The steam driven " Iron Horse " as it was originally called played a major roll in the development of our country. The first company to build a railroad in the U.S. for passenger service was the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. They laid the first stone for a railroad on July 4, 1828. (cement stone blocks were used then in place of wooden ties) On May 24, 1830 a meager 13.5 miles of railroad was put into service to haul passengers from Baltimore to Ellicott Mills (now Ellicott City, Maryland). The tiny Tom Thumb steam engine puffed successfully along the tracks pulling the first passenger train. From that dinky little railroad an industry was born to become the largest employer of men and women in the U.S. for nearly a century.

More than 40,000 steam engines were built between 1829 and 1949. The last commercially-built steam engine for a U.S. company was built by the Baldwin plant in Lima, Ohio. Most of the major railroad companies retired their steam engines in the mid 1960's.

The original Tom Thumb steam engine weighed less then 1 ton. The Union Pacific Railroad purchased the largest engines ever built and called them Big Boys. They weighed over 600 tons each.

Maybe you can remember seeing some of these huge machines billowing out large plumes of smoke while pulling long strings of loaded railcars and hearing their competing whistles far off in the distance signaling their presence on a cold winters-night. Today, only steam engines in museums and those used for special tours are left for the future generations to see.

"Enjoy yourself " as you browse through the pictures and hear sounds from the steam engines of days gone by !

Attn.Visitors:... All " Train Sounds " Can Be Turned " Off/On " using the " Sound Control " Near The Top or Bottom Of Each Page....On The First And Last Page " Turn-Off " Top Sound Control So Other Sounds Can Be Played....