Walking Beam and A-Frame

from the Sidewheel Steamer Albany

Photographed by Anton Schwarzmueller, April 3, 2023

1. Walking Beam and A-Frame Marker

Inscription.
This 30-ton section of walking beam engine was originally installed on the sidewheel steamer Albany in 1880.

Called a "walking beam" because of its rocking action, the diamond-shaped beam pivots in the center, transmitting the vertical motion of the engine's single piston to the shaft that turns the paddle wheels.

Steam-powered walking beam engines were first adapted to use on ships in the 1830s.

Erected by Mariners' Museum, Chesapeake Corp. of VA.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1880.

Location. Marker is missing. It was located near 37° 3.274′ N, 76° 29.265′ W. Marker was in Newport News, Virginia. It was in Central Newport News. It could be reached from Museum Drive south of Avenue of the Arts, on the right when traveling north. Marker is on the outside grounds of the Mariners' Museum. Admission required. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 100 Museum Drive, Newport News VA 23606, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker was on Virginia’s Peninsula,

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in Hampton Roads,

in Coastal Virginia,

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It was also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

Globally, it was in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it found itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location: Sloop La Nube (within shouting distance of this marker); Spanish Bronze Gun (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named Spanish Bronze Gun (about 300 feet away); US Navy Admiralty Pattern Anchor (about 400 feet away); Admiralty Pattern Anchor (about 500 feet away); USS Monitor: America's First Ironclad (about 500 feet away); Leifr Eiriksson (approx. 0.4 miles away); Waters Creek (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Newport News.

Another marker is no longer nearby.

Walking Beam and A-Frame and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Anton Schwarzmueller, April 3, 2023

2. Walking Beam and A-Frame and Marker

Walking Beam (was here, next to this marker but has been confirmed missing).

More about this marker. Marker and engine were removed during renovations ca. 2023-24

Also see . . . Mariners' Museum and Park. (Submitted on April 13, 2023, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York.)

Walking Beam and A-Frame image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Anton Schwarzmueller, April 3, 2023

3. Walking Beam and A-Frame

Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 13, 2023, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York. This page has been viewed 563 times since then and 57 times this year. Last updated on February 15, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 13, 2023, by Anton Schwarzmueller of Wilson, New York. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.