,916,657 passengers and transported 2,026,852 tons of freight across the Isthmus. At that time it was reported to have had the heaviest per-mile traffic of any railroad in the entire world! * That at US $25.00 in gold for the 47-1/2 miles... the PRR was the most expensive railroad per mile to travel. * That more than 12,000 people died in the construction of the Panama Railroad. * That even though built by American Engineers, the Panama Railroad used a non-standard gauge of 5 feet and it is still unchanged today. * That the Panama Canal would have been impossible to build without the Panama Railroad. The Chief Engineer of the Panama Canal, Mr. John Stevens, had the reputation of being a top-notched Railroad building engineer. He saw the construction of the Panama Canal as a large Railroad problem. He used his Railroad building expertise to great advantage. Although he left Panama before the Panama Canal had been fully completed he left a detail plan of how the work should be carried on to completion. Colonel George W. Goethals who assumed the position of the Chief Engineer credit Mr. John Stevens hard work that made it possible to complete the Panama Canal under budget and 6 months ahead of schedule. |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |