Lowell in Middlesex County, Massachusetts — The American Northeast (New England)
Locomotives in Lowell
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., May 17, 2018
1. Locomotives in Lowell Marker
[The fireman] put his left foot on the lever that swings open the firebox door, to look at the searing inferno within as he...hurled shovelful after shovelful of coal...
R.M. Neal, 1950
High Green and the Bark Peelers
Lowell was a laboratory for technical innovation for the textile industry, water power, and railroads in the nineteenth century. As early as 1832, the Locks and Canal machine shop imported a British locomotive from its inventor, Robert Stephenson, in order to develop an American engine.
In the late 1830s, Engineer George W. Whistler oversaw the construction of the first Lowell made locomotives copied from the British engine. By 1845, seventy-five were running on new railroads throughout New England. By the 1860s, Lowell no longer made locomotives.
Locomotive No. 410
This steam locomotive was built in 1911, by Manchester Locomotive Works. It powered trains on the Boston & Maine Railroad, which had merged with the original Boston & Lowell Railroad in 1887, to create a regional rail network.
The Boston & Maine Railroad Historical Society and Lowell National Historical Park restored Locomotive No. 410. The two organizations have also cooperated to restore the adjoining railcar and develop a railroad history exhibit in the railcar.
[Photo
this page online
• Locomotive "Medford" at Merrimack Street Depot, ca. 1880
• Boston and Maine locomotive No. 1037 and workers, ca. 1920
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1832.
Location. 42° 38.716′ N, 71° 18.778′ W. Marker is in Lowell, Massachusetts, in Middlesex County. Marker is on Dutton Street north of Market Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Lowell MA 01852, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. W.A. Mack Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Victorian Garden (within shouting distance of this marker); The Worker (within shouting distance of this marker); Lowell Gas Light Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Lowell Institution for Savings Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Merrimack St. Depot (within shouting distance of this marker); Street of Lightning (within shouting distance of this marker); Wentworth Building (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lowell.
Also see . . . George Washington Whistler. American Society of Civil Engineers website entry (Submitted on May 25, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., May 17, 2018
2. Locomotives in Lowell Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on August 17, 2021. It was originally submitted on May 25, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 494 times since then and 47 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 25, 2018, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
