B&O Railroad Museum facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Significant dates

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum and Mount Clare Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark

Mount Clare Station and roundhouse
Location in Baltimore Show map of Baltimore Location in Maryland Show map of Maryland Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	901 West Pratt Street Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Built	1829 (original site) 1851 (current station structure) 1884 (roundhouse)
Architect	Ephraim Francis Baldwin
Architectural style	Georgian
Website	http://www.borail.org/
NRHP reference No.	66000906
Added to NRHP	October 15, 1966
Designated NHL	September 15, 1961

The B&O Railroad Museum is a cool place in Baltimore, Maryland. It shows off amazing old trains and railroad equipment. The museum first opened its doors on July 4, 1953. It's known for having one of the best collections of railroad treasures anywhere. It also has the largest group of 19th-century locomotives in the U.S.

The museum is located at the old Mount Clare Station and its roundhouse. This spot is super important because it's where America's first railroad, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O), started in 1829. It's the oldest railroad manufacturing place in the United States.

Mount Clare is often called the birthplace of American railroading. The first regular train service for passengers in the U.S. began here on May 22, 1830. This site also received the very first telegraph message. It said "What hath God wrought?" and was sent on May 24, 1844, from Washington, D.C.. This message used Samuel Morse's electric telegraph.

The museum has a huge collection of items from the 1800s and 1900s. These items tell the story of America's railroads. You can see 250 pieces of railroad cars and engines. There are also 15,000 other artifacts and lots of old documents. The museum has four important 19th-century buildings, including the famous roundhouse. It also has one mile of track, which is considered the most historic mile of railroad track in the United States.

You can even take train rides on this historic mile of track! Rides are offered from April to December, Wednesday through Sunday. In January, you can ride on weekends. The museum welcomes many visitors every year.

Besides the real trains, the museum has fun model train displays. There's a big outdoor G-scale layout and two indoor HO scale models. Younger kids can even climb on a wooden model train. Around Thanksgiving and the New Year, local model train clubs set up huge displays. These are on the roundhouse floor and around the museum grounds. Don't forget to check out the museum store for train toys, books, and DVDs!

The museum and station were named a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1961. This means they are very important historical places. In 2008, the museum won three awards from Nickelodeon's Parents' Picks Awards. It was recognized as a top museum and indoor play space for both little and big kids. Actor Michael Gross is the museum's "celebrity spokesman."

The museum has found records of 24 people who used the B&O Railroad to seek freedom. They traveled on the Underground Railroad. Eight of these journeys passed through the Mount Clare site. In 2021, the Mount Clare Station building became a National Park Service Underground Railroad Network to Freedom site. This recognizes its role in helping people find freedom.

The museum also hosts a special event called Day Out with Thomas every year. You can see a replica of Thomas the Tank Engine and even go for a ride!

History of the Railroad Museum
- The Great Snowstorm of 2003
Amazing Train Collection
- Famous Trains You Can See
Exhibitions and Fun Things to Do
Images for kids
See also

History of the Railroad Museum

The very first B&O train was pulled by horses. It traveled about 13 miles (21 km) from Mount Clare to Ellicott Mills (now Ellicott City, Maryland). This happened on May 22, 1830. It was the first regular passenger train service in the U.S. The brick building you see today at Mount Clare station was built in 1851. The roundhouse next to it was designed by Ephraim Francis Baldwin and built in 1884. It was used to service the B&O's passenger cars.

For many years, the B&O railroad company collected old locomotives and other items. They used these for public relations. These items were stored in different places. Eventually, the railroad decided to put them all in one permanent home. They chose the car shop at the Mt. Clare Shops. The new museum opened on July 4, 1953.

The museum kept going even after the B&O Railroad company stopped existing. It was cared for by other companies like the Chessie System and CSX Corporation. In 1990, CSX gave the museum property and its collection to a new, non-profit museum group. This group is run by its own board of directors. They also gave the museum $5 million to help it get started. In 1999, the museum became connected with the Smithsonian Institution.

The Great Snowstorm of 2003

The museum on February 17, 2003, shortly after its blizzard-caused roof collapse

On February 17, 2003, a huge snowstorm hit. It was called the Presidents' Day Storm. The heavy snow caused half of the museum's roundhouse roof to collapse. The main support poles stayed up, but the metal beams holding the roof failed. This caused a lot of damage to the roundhouse and the trains inside. Some items were badly damaged.

The Baltimore Sun newspaper reported on the damage the next day. They said that "columns of mangled steel stuck out from the roundhouse." They also saw "Locomotives and passenger cars... covered with snow and debris." It was a tough time for the museum.

But the museum worked hard to fix everything. The roundhouse got a new roof and reopened on November 13, 2004. The damaged trains and cars were protected by clear barriers. By September 2015, all the damaged exhibits were fully repaired and looked like new again!

After the roof collapse, people raised money to help the museum. This allowed them to improve many of their buildings. In 2005, the museum opened a new facility. This building is used to fix up old trains and keep active trains running.

Amazing Train Collection

The B&O Railroad Museum has the oldest and most complete collection of American railroad items in the world. It includes trains and cars from the very beginning of American railroading. You can also see historic buildings, railroad tools, and a huge library of old documents. These items show how American railroading and the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad changed America's economy, culture, and history.

You can even look up items from the collection online! The museum is working to make its entire collection available in a searchable database.

Famous Trains You Can See

The museum has many famous trains, both original ones and amazing replicas. Some replicas were built by the B&O for its "Fair of the Iron Horse" in 1927. Here are some highlights:

Baltimore and Ohio 4-4-0 #25 William Mason: Built in 1856. This train was used in famous movies like The Great Locomotive Chase and Wild Wild West.
Baltimore & Ohio 0-4-0 "Tom Thumb" 1927 replica: This is a copy of one of the earliest American steam locomotives.
Baltimore & Ohio 0-4-0 #8 "John Hancock": Built in 1836.
Baltimore & Ohio 4-2-0 #13 "Lafayette" 1927 replica: Another important early locomotive.
Baltimore & Ohio 0-8-0 #57 "Memnon": Built in 1848.
Baltimore and Ohio 2-6-0 #600 "J. C. Davis": Built in 1875. This train won first prize at the 1876 Centennial Exposition.
St. Elizabeth's Hospital 0-4-0T #4: One of the last steam locomotives built by Porter, in 1950.
Clinchfield Railroad 4-6-0 #1: Built in 1882.
Baltimore and Ohio 0-4-0 "Grasshopper": Built in 1832. This is one of the oldest surviving American locomotives.
Baltimore and Ohio 4-6-2 #5300 "President Washington": Built in 1927.
Baltimore and Ohio 2-8-2 #4500: The world's first USRA locomotive, built in 1918.
Chesapeake and Ohio 4-6-0 #377: Built in 1902.
Chesapeake and Ohio 4-6-4 #490: The last surviving C&O "Streamlined" Hudson, built in 1926.
Chesapeake and Ohio 2-6-6-6 #1604: One of only two "Allegheny"-class locomotives left, built in 1941.
American Freedom Train 4-8-4 #1 (Reading #2101): Built in 1945. This was one of the steam engines used for the American Freedom Train in 1975–1976.
Central Railroad of New Jersey #1000: The first successful diesel locomotive used for business, built in 1925.
Baltimore & Ohio EA #51: The first streamlined diesel train, built in 1937.
Baltimore & Ohio RDC #1961: Built in 1956. This train is still working!
Baltimore & Ohio GP30 #6944: Built in 1962. This train is also still working!
Chessie System GP38 #3802: Built in 1967. Trains Magazine chose it as an "All American Diesel." It's still operational.
Pennsylvania Railroad #4876: A GG1 electric locomotive. This famous train crashed into Washington D.C.'s Union Station in 1953.
Forty and Eights "Merci" boxcar: One of 49 French boxcars given to the U.S. in 1949 as a thank you gift.

Exhibitions and Fun Things to Do

The B&O Railroad Museum has over nine acres of historic buildings and grounds. There are many exhibitions and collection items to see. Here are some of the cool exhibitions:

The Roundhouse: The First Century of Railroading: Learn about the early days of trains.
The First American Locomotives: The Fair of the Iron Horse: See how the first American trains looked.
Civil War: The War Came by Train: Discover how trains played a role in the Civil War.
North Car Shop: 20th Century American Railroading: Explore trains from the 1900s.
Bank of America Model Train Gallery: Check out amazing model train setups.
Smithsonian Model Train Collection: See a special collection of model trains.
Dining on the B&O: The China Collection: See the fancy dishes used on B&O dining cars.
Cool Runnings on the Railroad: The American Refrigeration Car: Learn about how trains kept food cold.
About Time: The Standardization of Time: Find out how railroads helped create standard time zones.

Images for kids

B&O 0-4-0 "Grasshopper" (1832)