This is the original "John Bull" locomotive which was built in 1831 in Newcastle, England for the Camden & Amboy Railroad. The C&A was chartered by none other than Robert Stevens in 1930 making it one of the earliest systems chartered in the United States. The railroad's purpose was to connect the Delaware River, upon which the city of Philadelphia sat with the Raritan River, which ran into New York City to the east. The C&A received the John Bull, which had arrived at Bordentown, NJ on September 4, 1831 having been shipped across the Atlantic Ocean aboard the Allegheny. It initially carried an 0-4-0 wheel arrangement, however, due to a tendency to derail on the uneven American tracks, a set of "guide" wheels was added to the locomotive, thus solving the problem. Adding the pilot axle, however, required the removal of the coupling rod between the two main axles. Because of this, the John Bull's only powered wheel-set was the rear axle making the "John Bull" now a 4-2-0 (vs originally an 0-4-0). Initially, the "John Bull" was named "Stevens" and given the roster number of 1, however, crews began referring to it as the old John Bull, which later became its official name.

After 35 years of faithful service the Bull was retired in 1866. On February 1, 1867 the C&A was leased by the Pennsylvania Railroad, which understood the significance of the locomotive and had it restored for publicity purposes where it appeared for the 1876 United States Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. Two years later the PRR showcased the steamer at the National Railway Appliance Exhibition in Chicago, Illinois where the railroad found a buyer, the Smithsonian Institution, which would acquire it 1885. The "John Bull" continued to tour the country appearing at the World's Colombian Exposition in Chicago during 1893 and attended the Baltimore & Ohio's Fair of the Iron Horse in Baltimore, Maryland in 1927. In 1981 it was restored to operating condition and operated by the Smithsonian (seen here), serving as the world's oldest operable steam locomotive. Today, it is still on display at the lobby entrance by the gift shop (of all places) just ahead of the entrance to the Museum's exhibits. It is displayed on a section of the first iron railroad bridge, built in 1845 by the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad to cross a small creek in West Manayunk, Pennsylvania.