Stourbridge Lion
Honesdale, Wayne County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Here began the trial run of the first locomotive operated by steam on rails in the U.S., Aug. 8, 1829. The Lion was English-built for use on levels of the Gravity Railroad. It was piloted by Horatio Allen.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
On August 8, 1829, at Honesdale, the Stourbridge Lion made the first run of a steam locomotive on rails in the United States. English-built for the level stretches of the Delaware & Hudson's gravity railroad, the engine was piloted by Horatio Allen, who took it out despite doubts that the wooden trestlework could bear its weight. The trial proved that steam power could move on iron rails on American soil — a glimpse of the railroad age to come.
Why it matters
The Stourbridge Lion's brief run opened the American railroad era, the technology that would soon bind the continent together.
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Related people
- · Horatio Allen
Related events
- · First steam locomotive run in the United States
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Stourbridge Lion
Honesdale, PA · est. 1947
Honesdale honors its place in railroad history with a replica of the Stourbridge Lion, the English-built engine that in 1829 became the first locomotive to run on rails in the United States. Displayed beside it is the Eclipse, an original passenger coach from the Delaware & Hudson's gravity railroad. Together they recall the town's role at the very dawn of American railroading.
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