Mendes Cohen report on the economy of a new system of working the engines on the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road Company
Creation: 1854Abstract
Mendes Cohen (1831-1915) worked for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company, chiefly in the Motive Power Department, from 1851 to 1855, where he adaptated wood-burning locomotives to coal-burning and devised the method for handling traffic on the 10% temporary grade over the Kingwood Tunnel. The report covers a series of tests and improvements conducted in 1853 and 1854 with the aim of reducing flue wear and tear and fuel consumption in the large coal-burning engines
Dates
- Creation: 1854
Creator
- Cohen, Mendes, 1831-1915 (Person)
Extent
1 item(s)
Biographical Note
Mendes Cohen (1831-1915) worked for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company, chiefly in the Motive Power Department, from 1851 to 1855, where he adaptated wood-burning locomotives to coal-burning and devised the method for handling traffic on the 10% temporary grade over the Kingwood Tunnel. Cohen received his mechanical training in the works of Ross Winans (1847-1851), the builder of early locomotives.
Thereafter, he served as an operating official on a number of railroads: the Hudson River (1855-1861), the Ohio & Mississippi (1861-1865), the Philadelphia & Reading (1865), and the Pittsburgh & Connellsville (1872-1875). From 1868 to 1871, Cohen was Comptroller and Assistant to the President of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company, where he reorganized the firm's finances. He retired to a consulting practice in Baltimore in 1875, where he died on August 13, 1915.
Scope and Content
The report covers a series of tests and improvements conducted in 1853 and 1854 with the aim of reducing flue wear and tear and fuel consumption in the large coal-burning engines built by Ross Winans and popularly known as "camels."
The report is addressed to Samuel J. Hayes, Master of Machinery, and includes comparative statistics before and after the improvement and instructions to engineers in the use of the steam gauge in maintaining proper steam pressure. It also includes a laid-in letter from Benjamin H. Latrobe (1806-1878) of the B&O to Mendes' uncle Joshua I. Cohen dated January 1, 1859, recommending the report as a "valuable paper."
Access Restrictions
No restrictions on access; this collection is open for research.
Language of Materials
English
Subjects
Related Names
Subject
- Hayes, S. J. (Samuel J.), 1816-1882 (Person)
- Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company (Organization)
- Latrobe, Benj. H. (Benjamin Henry), 1807-1878 (Person)
- Winans, Ross, 1796-1877 (Person)
Finding Aid & Administrative Information
- Title:
- Mendes Cohen report on the economy of a new system of working the engines on the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road Company
- Description rules:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description:
- English
- Script of description:
- Latin
Repository Details
Repository Details
Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository
