The Best Friend of Charleston was a steam-powered railroad locomotive widely considered the first locomotive to be built entirely within the United States for revenue service. It was also the first locomotive to suffer a boiler explosion in the United States.

History

The locomotive was built for the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company by the West Point Foundry of New York in 1830. Disassembled for shipment by boat to Charleston, South Carolina, it arrived in October of that year and was unofficially named The Best Friend of Charleston.

After its inaugural run on Christmas Day, it was used in regular passenger service along a demonstration route in Charleston. At the time, it was considered one of the fastest modes of transport, taking its passengers "on the wings of wind at the speed of ." The only faster mode of travel was by an experienced horse and rider.

On June 17, 1831, the Best Friend was the first locomotive in the US to suffer a boiler explosion. The blast is said to have been caused by the fireman tying down the steam safety valve; he had grown tired of hearing it whistle, so to stop the noise he closed the valve permanently. (Another account has him placing a stout piece of lumber on the safety valve and sitting on it.) He may also have tried to overpressure the boiler as the locomotive was expected to perform hard work (e.g. climbing a gradient upon setting off); this was common practice and a common cause of boiler bursts until a tamper-proof safety valve was produced. The blocked valve caused the pressure within the boiler to exceed its capacity, and it exploded. It was then put on public display at NS Atlanta headquarters at 1200 Peachtree Street in midtown Atlanta, GA; then transported by truck in October 2013 to Charleston, SC.

Another full-size replica is on exhibit at the South Carolina State Museum, in Columbia, South Carolina.

Best Friend of Charleston Museum

In May 2014, the Best Friend of Charleston Museum opened on 23 Ann Street in the Charleston Historic District behind the Charleston Visitor Center and near the Charleston Museum.

Timeline

  • October 1830: the Best Friend arrives in Charleston from West Point Foundry.
  • December 25, 1830: The Best Friend runs for the first time in Charleston.
  • June 17, 1831: The boiler explodes on the Best Friend.
  • Remains of Best Friend rebuilt in Charleston as Phoenix, which runs until the American Civil War.

See also

  • Tom Thumb locomotive

References

  • Best Friend of Charleston Website
  • Explosion of Best Friend