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Line 1: {{Short description\|American mechanical engineer}} '''Thomas Rogers''' ([[1792]] – [[1856]]) was an [[United States\|American]] mechanical engineer and founder of [[Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works]] of [[Paterson, New Jersey]]. Fellow locomotive designer and builder, [[Zerah Colburn (locomotive designer)\|Zerah Colburn]] said that "Thomas Rogers maybe fairly said to have done more for the modern American locomotive than any of his contemporaries." {{ref\|Walker_1897}}▼ {{other people\|\|Thomas Rogers (disambiguation)}} {{Infobox person \| name = Thomas Rogers \| birth_date = 1792 \| birth_place = [[Groton, Connecticut]] \| death_date = {{death year and age\|1856\|1792}} \| death_place = \| occupation = Mechanical engineer and businessman \| years_active = \|image=Thomas Rogers (page 640 crop).jpg \| known_for = Founder of [[Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works]] }} ▲'''Thomas Rogers''' (~~[[1792]] – [[1856]]~~1792–1856) was an ~~[[United States\|~~American]] mechanical engineer and founder of [[Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works]] of [[Paterson, New Jersey]].<ref name=FewPraise>{{cite news\| title=Few Praise\| newspaper=The Courier-Journal\| location=Louisville, KY\| date=July 11, 1901\| page=8\| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21697367/description_of_jacob_s_rogers_after/\| via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> Fellow locomotive designer and builder, [[Zerah Colburn (locomotive designer)\|Zerah Colburn]] said that "Thomas Rogers maybe fairly said to have done more for the modern American locomotive than any of his contemporaries." <ref>{{~~ref~~cite journal\|~~Walker_1897~~ author=Walker, Herbert T.\| date=May 8, 1897\| url=http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/absa3.Html\| title=The Evolution of the American Locomotive - part 3\| journal=Scientific American\| accessdate=2005-10-05}}</ref> ==Biography== Thomas Rogers was born in [[Groton, Connecticut]], in [[1792]]. He was the son of Jason Rogers.<ref>{{cite news\| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21696186/suit_against_jacob_rogers_estate/\| via=Newspapers.com\| title=Charge Against Trustees\| newspaper=Baltimore Sun\| date=September 22, 1897\| page=7}} {{open access}}</ref> Before moving to Paterson in [[1812]],<ref name=FewPraise /> he studied [[Carpenter\|carpentry]] and [[blacksmith]]ing. In [[1832]] he partnered with [[Morris Ketchum]] and [[Jasper Grosvenor]] to form [[Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works\|Rogers, Ketchum and Grosvenor]], building [[agriculture\|agricultural]] and [[textile]] machinery as well as springs, axles and other small parts for the first railroads of America. In 1837 Rogers built his first locomotive, ''[[Sandusky (locomotive)\|Sandusky]]'',<ref name=FewPraise /> which became the first locomotive to operate in [[Ohio]].<ref>{{cite web\| url=http://www.madrivermuseum.org/mr&lerr.html\| title=The Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad\| publisher=Mad River and NKP Railroad Museum\| date=2002–2009\| accessdate=February 28, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news\| title=The Herald's Mailbag: Early Railroad History\| newspaper=The Dayton Herald\| location=Dayton, OH\| date=February 6, 1930\| page=28\| first=A.\| last=Schreiner\| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21696895/rogers_locomotive_was_first_in_ohio/\| via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> More importantly, it was the first to use [[cast iron]] [[driving wheel]]s ([[wood]]en spokes were common before) and the first to feature counterweights in them to offset the force of the piston stroke and the combined weight of the axle, wheels and piston rod against the [[rail tracks\|railroad track]]. Rogers filed a [[patent]] for [[Engine balance#Steam locomotives\|the engine's counterbalance]] on July 12, 1837. In [[1837]] Rogers built his first locomotive, ''[[Sandusky (locomotive)\|Sandusky]]'', which became the first locomotive to operate in [[Ohio]]. Not one to just follow what other manufacturers were doing, Rogers implemented new features and innovations in his locomotives that were quickly adopted by other firms. He led Rogers, Ketchum and Grosvenor until his death in [[1856]]. == ~~References~~See also == [[Paul Rapsey Hodge]] ==References== {{Refbegin}} {{White - America's most noteworthy railroaders}} * {{White - History of the American locomotive}} {{Refend}} {{Reflist}} {{Authority control}} ~~=== Notes ===~~ # {{note\|Walker_1897}} Walker, Herbert T. ([[May 8]] [[1897]]), ''[http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/absa3.Html The Evolution of the American Locomotive - part 3]'', Scientific American. Retrieved [[October 5]] [[2005]]. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, Thomas}} [[Category:1792 births~~\|Rogers, Thomas~~]]▼ [[Category:1856 deaths~~\|Rogers, Thomas~~]]▼ [[Category:People from Groton, Connecticut]] [[Category:Locomotive ~~engineers\|Rogers,~~builders ~~Thomas~~and designers]]▼ [[Category:American railroad mechanical engineers]] [[Category:American railroad pioneers]] [[Category:Engineers from Connecticut]] [[Category:19th-century American engineers]] [[Category:19th-century American businesspeople]] {{US-rail-bio-stub}}▼ {{US-engineer-stub}}▼ ▲{{US-rail-bio-stub}} ▲[[Category:1792 births\|Rogers, Thomas]] ▲{{US-mechanical-engineer-stub}} ▲[[Category:1856 deaths\|Rogers, Thomas]] ▲[[Category:Locomotive engineers\|Rogers, Thomas]]