1830 | Railroad History Reimagined

Illustration of Peter Cooper's prototype Tom Thumb steam locomotive. The first working locomotive in the USA.

The Tom Thumb and the Road to Ellicott’s Mills - Part 2

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.

Craig Rhinehart

4 days ago9 min read

B&O horse drawn Pioneer passenger carriage traveling through the Patapsco Valley to Ellicott's Mills (Ellicott City) on the rails of B&O Railroad

The Tom Thumb and the Road to Ellicott’s Mills - Part 1

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?

Craig Rhinehart

Aug 287 min read