Early Live Steam

1893

Stephen Lafayette Pagenhardt built was is claimed to be the first 1.5 inch scale live steam locomotive in the United States.

1915

From The Santa Fe Magazine, February 1915:

Locomotive Model Built by Apprentices

The miniature locomotive which has been under construction for the last twenty-six months in the apprentice school at San Bernardino was completed recently. It is the result of the untiring efforts of James Savage and the entire corps of San Bernardino shop apprentices. This engine is an exact duplicate of a 1400-class locomotive, built on a one-eighth scale. It is capable of generating and running under its own power, and, as can been seen by the picture, is a perfect model.