Stourbridge Lion arrives in US

The Stourbridge Lion, built by Foster, Rastrick and Company in England, arrived aboard the ship John Jay after a transatlantic voyage. Commissioned by the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company to haul coal, it represented the first attempt to introduce steam power on American rails. Though its weight proved too heavy for the wooden trestle tracks at Honesdale, Pennsylvania, the locomotive sparked widespread interest in steam technology and inspired domestic builders like Peter Cooper to develop lighter American designs.