Trevithick, 1872, Life of Richard Trevithick. Page 181.
Railroad Images | Linda Hall Library Digital Collections
Read about Richard Trevithick, who designed the first steam railway locomotive, in the Linda Hall Library History of Science Collection. Additional information is available in the Railroad Images link in Linda Hall Library Digital Collections, as well as in the library catalog.
Perfecting the American Steam Locomotive by "What an imposing sight is a locomotive engine, moving without effort, with a train of 40 or 50 loaded carriages, each weighing more than ten thousand pounds!"
- from A Practical Treatise on Locomotive Engines Upon Railways by Guyonneau de Pambour
Clark, 1860, Recent practice in the locomotive engine. Plate 46.
The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Steam and Rail by 
Superpower: the Making of a Steam Locomotive by 
A Most Magnificent Machine: America Adopts the Railroad 1825-1862 by "The locomotive engine may be selected as the grandest and most important development of modern civilization and human skill."
- from American Locomotive Engineering and Railway Mechanism by G. Weissenborn, 1871.
Running Out of Steam by 
Loco Motion by 
Out of Steam by 
Rail, Steam, and Speed: The "Rocket" and the Birth of Steam Locomotion by 
Click on the thumbnails above to view content from the exhibition catalog.
The Linda Hall Library’s extensive collection on railroads can be furthur explored through the Railroads Resource Guide, which lists relevant books, useful databases, websites, and lectures from the lecture series on Railroads presented at Linda Hall.
The Linda Hall Library website also contains links to digitized copies of original Railroad Images, Railroad Journals, and Railroad Maps & Plans on the LHL Digital Collections page.
The "Puffing Billy," built by William Hedley in 1813, is the world's oldest surviving steam locomotive. Image from The World's Rail Way by P. G. Pangborn, 1894.
Railway Locomotion and Steam Navigation; Their Principles and Practice by Though the first locomotives in America were imported from Britian, Americans quickly adapted locomotives to meet the unique needs of the country. The Pennsylvania Canal Commissioners Reports offer, among other historical details, fascinating insight into the first-hand American response to the British locomotives that were imported in the early years.
Railroad gazette. 1877, Vol. 09, No. 33. Page 371-382.
Railroad Journals from the 19th Century | Linda Hall Library Digital Collections
The Railroad Gazette is another resource for learning about developments in steam locomotive technology, with articles and letters to the editor about various technical details and railroad companies to updates on locomotive amenities like "English Dining Car Kitcheners."
Wood, 1825, A practical treatise on rail-roads. Plate 4.
Railroad Images | Linda Hall Library Digital Collections
Learn about George Stephenson, whose locomotive the "Rocket" secured his fame at the Rainhill Trials illustrated below.
Smiles, 1874, Lives of the engineers. Page 269.
Railroad Images | Linda Hall Library Digital Collections
The three renderings of the "Rocket" above, each published separately, are a testament to its significance in the development of steam locomotion. Click on the images to view the deatils of these publications in the Railroad Images link in Linda Hall Library Digital Collections.
Stephenson came to be recognized as a "master of steam locomotive construction and railway engineering," and works discussing the "Rocket" and his other contributions to steam locomotion are available in the Linda Hall Library History of Science Collection. Additional information is available in the library catalog.
