Phineas Davis

Phineas Davis (January 27, 1792 – September 27, 1835) was a well-known clockmaker and inventor who designed and built the first practical American coal-burning railroad locomotive.

The Codorus, designed by John Elgar, was launched at present-day Accomac (2 miles (3.2 km) north of Wrights Ferry, now Wrightsville) on the Susquehanna River on November 22, 1825.

[1] The fledgling Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) was impressed with Cooper's early success, but instead of immediately offering him their business for locomotives, the company planned an open competition with a prize of $4,000.

Davis' upright "cheese boiler" consisted of a water jacket surrounding a central furnace, and a shallow drum suspended above the grates.

[2]: 29  Ox teams were used to convey the engine to Baltimore, where it made a successful inaugural trip to Ellicott's Mills, Maryland, a distance of thirteen miles.

Nicknamed Grasshopper for its distinctive vertical pushrods, the locomotive carried 50 pounds of steam (3.45 bar) and burned a ton of anthracite coal on a 40 miles (64 km) trip from Baltimore.

In 1949 a commemorative tablet was installed at the site of Davis's early shop at the northwest corner of King and Newberry streets in York.