Figure 31.—Original wooden-spoked wheel of John Bull, in National Museum.
Whether or not it is one of the original wheels applied to the locomotive by Stephenson can not at this time be definitely proved. Possibly it is an early wooden-spoked wheel built and tried by the Camden and Amboy prior to the adoption of the all-metal wheels now on the locomotive. Another similar wheel, until recently located in the Pennsylvania’s library in its Suburban Station Building in Philadelphia, is now in storage. These two wheels were included in that railroad’s exhibit at the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893.
Among the many other changes to the John Bull were the addition of a bell, a whistle, and a headlight, as well as a dial-type steam pressure gauge ([figure 32]), and the relocation of the axle springs, the water cocks, the safety valve, and the steam dome. At one time a cab was installed at the rear of the locomotive, and an 8-wheeled tender was in use ([figure 33]).
The tender as seen today is basically original, but much of the woodwork was in such poor repair that it was completely disassembled in 1910 and stored, the rotted pieces of wood being discarded. In 1930 the tender was completely restored at the Altoona shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad Co., and since that time has been exhibited constantly with the locomotive.
Figure 32.—John Bull on display in National Museum. Note controls and modern steam pressure gauge.
Prior to its presentation to the National Museum, the John Bull had appeared at the Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia in 1876, and at the Exposition of Railway Appliances at Chicago in 1883. In early 1893, the locomotive and tender were taken from Washington to New York City, and on April 17 proceeded under steam, pulling two old cars of the period of 1836 ([figure 34]), to the World’s Columbian Exposition at Chicago. It arrived without mishap on April 22 after having covered 912 miles. The locomotive and tender were returned to the Museum in December 1893 after having made daily demonstration runs at the exposition. They returned to Washington under steam via Pittsburgh, Altoona, Harrisburg, and Baltimore. The next time the locomotive left the Museum’s confines was for a brief sojourn at the Fair of the Iron Horse in 1927 ([figure 35]). More recently it appeared at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1933 and the New York World’s Fair in 1939 and 1940.
In early 1940, a full sized operable replica of the John Bull locomotive ([figure 36]) was made at the Altoona shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad Co. The cylinder dimensions of 11 by 20 inches were apparently known by the shops at that time, as the drawings made then for use in building the replica show the bore and stroke to be 10⅞ by 20 inches. Perhaps the bore of the original locomotive was also 10⅞ inches in 1831, and was increased to 11 inches through many years of wear. However, the figure of 9 inches for the bore, so often used in the past, is definitely incorrect.
