Reimagining Railroad History

Making the past more visible, engaging, and accessible .. without making it false.

A research-driven initiative that develops historically grounded narratives and interpretive works.

Why?

Celebrating 200 Years of American Railroading by

Introducing: When Iron Met Rubber

Two Ages of American Innovation

The First Limited Edition from the Founders Series

A new historical painting by acclaimed railroad artist Pete Lerro, commissioned by Railroad History Reimagined.

Set in Oakland, Maryland, the painting brings together the great innovators of America's railroad and automobile ages in one imagined meeting grounded in history.

Limited Edition of 500 Artist-Signed & Numbered Prints

24 × 16-inch Museum Quality Print

Introductory Price: $79
Regular Retail Price: $100

Pre-Orders Begin October 31, 2026

Available at the Lerro Productions booth (5T/3C) during this weekend's Great Scale Model Train Show in Timonium, MD.

Pre-orders are expected to ship on or before November 20, 2026.

Online ordering is planned to begin November 20, 2026.

Interested in "When Iron Met Rubber" Updates?

Explore "When Iron Met Rubber"

Stay on our Rails

Featured Series

Pangborn Drawing Cooper Tom Thumb Passen

The Tom Thumb and the Road to Ellicott’s Mills

A tiny locomotive. A daring experiment. A legendary horse race. And the beginning of a transportation revolution.

In 1830, inventor and entrepreneur Peter Cooper set out to prove that steam power could work on America's first common-carrier railroad. His remarkable little locomotive, later known as the Tom Thumb, helped change the future of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad .. and American transportation.

This four-part series plus bonus update separates fact from folklore, retraces the experiments along the first thirteen miles to Ellicott’s Mills, and explores how one small machine helped launch an extraordinary era of railroad innovation.

PART 1 OF 4

Why Peter Cooper Built the Tom Thumb Locomotive

PART 2 OF 4

Building and Testing an Experimental Locomotive

PART 3 OF 4

The Journey to Ellicott’s Mills That Proved Steam Could Work

PART 4 OF 4

The Race, the Next Challenge, and the Making of a Legend

BONUS

The Tom Thumb Replica Returns to Ellicott City After 23 Years in Storage

Events and
Projects

What if Charles Carroll of Carrollton was more than a patriot and Declaration signer? Join us for a fresh perspective on one of early America’s most influential figures.

List of Events

List of Projects

The Shawmont Station along the former Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad, as depicted in the 19th century.

The Oldest Railroad Station? Why Historical Accuracy Matters More Than a Headline

In September 2026, SEPTA announced plans that could give Philadelphia's historic Shawmont Station a new life as a museum and community learning center. The building, located along the former Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad, is an important survivor from America's earliest railroad era. Its restoration deserves historical accuracy.

Noted philanthropist and inventor of the first American steam locomotive Tom Thumb, Peter Cooper, as an older man.

Tom Thumb and the Road to Ellicott’s Mills - Part 4

Part 4 of 4. The Tom Thumb proved that steam could work on the B&O, but that was only the beginning. The famous horse race, the search for better locomotives, the challenge of Parr’s Ridge, and a growing focus on speed, capacity and efficiency helped turn an experiment into a new way of running a railroad, and eventually, a legend.

New fun artwork of Charles Carroll of Carrolton building support for the B&O Railroad on his 93rd birthday (as I imagine it).

Charles Carroll of Carrollton Celebrated His Birthdays the Way He Lived: Fully

On the 289th anniversary of Charles Carroll of Carrollton’s birth, his later birthday celebrations reveal a Founder who remained vigorous, curious, and engaged with America’s future well into his nineties.