Final answer:
It is true that steam engines originated in the 1600s, but their use in powering locomotives began in the 1800s with Richard Trevithick's first rail locomotive in 1803 and the first successful commercial steam locomotive line in 1812.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that steam engines date back to the 1600s but were not used to power locomotives until the 1800s is true. Early steam engines were developed for pumping water out of mines, and only in the 1700s did they begin to be used for industrial purposes, with significant improvements made by James Watt. It was not until the early 19th century that the first commercial steam locomotives appeared. Richard Trevithick built the first rail locomotive in 1803, and the world saw its first successful steam locomotive line opened by Matthew Murray in 1812. The significant leap in railway construction and the employment of steam engines in transportation, such as in George Stephenson's locomotives in the mid-1820s and the Tom Thumb in 1830, showcase the integration of steam engines into locomotion and the transformative nature of the Industrial Revolution.