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A1079
ASSEMBLY, No. 1079
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman� BALVIR SINGH
District 7 (Burlington)
Assemblyman� CLINTON CALABRESE
District 36 (Bergen and Passaic)
Assemblyman� WILLIAM F. MOEN, JR.
District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)
SYNOPSIS
���� Designates "John Bull" as NJ State steam
locomotive.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Act
designating the "John Bull" as the New Jersey
State steam locomotive.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� The Legislature finds
and declares that:
���� a.���� The steam locomotive
"John Bull" was shipped disassembled from Liverpool, England to
Bordentown, New Jersey arriving on September 4, 1831 and was assembled by Isaac
Dripps, who later became a respected locomotive mechanical officer, as well as a
partner in the Trenton Locomotive Works.
���� b.��� On November 12, 1831,
the "John Bull" pulled several cars containing members of the New
Jersey State Legislature up and down a short length of track to convince the
distinguished passengers of the utility of steam railway transport.
���� c.���� From 1833 to the late
1840s, the "John Bull" was employed in regular service, first between
South Amboy and Bordentown and later between South Amboy and Camden.
���� d.��� Although at nearly 15
feet long and 7 feet wide, it was small compared to the larger and more
powerful steam locomotives that were to follow in the years to come, however,
during the 1830s, the "John Bull" was a model for similar engines
built by the Camden and Amboy Railroad and Transportation Company of Hoboken,
New Jersey.
���� e.���� Considered an antique
by 1858, the "John Bull" was very likely the first engine to be set
aside as a historic relic in the United States and its importance as such is
measured by the fact that it was renovated for and exhibited at the Centennial
Celebration in Philadelphia in 1876 and later moved to the Smithsonian
Institution, in Washington, D.C. where it remains to this day.
���� f.���� To recognize the
importance of this steam locomotive to the history of transportation in this
State, it is fitting and proper to designate the "John Bull" as the
New Jersey State steam locomotive.
���� 2.��� The "John
Bull" is designated as the New Jersey State steam locomotive.
���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
���� This bill designates the
"John Bull" as the New Jersey State steam locomotive.
���� The steam locomotive �John
Bull� was shipped from Liverpool, England to Bordentown, New Jersey arriving in
September 1831 and was assembled by Isaac Dripps, a subsequent partner in the
Trenton Locomotive Works, who installed an extra pair of wheels to the front,
significantly reducing the risk of derailment over United States terrain.
���� In November 1831, the �John
Bull� pulled several cars containing members of the New Jersey State
Legislature up and down a short length of track to convince the distinguished
passengers of the utility of steam railway transport.
���� From 1833 to the late 1840s
the �John Bull� operated between South Amboy and Bordentown and later South
Amboy and Camden, providing a railway connection between Philadelphia and New
York, the country�s two largest cities at the time.
���� The �John Bull� served as a
model for similar engines built by the Camden and Amboy Railroad and
Transportation Company of Hoboken, New Jersey and enabled United States
engineers to export locomotives to other countries with similar terrain.
���� Considered an antique by 1858,
the "John Bull" was likely the first engine to be set aside as a
historic relic in the United States as measured by the fact that it was
renovated and exhibited at the 1876 Centennial Celebration in Philadelphia and
later moved to the Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, D.C. where it
remains to this day.
���� It is thus fitting and proper
to recognize the importance of the �John Bull� to New Jersey, the United
States, and the world by designating the "John Bull" as the New
Jersey State steam locomotive.