I think I’m posting in the right forum. I just completed a model of the “Tom Thumb” locomotive designed and built by Peter Cooper in 1830 to demonstrate the viability of steam rail transport for the Baltimore & Ohio RR. This was the first locomotive built in the U.S. He put it together with bits of machinery, including old musket barrels. This is not unlike my model which I put together with leftover bits and pieces, including a broom handle for the boiler, brass wire, wooden dowels, styrene tubing and metal washers (for the air blower) and wood strips left over from other ship model builds. The only items I bought were the wheels. The locomotive was experimental and was soon replaced by better-built, heavier, and more powerful engines. I wouId like to add photos, but I don’t see an “add photos” button. Maybe someone can help??
Sounds great! On this forum it is easy to post pics - just drag them into your Reply box. Hint. 
Thanks! Doing that now! :
Holy cow Carl, that’s GORGEOUS!!!
I can’t quite tell, but is it operational, or static?
Fantastic work! I love it.
Well done, looks fantastic.
Thanks!!! It is a static model. I tried to make everything look operational, but at the end of the day, it’s a broom handle and gears that don’t engage in anything!
Thanks Rick. It was a lot of fun to figure out how to make it.
That is amazing! Thanks for posting!
Very nice. What a beautiful model.
Carl… really neat model…I like it a lot…!!
I sure hope that you join in on the MIK Challenge next year… we would all stand to gain from your talents.
Be sure to vote for your favorites this year from all the builds, when I post the voting thread…
You are a fantastic modeler. Marvelous!
Thats an outstanding model, right down to the flangeless wheels. Are you going to make the track as well? IIRC it was fishplate steel angle rails on stone sleepers. Make a really great display model if you decide to do the full train. You certainly have the skills to produce it 
Thanks Vic, I appreciate your kind remarks. I am thinking of adding the passenger car to this. I’ve never made the tracks before, so ideas on how I get started - DIY materials, methods, etc…
Flat brass/ nickle/steel laid on wood beams 3x3 inch come to mind. Nail/pin the metal to the top of the wood maybe every three scale feet. The attached web page may have better measure ments
Thanks David, strap rail and wood sleepers should be a lot easier to model than than fishplates and stone sleepers.
It would have been strap rail anyway in 1830 I suspect ?