Canton | Railroad History Reimagined

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.

Craig Rhinehart

Oct 919 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 288 min read