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was shortened by 5 feet with the last pair of driving wheels removed and a new saddle tank placed atop of the boiler. She would continue pushing train cars up
Madison Hill for twelve more years before she was retired in 1898. She stayed in reserve for another seven years before it was retired
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to be permanently back in
Indiana, specifically at the Children's Museum. Billings contacted Otto Frenzel, a member of the Pennsylvania Railroad board of directors, who disclosed that the railroad company was currently trying to find museums for its steam locomotives. At the time, the
501:. Advocates pointed out that the St. Louis museum was already getting several pieces, and St. Louis had no historical connection to the engine. The campaign was successful, and in May 1967, the Pennsylvania railroad president, Allen Greenough, announced that the
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on the museum campus the next year. The train was moved into the new building in 1976, where it remains on view on the museum's lower level. Originally acquired as a permanent loan, the Reuben Wells is now within the permanent collection of the
Children's Museum.
521:. The parade made its way down 38th Street and south on Meridian Street before turning into the Children's Museum. After successful fund-raising efforts from the Indiana Junior Historical Society and the Children's Museum Guild, the
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entered
Indianapolis with much fanfare on June 11, 1968. A parade was organized to escort the locomotive on the last leg of its journey, accompanied by the Central Indiana Council Boy Scout band and a motorcycle
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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
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377:), it was the most powerful locomotive in the world at the time. It is 35 feet (10.67 m) long. The locomotive is named after its designer, engineer Reuben Wells.
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was made specifically for
Madison Hill, Indiana, a 1.3-mile (2.1 km) long stretch of track that is known for having the steepest regular
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was completed in the railroad shops in 1868, and quickly proved to be a success leading to the creation of a second locomotive in 1869 named
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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
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was being kept in storage in
Pennsylvania. On a vacation to Washington and Williamsburg, Billings decided to stop by to see the
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was brought back to
Indiana, where she was placed on permanent display at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis.
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alone, pushing the cars up the hill as well as supporting them on the descent starting in 1880.
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In 1966, Tom
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was coming to
Indiana. She was shipped from Pennsylvania to Indiana on
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up the steepest "standard-gauge main-track grade" in the United States.
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Nancy Kriplen, Margaret M. Maxwell (1982). Margaret M. Maxwell (ed.).
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tried many different methods to get train cars up the hill. The
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703:. San Diego Railroad Museum. September 6, 1999. Archived from
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in the Children's Museum Digital Collection Archive, IMCPL
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in 1948–49. Afterward, she remained in Pennsylvania at
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856:Indiana Register of Historic Sites and Structures
657:"Reuben Wells: Famous Engine Starts New Career".
395:Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad
221:Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis Railroad
413:was the first steam engine to work the grade by
861:Standard gauge locomotives of the United States
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627:"Most Powerful Locomotive Stationed Here".
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409:was in use for about twenty years. The
866:Preserved steam locomotives of Indiana
846:Railway locomotives introduced in 1868
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851:The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
761:The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
680:The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
296:The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
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249:The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
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795:Fireworks of Glass Tower and Ceiling
676:"All Aboard the Mighty Reuben Wells"
642:"Old Reuben Wells Runs At Chicago".
497:was already promised to a museum in
455:Penn Central Transportation Company
365:in the United States. Weighing 55
273:Indiana Register of Historic Sites
68:JM&I shops, Jeffersonville, IN
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701:"Locomotive Boilers and Engines"
629:The Children's Museum Newsletter
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294:in the permanent collection of
457:railroad yards. In 1968, the
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393:in the United States. The
16:Steam locomotive in Indiana
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772:Broad Ripple Park Carousel
437:in 1905. Upon arriving at
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576:Keep An Eye on That Mummy
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381:Historical information
809:The Power of Children
789:Captain Kidd's cannon
707:on February 14, 2009.
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451:Chicago Railroad Fair
476:from the proper left
447:Chicago World's Fair
401:used to connect the
841:0-10-0T locomotives
644:The Madison Courier
449:in 1933–34 and the
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784:Caplan Collection
661:. August 1, 1968.
659:Penn Central Post
439:Purdue University
435:Purdue University
332:helper locomotive
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685:November 21,
683:. Retrieved
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607:. Retrieved
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60:Reuben Wells
25:Reuben Wells
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815:Water Clock
609:26 February
465:Acquisition
322:Description
298:located in
255:Disposition
174:Loco weight
76:August 1868
830:Categories
554:References
548:locomotive
527:train shed
403:train cars
373:; 50
367:short tons
363:main-track
316:train cars
314:, pushing
185:; 50
179:short tons
73:Build date
49:Power type
546:John Bull
519:motorcade
499:St. Louis
371:long tons
217:Operators
194:Fuel type
183:long tons
534:See also
507:flatcars
428:In 1886
415:adhesion
399:couplers
350: in
150: in
98:
57:Designer
391:incline
345:⁄
304:Indiana
237:Retired
145:⁄
65:Builder
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540:0-10-0
227:Locale
212:Career
166:Length
110:0-10-0
778:Bucky
330:is a
290:is a
131:Gauge
125:E n2t
105:Whyte
52:Steam
687:2021
611:2011
580:ISBN
512:The
420:The
385:The
369:(49
326:The
240:1898
198:Wood
181:(49
177:55
121:UIC
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