It was designed and constructed by Peter Cooper in 1829 to convince owners of the newly formed Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) (now CSX) to use steam engines; it was not intended to enter revenue service.

It is especially remembered as a participant in a legendary race with a horse-drawn car, which the horse won after Tom Thumb suffered a mechanical failure.

The boiler tubes were made from rifle barrels[2]: 11  and a blower was mounted in the stack, driven by a belt to the powered axle.

Two tracks had been constructed, which led the owners of Stockton and Company, a local stagecoach line providing passenger and freight service, to challenge the new locomotive to a race over the 8 miles (13 km) between the Relay House and Baltimore.

Without the blower, the boiler did not draw adequately and the locomotive lost power, allowing the horse to pass and win the race.

Cooper and others associated with the railroad's early days left detailed descriptions, though, which enabled the general dimensions and appearance to be worked out.

[14] A working half-scale model of Tom Thumb is currently on display and being demonstrated to visitors at the Hesston Steam Museum in La Porte, Indiana.