These are the remains of the very first steam locomotive to operate in the United States: the Stourbridge Lion, built in 1828 by Foster, Rastrick & Company of Stourbridge, Worcestershire, England. Bought by the Deleware & Hudson Canal Company, it made only one test run at Honesdale, Pennsylvania, on August 8, 1829. Too heavy for the hemlock rails then in use, it was set aside and never used again, despite some attempts to sell it. Parted out, only its boiler and some boiler fitting survived; they were used to provide steam at a foundry in Carbondale, Penn., into the 1880s. There may have been more to display today if the D&H hadn’t borrowed the boiler in 1883 for exhibit at railroad trade show – people wanting a “relic” from the engine broke off, tore off, unbolted, and removed just about every part that they could! What was left was acquired by the Smithsonian in 1890, and subsequently loaned to the B&O museum for display. While far from complete, it’s still amazing that this much of the original Stourbridge Lion has survived.
