Tales of the Rails

Tales of the Rails. Did You Know?. , The John Bull , . The John Bull, the British built first Camden and Amboy (C&A) steam engine arrived at the Bordentown dock unassembled in crates in June 1831 , . The John Bull only ran for about 30 years , . On its first trip the John Bull derailed after it hit a hog, and following that "cow catchers" were installed and became a standard installation on all American locomotives to push away any obstacle in the steam engine’s way , . “John Bull” is the British nickname equivalent to “Uncle Sam” , . It has resided in the Smithsonian museum in Washington DC since 1885, and still rests there today , . The John Bull was assembled in ten days in Bordentown, NJ (a town only a 15 minute drive away!), Camden and Amboy , . The C&A reported that in its first year of service (1831) it transported 110,000 passengers , . The gauge of the railroad tracks were based on the width of a two-horse drawn carriage , . The Windsor stop was of great importance as it was the midpoint between New York City and Philadelphia, and also was a place for major industrial and agricultural growth. , . People passing by the railroad tracks would steal pieces of spikes (the nails that held down the rails) as well as the rails, Windsor , . Windsor was originally called Magrilla, but its name became Centreville following the construction of the Turnpike and the Railroad, as it was a center location for surrounding towns , . Centreville had to change its name to Windsor following the creation of the post office, because there was already a Centreville Post Office in Hunterdon County , . By the 1840s, Windsor was the largest village between Hightstown and Yardville , . When the Windsor Hotel was built in 1832, it was the focal point of Windsor