Tom Thumb (locomotive)

At a glance

Dates: From 1830.

Place: United States.

Type: steam locomotive.

What came before

Background The first railroads were little more than tracks on roads; horses pulled wagons and carriages with their wheels modified to ride on the rails. Trains could not be moved by steam power until the steam engine could be mounted on wheels. The first steam locomotives were built in England, and the first locomotives in America, such as Stourbridge Lion , were imported from England. Soon however, Americans began to plan their own locomotives. [ 1 ] ^ Hamilton Ellis (1968).

What happened

Aftermath Tom Thumb replica alongside B&O EMC EA/EB #51, 1937. Both locomotives are on display at the National Museum of Railroad History & Innovation in Baltimore. Because Tom Thumb was not intended for revenue service, the locomotive was not preserved. Cooper and others associated with the railroad's early days left detailed descriptions, though, which enabled the general dimensions and appearance to be worked out. In 1892, a wooden model was constructed by Major Joseph Pangborn,

Tom Thumb was the first American-built steam locomotive to operate on a common-carrier railroad. It was designed and constructed by Peter Cooper in 1829 to convince owners of the newly formed Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) to use steam engines; it was not intended to enter revenue service. It is especially remembered as a participant in a race with a horse-drawn car, which the horse won after Tom Thumb suffered a mechanical failure. However, the demonstration was successful,