Lionel 6-30088 JOHN BULL PASSENGER SET O SCALE Like New

   In 1831, a cargo ship from England carried to the docks at Philadelphia the disassembled pieces of a 10-ton steam locomotive that had been purchased by New Jersey entrepreneur and engineer, Robert Stevens. A few months after its U.S. arrival, components of the locomotive were reassembled and tested. The newly-built locomotive pulled several cars over a short distance on the unfinished Camden and Amboy Railroad for members of the New Jersey legislature and a group of investors, whose support Stevens sought to help finance the new railroad he was completing.   After regular train service began, the locomotive that was first called Stevens was renamed after the English personification of England as the "John Bull." It was altered in function and appearance and, among other changes, the boiler dome was modified to help performance and a new front axle and two new wheels were added to help steer the locomotive over rough spots without derailing. A cowcatcher was also added, not to deflect livestock, but to help keep the locomotive on the track.   The John Bull served the railroad for 35 years and was retired in 1866 at the end of the Civil War. Afterward, it was shown at several fairs, highlighted by its appearance in 1876 at the United States Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. In 1885, the Smithsonian acquired the locomotive, and it ran again in 1893 at the Worlds Columbian Exposition in Chicago. To commemorate the 150th anniversary of its first steaming, the John Bull was run in October 1980 in Washington, DC.   This locomotive, which represents the type of steam locomotive that helped make railroading history in America, is offered in 2008 by Lionel as the second locomotive in the Heritage Series. The John Bull Passenger Set makes an attractive and exciting addition to any Standard O collection. An add-on passenger coach is also available.