Tom Thumb (locomotive)

Tom Thumb
A 1927 replica of Tom Thumb, the first American-built steam locomotive
Type and origin
Power typeSteam
BuilderPeter Cooper
Build date1829
Specifications
Configuration:
 • Whyte2-2-0VB
Length13 ft 2+34 in (4.03 m)
Height12 ft 9 in (3.89 m)
Fuel typeanthracite coal
Boiler27 in × 66 in (690 mm × 1,680 mm)
dia × high
Cylinder size5 in × 27 in (127 mm × 686 mm)
dia × stroke
Performance figures
Power output1.4 hp (1.0 kW) horsepower[1]
Career
OperatorsBaltimore and Ohio Railroad

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) (now CSX) to use steam engines; it was not intended to enter revenue service. It is especially remembered as a participant in a legendary race with a horse-drawn car, which the horse won after Tom Thumb suffered a mechanical failure. (See Relay, Maryland.) However, the demonstration was successful, and the railroad committed to the use of steam locomotion and held trials in the following year for a working engine.[2]: 11 

Locomotives sought by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, 1831
  1. ^ "1829 – The Tom Thumb".
  2. ^ Sagle, Lawrence (1964). B&O Power: Steam, Diesel and Electric Power of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, 1829–1964. Medina, OH: Alvin F. Staufer.