History On January 13, 1832, the Tuscumbia, Courtland and Decatur Railroad (TC&D) was incorporated to build track from downtown Tuscumbia to Decatur, Alabama to bypass the Muscle Shoals in the Tennessee River. The TC&D bought four steam locomotives.
The second locomotive was a second hand engine bought from the Philadelphia, Germantown, & Norristown Railroad in Pennsylvania. This engine, named Pennsylvania, had been modified by the PG&N to a tank engine and proved to be too heavy for the TC&D tracks as configured. David Deshler, chief engineer for the TC&D, placed the front of the engine on a boogie of 4 small wheels and connected the 4 back wheels by outside means of cranks and connections. This may have been the first workable tank engine in the United States. The third locomotive was built by West Point Foundry in New York. The Comet arrived on June 1, 1835. This was the first all metal steam locomotive built in the United States. David Deshler removed the front two wheels, replacing them with a carriage of 4 small wheels. With a wheel configuration of 4-2-0, the Comet became the fastest of the first three engines, being able to reach speeds of 60 mph. The last engine was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works. This engine arrived on June 6, 1836. Considered to be the triumph over the horse by the company, this engine was given the name Triumph. The Triumph was a 4-2-0 was the most successful of the engines.
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The first
locomotive, Fulton, was bought from England. It was a Planet
style engine, 0-4-0, with only the back wheels supplying power. The
Fulton could attain speeds of 40 mph with a light load and weighed 5
tons.