The Time A Horse Raced A Train And Won
A gallant effort and a historic moment
In 1829, a man by the name of Peter Cooper began designing and building what was going to be the first American-built steam locomotive. Compared to the designs that would come later, the machine was simple, small and effective. After a year of building, tweaking and testing, he was ready to introduce his new creation to the world.
The result was the Tom Thumb.
It measured just over 13' in length and just under 13' in height. It was boxy, bulky and relatively small. The boiler-fueled machine only clocked in at 1.4 horsepower, but that was still better than a single horse.
The machine did not strike a very impressive figure and the sight of it caused a local stagecoach company to be emboldened. They approached the newly formed Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company (B&O) which was interested in purchasing and expanding upon Peter Cooper’s invention, and challenged them to a race. One of their best stagecoach horses versus the Tom Thumb.
The terms were accepted and the date was set. The newly created steam locomotive was going to race a flesh and blood…
