William Crooks (locomotive)

William Crooks (locomotive)
Type and origin Power type Steam Builder New Jersey Locomotive and Machine Co. Build date 1861 Rebuild date 1869 1924
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-4-0 Gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) Leading dia. 28 in (711 mm) Driver dia. 63 in (1.600 m) Length 50 ft 8 1⁄4 in (15.45 m) Loco weight 55,400 lb (25,100 kg) Tender weight 17,975 lb (81,530 kg) Boiler pressure 110 psi (760 kPa) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 12 in × 22 in (300 mm × 560 mm)
Performance figures Factor of adh. 7.65
Career Operators St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, Great Northern Railway Class 1 Numbers 1 First run June 1862 Retired September 1897 (revenue service) 1954 (excursion service) Restored 1908 Current owner Minnesota Historical Society, loaned to Lake Superior Railroad Museum Disposition On static display

The William Crooks is a 4-4-0 steam locomotive that was the first locomotive to operate in the State of Minnesota, beginning in 1861.^[1] It was named after William Crooks, the Chief Mechanical Engineer for the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad.^[1][2] He served as a colonel and commander of the 6th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War.^[3] Crooks laid the initial 10-mile (16 km) track between Minneapolis and St. Paul, and the William Crooks was the first locomotive to run on the line.^[4]