The first steam locomotive on rails in the United States was the "Stourbridge Lion." It was imported from England and used on a trial run in August, 1829 on the railroad for hauling coal from Carbondale to Honesdale.
Oliver Evans of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania experimented with steam propulsion. Evans recogniezed the value of high pressure steam and devised his own engine, which operated between 100 and 150 psi. He successfully installed his stationary engine in grist mills. Evans believed that steam-powered locomotives could be used to transport good and people, and he proposed the construction of a railroad between Philadelphia nd New York. Unfortunatly few people took his ideas seriously.
Matthias Baldwin, Frankford Goldsmith, turned his attention to steam engines and in 1829 built a model locomotive. "Old Ironsides" was built by Baldwin in 1832 for use on the Philadelphia and Germantown. The Baldwin Locomotive works by 1860 and turned out No. 1,500. Mancure Robinson also designed engines for the Reading. In York another jeweler named Phineas Davis built the first successful locomotive used on the Baltimore and Ohio.
