Reuben Wells (locomotive)
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| Type and origin | |
|---|---|
| Power type | Steam |
| Designer | Reuben Wells |
| Build date | August 1868 |
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Configuration | 0-10-0T |
| UIC class | E nt |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Length | 35 ft (11 m) |
| Loco weight | 55 short tons (50 t) |
| Fuel type | Wood |
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Operators | Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad |
| Locale | Madison, Indiana |
| Retired | 1898 |
| Current owner | The Children's Museum of Indianapolis |
The Reuben Wells is a steam locomotive in the permanent collection of The Children's Museum of Indianapolis located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Beginning in 1868, it operated for 30 years in Madison, Indiana, pushing train cars up the steepest "standard-gauge main-track grade" in the United States.
The Reuben Wells is a helper locomotive that was built in 1868. It was designed to push train cars up the 5.89% incline of Madison Hill in Madison, Indiana, the steepest segment of standard-gauge main-track in the United States. Weighing 55 short tons (50 t), it was the most powerful locomotive in the world at the time. It is 35 feet (11 m) long. The train is named after its designer, engineer Reuben Wells.
The Reuben Wells was made specifically for Madison Hill, Indiana, a 2-mile (3.2 km) long stretch of track that is known for having the steepest regular incline in the United States. The Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad tried many different methods to get train cars up the hill. The couplers used to connect the train cars were not strong enough to withstand being pulled up the hill, making it necessary for the cars to be pushed. Initially a team of horses was used to pull the train cars up the hill. Following this, a cogwheel system was in use for about twenty years. The Reuben Wells was the first steam engine to work the grade by adhesion alone, pushing the cars up the hill as well as supporting them on the descent.
After the Reuben Wells was completed in the railroad shops in 1868, it pushed train cars up Madison Hill for thirty years before it was retired in 1898. It stayed in reserve for another seven years before it was retired permanently and sent to Purdue University in 1905. In the years that followed the Reuben Wells was included in several exhibitions, including the Chicago World's Fair in 1933–34 and the Chicago Railroad Fair in 1948–49. Afterward, it remained in Pennsylvania at Penn Central Railroad Company railroad yards. In 1968, the Reuben Wells was brought back to Indiana, where it was placed on permanent display at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis.
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