Tags: Locomotive.
Tom Thumb was the first American-built steam locomotive used on a common-carrier railroad. Designed and built by Peter Cooper in 1830 it was designed to convince owners of the newly formed Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) to use steam engines. It is especially remembered as a participant in an impromptu race with a horse-drawn car; the Tom Thumb led the race until a belt slipped off a pulley and the engine lost power.
