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Mendes Cohen report on the economy of a new system of working the engines on the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road Company

Creation: 1854
 Collection
Accession: 0460

Abstract

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

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

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

Contact:
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