ARIEL: This was constructed in :November 1835 by Matthias W. Baldwin at Philadelphia, Pa. It was the 19th made by him and was ordered by the Brooklyn and Jamaica R. R. Co. at a cost of $7000. The exact date of its receipt by that railroad is not known, hut was probably about the date above stated. The road was formally opened April 18th, 1836, and although the Long Island Farmer described the event, the names of the locomotives drawing the excursion trains are not given. Shortly after this, May 1st, 1836, the Brooklyn and Jamaica R. R. was leased to the Long Island and thence forward the ''Ariel'' became a Long Island R. R. locomotive.  Ariel remained in service till 1855.


Excerpt below: Inglis Stewart's LIRR Locomotive text  - 1836-1871  Entire Listing:  Inglis Stewart's 1875-1900 Named Engine Roster from 1925

LIRR Locomotive Roster 1855 Notes 1-2 Archive: Art Huneke

Hunt's Magazine 1845 LIRR Boston Route Described Pg 489 

The LIRR went to sea from August, 1844 though February, 1847.  As part of its route between Brooklyn and Boston, the LIRR owned and operated a small fleet of steamboats, the Cleopatra, the Worcester and the New Haven. These steamboats made the waterborne connection between the eastern terminus of the LIRR at Greenport, Long Island, and the Connecticut rail terminals of the Norwich &Worcester RR at Allyn's Point, and the New York, Providence & Boston at Stonington.

"Earliest View of the LIRR's Greenport Terminus and Intermodal Transfer, circa 1844- 1847". 
Note the Ariel steam locomotive, Davenport & Bridges 4 axle passenger car, the LIRR's steamboat "Cleopatra" and the Peconic House hotel.

Cleopatra- The Connecticut Magazine, 1906, Vol 10, pg 307

The Peconic House hotel, which was end of track in Greenport. Note the Ariel or the Post Boy is pulling a one car local train right onto the pier- and seemingly right onto the waiting LIRR ferry boat "Cleopatra". Note it's a British style "compartment car" Now, getting back to the train schedule (above right), note that mile post "0" is Manhattan- it would seem the passenger cars were possibly carried on the ferry boat from Manhattan to Brooklyn, where the locomotive was attached.

Locomotives numbered 21 thru 24, are NOT the ones that became D-series Americans.  These locomotives numbered 21 thru 24 were originally South Side Rail Road locomotives and were named as indicated below. After acquisition by the LIRR, they were numbered as such by the LIRR for use on their system.

These locomotives were withdrawn from service, as they do not appear on the October 1, 1898 renumbering list, so obviously were gone by that date.  30 to 38 years of service was about the life of a locomotive back then.  The LIRR had been purchasing the D-series locomotives (D52, D53, etc., etc.) in the 1890's and these antique SSRR locomotives were probably under-powered and were already at or beyond retirement age. For all we know, they may have no longer worked and were retired, sold, or scrapped . . . who knows?

The October 1, 1898 renumbering listing shows former locomotives numbered 21 thru 24 as follows. These were NOT the early SSRR locomotives, so the older engines were probably gone from the system by the 1891 Schenectady build-date otherwise the LIRR would have numbered these newer units differently:
21 Schenectady, 1891
22 Schenectady, 1891
23 Schenectady, 1891
24 Baldwin, 1893

These locomotives were renumbered after 10/01/1898 as numbers 181 thru 184, inclusive. They were rather new locomotives, at the time of renumbering, with many years of service ahead of them.  When the LIRR acquired the G5 locomotives beginning in the early 1920's, the D-class locomotives were on their way out, allowing for the G5 engines to be numbered 21, 22, 23, 24, etc. up to and including #50.

So the LIRR had, over the years, and as far as we know, three (3) sets of locomotives numbered 21 thru 24, inclusive:
1. SSRR named locomotives from the 1860s
2. D-Class Americans from the 1890s
3. G5s class 10-wheelers from the 1920s   Research: Dave Keller

Early Named Engines - NRHS-LIST Semaphore 11/1986

Eastbound Brooklyn Central & Jamaica locomotive #1 ("W. B. Hunter," later LIRR #40 "Huntington") with one clerestory roof passenger 
car is making a station stop in front of the Howard House on Atlantic Ave. in East New York in April of 1865. Data: Dave Keller

D52a #95 4-4-0 view SW at Bridgehampton Station. A two coach shuttle train between Sag Harbor and Greenport, once a day in 1880's. The builder was Rogers in May, 1883. 1896 The image is the old (original) number #95. . . 2 years PRIOR to the overall renumbering of LIRR locomotives. In 1898, the locomotive was renumbered #42, and was withdrawn from service by January, 1912. Research: Dave Keller

Photo/Archive: MTA/LIRR archives c.1970+.

The builder was Brooks in March, 1898.  The loco retained its original #34 for a short period of time before being renumbered to #80 on October 1, 1898.
D55a #80 westbound from Wading River leaving Huntington 1904 Photo: Hal Fullerton Archive: Dave Morrison

Inspection Train 4-4-0 D52b #92, renumbered #39 effective October 1st, 1898, with Business Car #200 just east of Ronkonkoma Station - View W 1897
The fourth man from the left is LIRR Superintendent William F. Potter.
Photo: Hal B. Fullerton Archive: Queens Public Library

The shot of the train was taken by Harold Fullerton in 1897 along the Main Line at Medford. It was called Patchogue Path and was a bicycle path through the pine barrens, running from Patchogue, through Medford and on to Port Jefferson. The view is north.  Info: Dave Keller

Locomotive #92 in Fullerton's photo was an 1883 Rogers product, becoming #39 in the 1898 renumbering. It was a class D52b and was retired in 1914. (Vincent Seyfried data)

Archive: Patchogue Public Library

LIRR 4-4-0 #45 12/1870

4-4-0 #45, built by Schenectady in December, 1870, was renumbered #8.

Now . . . the only #8 that the LIRR rosters show in later years (c. 1920) is G54sd (4-6-0) camelback built new in 1902 and retired in the late 1920s. 

Therefore, we can conclude that, to avoid duplicate road numbers, (probably the MAIN reason for the renumbering of October, 1, 1898) renumbered 4-4-0 #8 was withdrawn from service either in 1902 or prior to that date, which sounds about right, because:

1.  It was a VERY old locomotive style and not strong enough to pull longer trains.  
2.  It was 18 years older than renumbered #48 mentioned above, which was STILL on the roster until the 1920s.  
3.  Being built in 1870, it would have been 31 years old in 1902 if it were still in service:  a long life for a locomotive!  
4.  In 1902, brand-new G54sd camelback #8 went into road service and there was, obviously, no duplication of road numbers at that point in time.  Research: Dave Keller

LIRR #45 LI City 5/1890 Photo: Harold B. Fullerton  Archive: Queens Public Library

Fireman and Engineer standing beside LIRR 4-4-0 engine No. 45 near the Long Island City Terminal at Vernon Avenue and Borden Avenue in Long Island City, Queens, in May of 1890. Digital restoration: Chris Klug

Long Island Railroad Company 4-4-0 engine no. 47 at the Morris Park Facility on Atlantic Avenue and 125th Street in Richmond Hill in 1897.
Photo: Harold B. Fullerton  Archive: Queens Public Library

 
James Gorden Bennet #25 1878
Photo: W. A. Lucas  Archive: William J. Rugen; Queens Public Library

LIRR #71 Meteor 1879 Baldwin Loco Works

LIRR # 83 Builder's Photo: Rogers Locomotive & Machine Works 4/1882 

LIRR #93 Builder's Photo: Rogers Locomotive & Machine Works c.1883

LIRR #85 D56 4-4-0 Hicksville
Archive: Emery SUNY-Stony Brook

 
LIRR  4-4-0 #524 being turned on turntable at Washington St., Jamaica view W 1904 Archive: Dave Keller

D56 pulling parlor car extra eastbound into Montauk Station  c.1910 Archive: Keller

Forney 0-4-4T #159-158 at Baldwin Loco Works 5/1892

On 10/01/1898 this locomotive was renumbered to #216. These 0-4-4T tank engines were used in rapid transit service on, for example, Sands Street/Brooklyn Bridge to Rockaway Park runs. 
Research/Archive: Dave Keller

Built June 1867 as a 4-4-0 by Schenectady Construction No. 450 - named the "Thurlow Weed" rebuilt 1885 for rapid transit service on the Atlantic Division - photo circa 1888

Note: Check out that outside bearing pilot truck with fenders and equalizer