First run of the day. The Greenfield Village Shuttle Train runs along the shoreline of Ackley Pond with the day's first load of museum visitors. With Locomotive #1 "Edison" as the power, this train will shortly be making its first stop at Susquehanna Station, where patrons can get off and visit the "Edison at Work" and "Porches & Parlors" historic districts. It is perhaps the most picturesque portion of the village. After a stop, this train will continue on to its next stop at Smith's Creek Station.
Named for his good friend, Thomas Edison, Locomotive #1 at Greenfield Village is a rather unique machine. When he established Greenfield Village in 1929, auto magnate Henry Ford already had a collection of steam locomotives. One of these was an 0-4-0 wood-burner, built in 1870 by the Manchester Locomotive Works in Manchester, NH and acquired from one of Edison's companies. Ford decided he wanted this engine converted to a 4-4-0 configuration, so he sent it to his Rouge Factory in 1932, where the original engine was modified rather significantly. The boiler was enlarged, the sand dome was moved forward and the drivers moved aft. A 4-wheel pony truck was then constructed and placed under the front of the locomotive. The resulting locomotive was one of the more odd-looking 4-4-0s that you'll ever see.....but Henry liked it and that was what mattered. Since 1932, the locomotive has had additional modifications over the years, to include the replacement of the original wooden cab with a steel one, and various stacks and headlamps. She's also had a number of "restorations", and today is in the regular locomotive rotation at Greenfield Village, taking turns with her stablemates, Calumet & Hecla Mining 0-6-4T #3 and Detroit & Lima Northern 4-4-0 #7, each of which typically runs for a 30 days at a stretch.
