Septimus Norris (1818 – 1862) was an American

mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations o ...

and

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...

designer. He was the youngest of three brothers all active in the field — his eldest brother William Norris founded the Norris Locomotive Works of

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, and Richard Norris took over the firm in about 1841. The other two brothers were primarily businessmen, while Septimus was an engineer. He worked for the Norris firm under William's management, but did not continue under Richard's; railway historian John H. White, Jr. believes animosity existed between Septimus and Richard. Septimus later worked for the Portland Company and the Schenectady Locomotive Works. According to "The Original History of the Baldwin Locomotive Works, 1831-1923" by Paul T. Warner, as contained in "The Locomotives That Baldwin Built" by Fred Westing, the US patent for the 4-6-0 "ten wheeler" was issued to Norris in 1846, and Norris built then tested the first one in April 1847.

References

* 1818 births 1862 deaths Locomotive builders and designers Engineers from Philadelphia {{US-mechanical-engineer-stub