Armagh’s John Stephenson 1832 Worlds First Street Railway | Season 3 – Episode 38
Wheels Jun 11, 2023
In the mid-1800s the city citizens of many countries across the world were transported about their daily lives by the horse-drawn streetcar also known as the tram. The inventor of this unique mode of transport was John Stephenson born in County Armagh on the 4th of July 1809.
In 1811, two-year-old John and his parents James and Grace Stephenson emigrated to America and made their home in New York.
After completing his education in New York and at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, John’s father hoped he would choose a mercantile career. However, John’s true passion lay in mechanics rather than commerce, leading him to become an apprentice to Andrew Wade, a coachmaker located at 347 Broome Street in SoHo.
Upon completing his apprenticeship, John received an invitation in 1831 from Abram Brower, who operated a livery stable at 661 Broadway, to establish his own business at 667.
In May 1831, John’s company, ‘The John Stephenson Company’, opened. His first commission was an omnibus for Mr. Brower and the business was expanding. However, in March 1832, their premises and stock were destroyed by fire. Undeterred, John Stephenson relocated to 246 Elisabeth Street near Bleecker and resumed building omnibuses.
Soon after, John Stephenson received an order from John Mason (1773 – 1839) a prominent merchant and president of Chemical Bank. The order was to build a specimen horse car for the recently chartered New York and Harlem Railroad. The railroad’s route extended from Fourth Avenue and the Bowery up to the Harlem River.
On November 26, 1832, the first section of the streetcar line, spanning from Prince to 14th Street, was opened. The inaugural procession included four cars developed for the company. The car designed by Stephenson, known as the “John Mason” or simply the “Mason” after the company’s president, led the procession with the presence of the mayor and other dignitaries.
Stephenson’s streetcar, inspired by the English four-wheeled passenger railroad car, featured a lowered body for easier accessibility. This innovative design marked the first-ever street railway car. Weighing two-and-a-half tons, the tram resembled a combination of an omnibus, a rockaway, and an English railway coach. It had four wheels and three compartments to accommodate up to thirty passengers. The car was pulled by four horses, and the driver’s seat was located on the roof. Passenger seats on the roof could be accessed through steps at each end of the car.
Stephenson’s design was chosen over the other three, and the US government granted it a patent, signed by President Andrew Jackson. This design marked the world’s first horse-tramway system, operating from Prince Street to 14th Street. It offered a fifteen-minute service along a four-mile route.
Soon after, Stephenson’s company received additional orders from the Mason, leading to a rapid expansion of his reputation and business. He became involved in constructing passenger cars for railways, horsecars, cable cars, and streetcars as the demand for these vehicles grew across the country.
The street railway and its accompanying street railway car were unique creations that originated in New York City. These transportation systems operated successfully in the city for a quarter of a century before being adopted elsewhere.
Initially, Stephenson’s cars were equipped with four wheels. However, when Ross Winans of Baltimore introduced eight-wheeled cars, Stephenson recognised the need to expand his premises and increase his production capacity.
In 1836, Stephenson established a large factory in Harlem, and in 1837, he introduced a remarkably unique design. The car body featured an exposed lattice-work truss on its entire side, employing bridge construction techniques to support it between two bogies. These cars became known as X-frame or Diamond Frame cars, named after the diamond-shaped windows they featured.
The 1837 financial panic and subsequent prolonged depression severely impacted car orders, causing them to dwindle. As a result, Stephenson faced mounting debts and struggled to remain solvent. To alleviate some of his financial burdens, he resorted to constructing vehicles for his creditors. Allegedly, he even gifted a four-horse wagon to one creditor named John Malt, who proudly paraded it on Broadway with a displayed sign “This is the way one bankrupt pays his debts; his name is Honest John Stephenson.”
In 1842, Stephenson’s business ultimately collapsed, resulting in the loss of all his property. He could only repay his creditors at a rate of 50 cents on the dollar.
]Undeterred by his previous setbacks, Stephenson purchased land near Fourth Avenue on West Twenty-seventh Street. In 1843, he began building his business there, which included lumber yards and spanned across sixteen city lots. As streetcars continued to grow in popularity, Stephenson flourished for the rest of his life. Eventually, he fully repaid all his creditors and earned the reputation of being Honest John Stephenson.
Over time, Stephenson implemented several improvements to his streetcars. One significant enhancement was reducing the weight from 6,800 pounds to just 3,500 pounds, enabling the vehicle to be pulled by only two horses instead of four. This weight reduction was achieved by using hickory or ash instead of oak and incorporating larger windows instead of wood. He arranged seats along the sides of the car and opted for a single rear entrance instead of side doors.
Stephenson’s contributions to rail car design extended beyond weight reduction. He devised numerous other improvements and obtained at least eleven patents in his own name. These patents covered various innovations such as brake systems for reversible cars, flexible suspension and sliding doors for streetcars.
However, Stephenson’s streetcars and trams did not always receive a warm reception. In 1860, George Francis Train introduced a street railway in Birkenhead, England. Unfortunately, these ventures sparked a riot, resulting in a mob tearing up the rails.
The post-Civil War period’s prosperous era was on the verge of ending. In September 1876, the stock market experienced a severe crash, leading to widespread business failures. Even previously ordered cars, including those for steam and street railways, were left unpaid due to a lack of funds.
To overcome his financial difficulties, Stephenson established a joint stock company called the John Stephenson Company Limited. Through this company, he managed to settle his debts by offering stock to most of his creditors.
| When queried by Scientific American about his success in securing an order for 25 cars from the North Metropolitan Tramway of London, triumphing over 19 rival competitors, John Stephenson responded by saying: “Our cars weigh less by one-half than those made in Germany. …..American irons are tougher than the English and we can get the required strength with less weight..” |
In 1878, the Stephenson works received orders from various cities around the world, including Amsterdam, Berlin, Bolívar, Christiana, Halifax, Hamburg, Germany, Hull, Swansea, and Liverpool, Lima, Lisbon, London, Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Rio de Janeiro, St. Petersburg, Toronto, Wellington, and numerous other locations globally.
From 1876 to 1891, John Stephenson, a native of Armagh and the inventor of the streetcar (rail tram), constructed approximately 25,000 streetcars for both the United States and international markets. John Stephenson passed away in 1893 at his summer residence in New Rochelle, New York. At the time of his demise, his factory employed 500 workers and was manufacturing around 25 cars per week.
Information Sources:
ammoguy5
Geni.com
Gotham: a history of New York City to 1898
History of Ireland
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John Stephenson, Master Car Builder – Railroad Magazine (1945)
Just A Car Guy
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London Transport Museum
Midcontinent.org
Nelson Electric Tramway Society
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Peripitus – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,
Photos.com
R. C. Teed Productions & Seashore Trolley Museum
The Economic Historian
Tramway.org.au – Running Journal
Welwyn22
