General Mining Association
52 Broad St 22 Feb 1838

Mssrs George & John Rennie
Holland St

Gentlemen:

        I am instructed by the Board of Directors of this Association to request that you will acquaint me at your earliest convenience for their information with the terms and conditions on which you would be willing to manufacture Three Locomotive Engines of the most approved description to be employed in the loading of Coals at one of the Collieries of the Association in Nova Scotia.

        The length of the Road is 6½ miles, nearly on a dead level, the fall being only 10 feet in the whole distance in favour of the load. The sharpest curve has a radius of 35 chains. The Rails are 4 feet 8 inches apart inside.

        The Rail, which are of the Parallel Kind weight 51½ lbs/yard, and the chairs 20 lbs each. To convey all the coal down, it will be necessary that the Engines should travel at the rate of 8 miles an hour with a gross load (including waggons) of 150 Tons, and return with the empty waggons, which will weight 50 Tons, at a speed of 12 miles an hour. The construction of the Engines will be as simple as possible, all their parts, plain, strong & substantial and in every respect suitable for the purpose of conveying Coal.

        There being no objection to Smoke, coal will be used instead of Coke, being much cheaper and less injurious to the Furnace Bars and Tubes. One Engine & Tender must be ready for shipment in August next, and the two others in the month of April 1839.

I am Gentlemen
Your very ded.Servant

(signed)
J.B.Foord

Transcripted from copy as sent by J.B.Foord to John Buddle; Durham County Record Office, Durham City, UK: John Buddle Papers, NCB I/JB/1740

A supplementary note from Herb MacDonald:

Foord was Secretary to the Board, The General Mining Association; George & John Rennie were noted engineers and locomotive manufacturers. Circumstances that led to the job being sub-contracted to Timothy Hackworth of Shildon are still uncertain but the Rennies were involved in inspection of at least one of the locomotives finished in March, 1839. Buddle was, among other roles, GMA liaison with Hackworth. Samson was road-tested on the Stockton & Darlington line and ready for shipment by Foord's original date. However, the documentary record indicates all three locomotives were shipped together from Newcastle in April, 1839. On-wharf supervision of the shipment was by David Burn, of "Rayne and Burn" of Gateshead whose nameplate appears on Albion which arrived in Pictou County in 1854.