We were not fighters like them; we were cunning and cowardly, and it was because of our cunning and cowardice, and our inordinate capacity for fear, that we survived in that frightfully hostile environment of the Younger World.
Union Pacific's 4-6-6-4 Challenger steam locomotive #3985 is the largest operating locomotive in the world. Built in July 1943 and still used by UP for occasional excursion throughout the western United States, the 3985 weighs 1,073,900 pounds (537 tons).
The first steam locomotive to be built in America was the Tom Thumb by Peter Cooper. The Tom Thumb had its first run in 1830, hauled 36 passengers and went 18mph. In 1830, the steam locomotive known as The Best Friend of Charleston was the first locomotive to pull cars in America and regularly carry passengers.