Yet, in his patent of 1784, Watt included an arrangement by means of which steam-power might be employed for the purposes of locomotion.

But no further model of the contrivance was made.
Meanwhile, Cugnot, of Paris, had already made a road engine worked by steam power.

It was first tried at the Arsenal in 1769; and, being set in motion, it ran against a stone wall in its way and threw it down.
The engine was afterwards tried in the streets of Paris.

In one of the experiments it fell over with a crash, and was thenceforward locked up in the Arsenal to prevent its doing further mischief.

This first locomotive is now to be seen at the Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers at Paris.
Murdock had doubtless heard of Watt's original speculations, and proceeded, while at Redruth, during his leisure hours, to construct a model locomotive after a design of his own.