The Stourbridge Lion is an early steam locomotive built in England in 1829 for the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company, and is generally credited as the first steam locomotive to run on a railroad track in the United States, tested on a short stretch of track in Honesdale, Pennsylvania in August 1829. Built heavier than the wooden trestle track it ran on could safely bear, the locomotive proved impractical for the company's planned coal-hauling operations and was withdrawn from service after only a brief trial, with the company reverting to horse-drawn haulage for some years afterward. Despite its short operational life, the Stourbridge Lion is remembered as a foundational, if commercially unsuccessful, milestone in the introduction of steam railroading to North America, and surviving components are preserved in museum collections.
Facts
SignificanceIn 1829 it was the first locomotive operated in the United States, although foreign-built. 1 Manufacturer or BuilderFoster, Rastrick and Company 1 In the Other Atlases
Manufactured By
Also in Business Atlas: the manufacturer of this subject.
Sources
1. Stourbridge Lion (Wikipedia)
Infobox, Type and origin
Foster, Rastrick and Company
Infobox, Build date
Build date: 1829
Opening paragraph
In 1829 it was the first locomotive to be operated in the United States, although foreign-built
In Group: Early American Steam Locomotives, Lead sentence
The Stourbridge Lion () was an early railroad steam locomotive. In 1829 it was the first locomotive to be operated in the United States, although foreign-built, and one of the first locomotives to operate outside Britain.
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