The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum

I visited the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum during a short visit I made to Baltimore in June 2006, which was the only time I have ever been to the United States. It was the last day of my stay in the city, the conference I had attended was over, and I had time to kill before leaving for the airport and an evening flight home. Railways have always been a keen interest of mine, and the museum was an obvious place to go.

As it was only about a mile from my hotel it was within easy walking distance, so it was a surprise to find that the only entrance appeared to be from the car park. Don’t you Americans ever walk anywhere? I had to dodge under the barrier to find the front door! Having found my way in, it was good to be welcomed personally and given a one-to-one introduction by an elderly lady who was as clearly enthusiastic about historical railways as I am.

She explained the history of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, of which the museum complex represented the eastern terminus. It was interesting to learn that this site is of major importance in the history of railroads in the United States, as the B&O can lay claim to being the nation’s first passenger railroad, the first section having opened in 1830. As I live very close to one of Great Britain’s oldest railway lines, which opened in 1832, I felt a certain affinity!

The 40-acre museum site is important not only for its exhibits of locomotives, rolling stock and other pieces of machinery, but for the buildings in which they are housed. Pride of place goes to the magnificent Roundhouse, which encloses a space of more than an acre and rises to a height of 125 feet. When completed in 1884, it was the world’s largest circular industrial building. In February 2003, the building was severely damaged, along with some of the exhibits, when the weight of accumulated snow caused the roof to cave in. However, the building was restored and re-opened in November 2004.

Inside the Roundhouse a number of smaller historic locomotives are on display, and steps allow you to walk into the cabs (of some of the exhibits) to see where the engine drivers worked. Among the exhibits is “Atlantic”, a locomotive built for the B&O in 1832; this has a vertical boiler and two vertical cylinders, its pushrod action earning it the nickname of “Grasshopper”. Other exhibits include locomotives that were damaged in the 2003 roof collapse.

The larger locomotives are housed either in the open air or in other parts of the Mt Clare Shops complex. Standing at ground level beside these monsters of the rails is a humbling experience, seeing that the driving wheels of some of them are more than six feet in diameter. The collection includes one of only two surviving “Allegheny” class locos, a 2-6-6-6 giant (built for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad) that weighs more than 775,000 pounds and, with its tender, is 125 long. This was the most powerful steam locomotive ever built, capable of hauling loads of 5,000 tons at 45mph, or 100,000 tons at 15mph.

Knowledgeable guides describe the locos and answer your questions. The guide on the tour I joined had once worked as an engine driver, which was hard to imagine, seeing how small he was alongside these iron beasts!

However, it would be a mistake to think that the B&O Railroad Museum is all about steam locos. This is a museum that has something for most people. During the Spring/Summer months you can take a short train ride along the one-and-a-half mile length of track that is still in place, although not by steam traction. There is a splendid open-air model railway and indoor exhibits of scale models and other railway bits and pieces. There are also film shows, activities and rides for the kids, and events at various times throughout the year.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit, which was well worth the price of admission. Although it is now several years since my trip to Baltimore, the visit is still very fresh in my memory. Should I ever find myself there again, the B&O Railroad Museum will certainly be high on my list of places to go.

© John Welford