Thomas Newcomen was an English inventor who created the atmospheric engine, the first practical fuel-burning engine in 1712. He was an ironmonger by trade and a Baptist lay preacher by calling.
The Newcomen house in Dartmouth
The Newcomen Memorial Engine in Dartmouth
Newcomen atmospheric engine
The atmospheric engine was invented by Thomas Newcomen in 1712, and is often referred to as the Newcomen fire engine or simply as a Newcomen engine. The engine was operated by condensing steam drawn into the cylinder, thereby creating a partial vacuum which allowed the atmospheric pressure to push the piston into the cylinder. It was historically significant as the first practical device to harness steam to produce mechanical work. Newcomen engines were used throughout Britain and Europe, principally to pump water out of mines. Hundreds were constructed throughout the 18th century.
Newcomen engine as depicted on a 2/- note of the Province of New York, 1775
Pencil sketch of Newcomen steam engine as improved by Smeaton, from Popular Science monthly circa 1877
Newcomen-style engine at the Elsecar Heritage Centre, in 2006
Caprington Colliery Newcomen engine in the National Museum of Scotland.