“Thatcher Perkins”

In 1852, the B&O Railroad reached Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia). The following year, the B&O built its first “ten-wheeler” locomotives to tackle the steep and winding grades of the Allegheny Mountains between Wheeling and Cumberland, Maryland. Introduced in 1847 and defined by their 4-6-0 wheel arrangement, ten-wheelers became incredibly popular during the 19th century.  

When passenger rail travel spiked during the Civil War, the B&O was quick to capitalize. The railroad’s Master of Machinery, Thatcher Perkins, was tasked with building a new fleet of ten-wheelers that could traverse the punishing mountain range between Piedmont, VA, and Grafton, WV. Perkins was the right man for the job; according to a contemporaneous article in the American Railroad Journal, “his reputation as a builder of locomotives is second to none in this country.” In 1863, Perkins produced 11 new ten-wheelers, including the B&O No. 147. Like other 4-6-0 class locomotives, the Perkins ten-wheeler is equipped with a balloon-style smokestack intended for burning wood fuel. It was not until later that coal-burning engines were made with larger boilers and shorter smokestacks to fit below bridges.  

Though the No. 147 and its siblings were designed to pull first-class passenger trains through the Alleghenies, most were sent to the eastern Potomac River Valley, where they were used to transport thousands of troops and supplies for the Unions Army. Compared to other locomotives involved in the conflict, the ten-wheelers were exceptionally fast and powerful. With the aid of B&O Railroad and wartime locomotives like the No. 147, the Union Army emerged victorious over the Confederate forces in the Spring of 1865.  

After the Civil War, the No. 147 was assigned to several B&O passenger and freight trains. Many changes were made to the ten-wheeler during this post-war period. In 1885, the locomotive received a new cab, boiler, and paint scheme. It also received a new number, No. 282. Between 1892 and 1893, the ten-wheeler was retired from service and displayed at the World’s Columbian Exhibition in Chicago. There, the locomotive wore the number B&O No. 117. 35 years later, the ten-wheeler captivated audiences at the 1927 Fair of the Iron Horse. It was during this centennial celebration that the locomotive was officially named the “Thatcher Perkins” in honor of its builder.  

The “Thatcher Perkins” is no stranger to misfortune. In 1935, the locomotive was sitting in an exhibition hall when a devastating thunderstorm caused the 500-foot-long, 100-foot-high roof to collapse. The damaged engine was soon restored and relocated, first to Bailey’s roundhouse near Camden Station, and then to Mt. Clare. Then, in 2003, a catastrophic snowstorm caused the roof of the Mt. Clare Roundhouse to cave in, and the “Thatcher Perkins” was again severely damaged. 7 years later, the ten-wheeler reemerged from the museum’s restoration shop wearing its original number, B&O No. 147. The restored engine has been on display at the B&O Railroad Museum ever since.