April 2004 Pic of the Month
Transportation Replicas 

The De Witt Clinton replica locomotive, built for promotional purposes by the New York Central railroad in the early 1890s, has now achieved considerable significance of its own.

Despite the appeal of British locomotives, by 1841 builders in the United States had begun to design and build the tougher, more powerful locomotives that were needed for American railroads. The West Point Foundry of New York City was the first American company to try its hand at locomotive building. Although their involvement in the locomotive business only lasted from 1830 to 1835, the company built two of the most famous American locomotives—the Best Friend of Charleston for the South Carolina Railroad and the De Witt Clinton for the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad in New York State—the earliest portion of what became the New York Central railroad system.

Henry Ford Museum’s replica of the De Witt Clinton was originally built by the New York Central for the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The locomotive and its cars continued to work as a engaging promotional device for the railroad in many subsequent locations, including New York City’s Grand Central Station. By 1934, Henry Ford was looking for examples of early American railroad equipment to add to the mid-19th century locomotives he had already acquired. Ford inquired whether he might have his own De Witt Clinton replica made—but was instead offered the already existing replica, with the condition that it periodically travel to fairs and expositions on behalf of the New York Central. The locomotive replica and its three-car train joined the museum collections, but continued to venture out to events such as the 1939 New York World’s Fair and the Chicago Railroad Fair of 1948.