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.

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.

Part 3 of 4. The decisive August 28, 1830 journey grew out of months of horse-powered excursions, short steam trials, repairs, and repeated demonstrations. Together, they show how the B&O Railroad learned what steam could do.

Part 2 of 4. Improvised parts, uncertain dimensions, broken wheels, missing copper, and repeated trial runs reveal what the Tom Thumb really was .. a working locomotive prototype built in iron and steam.

Part 1 of 4. The Tom Thumb experimental locomotive grew from a very large question: could the B& O Railroad rely on steam engines as it pushed west from a successful horse-powered beginning?