1830 Best Friend of Charleston Steam Locomotive

Famously known for being the first steam locomotive to go into daily scheduled service in America, the Best Friend of Charleston is now available in HO scale.

Designed by E.L. Miller and built by Adam Hall and David Matthew of the West Point Foundry in New York, the Best Friend was constructed in the spring of 1830 for the South Carolina Canal & Rail Road Company.  Delivered to Charleston in the fall of 1830, trialed, approved and purchased by the company, the Best Friend began regular scheduled service in December of 1830. Capable of hauling over a hundred passengers at speeds in excess of 15 miles per hour (!) the Best Friend was one of the technological wonders of its age. Developing six horsepower, and weighing 3.75 tons, this early locomotive was hardly a giant even in 1830, but it worked reliably, hauling passengers, freight, and construction materials for building the railroad, until exploding in June of 1831.

This model is scaled from the original drawings produced by the West Point Foundry, it does not depict the 1928 replica. As the original locomotive was broad gauge, the model has been narrowed to fit standard HO gauge rails.

• Driving wheels for this model can be had from American Scale Models, listed on their site as "Steam Loco,trailing truck wheels, 54", item number 1037. 
• This model requires finesse and manipulation of small pieces to complete, it is not intended for the novice modeller.
• The steam pipes are not part of the print, and the modeller must bend and fit them to the model. The feed pipe from the boiler should be made from gauge 24 or 23 wire. The pipes from the steam regulator to the cylinders, and from the cylinders to the water tank should be made from 28, 27, or 26 gauge wire. The exhaust pipe which rises from the deck and into the boiler jacket should be made from a 21 or 20 gauge wire. For simplicity, a 26 gauge wire will close enough for all fittings, except for the exhaust pipe. For ease of shaping, a copper or aluminum wire is beneficial.