"Tom Thumb" Locomotive Model

Description (Brief):

This model of the Tom Thumb Locomotive was made by Bathe & Williams of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1933. Greville Bathe was a machinist and steam engine hobbyist who would fashion his own parts to complete toy steam engines and models like this one. This model is a representation of the Tom Thumb Locomotive, and early American locomotive built by Peter Cooper in 1830 to prove that a steam-powered locomotive could navigate the hills and twists of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The model consists of an upright boiler, vertical engine, and geared drive.

Date Made: 1933

Location: Currently not on view

See more items in: Work and Industry: Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Family & Social Life, Engineering, Building, and Architecture, Engineering Steam Toys and Models

Exhibition:

Exhibition Location:

Related Publication: Maass, Eleanor A.. Greville Bathe's "Theatre of Machines": The Evolution of a Scholar and His Collection

Credit Line: Bequest of the Estate of Greville I. Bathe

Data Source: National Museum of American History

Id Number: MC.329095Catalog Number: 329095Accession Number: 278175

Object Name: locomotive, Tom Thumblocomotive, tom thumb, modelmodel, locomotivemodel, steam locomotive

Measurements: overall-from catalog card: 10 in x 19 1/2 in x 9 in; 25.4 cm x 49.53 cm x 22.86 cmoverall: 19 1/4 in x 19 3/4 in x 9 1/4 in; 48.895 cm x 50.165 cm x 23.495 cm

Guid: http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a6-8eb6-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Record Id: nmah_847255

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.