Stevens Institute of Technology is named after a family of accomplished inventors and engineers who also oversaw the development of Hoboken from an old farm into a thriving city. In 1784, the land now occupied by Stevens Institute of Technology was purchased by John Stevens, who would later reverse engineer the British steam locomotive to American standards for domestic manufacture. This innovation would be employed by ferries to Manhattan which still run from Hoboken's piers. Robert Stevens, one of John's sons, invented the flanged T rail, a form of railroad rail in prevalent use today including from the Lackawanna Terminal of Hoboken whose docks are also in a style designed by Robert. Along with his brother Edwin A. Stevens, Robert created America's first commercial railroad presently operating as a large portion of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor.