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The “Sandusky”

The “Sandusky”, of 1837, was the first locomotive built by Thomas Rogers in his plant at Paterson, N.J. It so impressed the president of the Mad River & Lake Erie Railroad that, although it was built for another road, he insisted on purchasing it even though his road had not yet laid a foot of track. It was taken to Ohio by water and was the first locomotive to be used west of the Ohio River. It created such a sensation that the State Legislature, by formal enactment, made its gauge the standard for all railroad lines building within the Commonwealth. The cylinders of the “Sandusky” measured 11 × 16 inches. The driving wheels had cast iron centres with hollow spokes and were among the first to employ a counterbalance.

(From “The Development of the Locomotive” published by The Central Steel Company, Massillon, Ohio, U.S.A.).