BGuthrie Photos: MD -- Baltimore -- B&O Railroad Museum -- Yard

MD -- Baltimore -- B&O Railroad Museum -- Yard:

Bruce Guthrie Photos Home Page: [Click here] to go to Bruce Guthrie Photos home page.

Recognize anyone? If you recognize specific folks (or other stuff) and I haven't labeled them, please identify them for the world. Click the little pencil icon

underneath the file name (just above the picture). Spammers need not apply.

Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

Accessing as Spider: The system has identified your IP as being a spider.
IP Address: 3.145.17.46 -- Domain: Amazon Technologies
I love well-behaved spiders! They are, in fact, how most people find my site. Unfortunately, my network has a limited bandwidth and pictures take up bandwidth. Spiders ask for lots and lots of pages and chew up lots and lots of bandwidth which slows things down considerably for regular folk. To counter this, you'll see all the text on the page but the images are being suppressed. Also, some system options like merges are being blocked for you.
Note: Permission is NOT granted for spiders, robots, etc to use the site for AI-generation purposes. I'm sure you're thrilled by your ability to make revenue from my work but there's nothing in that for my human users or for me.
If you are in fact human, please email me at guthrie.bruce@gmail.com and I can check if your designation was made in error. Given your number of hits, that's unlikely but what the hell.

Restrictions on Publishing: This location prohibits the publication of any images of their site without formal, written permission from the site itself. Good luck getting that!

Help? The Medium (Email) links are for screen viewing and emailing. You'll want bigger sizes for printing. [Click here for additional help]

Share: Facebook Twitter Digg
[1] BORRY_140309_006.JPG	[2] BORRY_140309_010.JPG	[3] BORRY_140309_015.JPG
[4] BORRY_140309_016.JPG	[5] BORRY_140309_020.JPG	[6] BORRY_140309_023.JPG
[7] BORRY_140309_026.JPG	[8] BORRY_140309_032.JPG	[9] BORRY_140309_035.JPG
[10] BORRY_140309_039.JPG	[11] BORRY_140309_043.JPG	[12] BORRY_140309_049.JPG
[13] BORRY_140309_053.JPG	[14] BORRY_140309_055.JPG	[15] BORRY_140309_058.JPG
[16] BORRY_140309_065.JPG	[17] BORRY_140309_068.JPG	[18] BORRY_140309_071.JPG
[19] BORRY_140309_074.JPG	[20] BORRY_140309_078.JPG	[21] BORRY_140309_080.JPG
[22] BORRY_140309_083.JPG	[23] BORRY_140309_084.JPG	[24] BORRY_140309_089.JPG
[25] BORRY_140309_092.JPG	[26] BORRY_140309_099.JPG	[27] BORRY_140309_102.JPG
[28] BORRY_140309_107.JPG	[29] BORRY_140309_109.JPG	[30] BORRY_140309_112.JPG
[31] BORRY_140309_116.JPG	[32] BORRY_140309_121.JPG	[33] BORRY_140309_123.JPG
[34] BORRY_140309_129.JPG	[35] BORRY_140309_131.JPG	[36] BORRY_140309_134.JPG
[37] BORRY_140309_137.JPG	[38] BORRY_140309_139.JPG	[39] BORRY_140309_141.JPG
[40] BORRY_140309_144.JPG	[41] BORRY_140309_146.JPG	[42] BORRY_140309_150.JPG
[43] BORRY_140309_153.JPG	[44] BORRY_140309_155.JPG	[45] BORRY_140309_158.JPG
[46] BORRY_140309_162.JPG	[47] BORRY_140309_163.JPG	[48] BORRY_140309_167.JPG
[49] BORRY_140309_168.JPG	[50] BORRY_140309_170.JPG	[51] BORRY_140309_175.JPG
[52] BORRY_140309_176.JPG	[53] BORRY_140309_178.JPG	[54] BORRY_140309_181.JPG
[55] BORRY_140309_185.JPG	[56] BORRY_140309_186.JPG	[57] BORRY_140309_188.JPG
[58] BORRY_140309_194.JPG	[59] BORRY_140309_197.JPG	[60] BORRY_140309_199.JPG
[61] BORRY_140309_202.JPG	[62] BORRY_140309_209.JPG	[63] BORRY_140309_213.JPG
[64] BORRY_140309_217.JPG	[65] BORRY_140309_223.JPG	[66] BORRY_140309_227.JPG
[67] BORRY_140309_229.JPG	[68] BORRY_140309_230.JPG	[69] BORRY_140309_238.JPG
[70] BORRY_140309_241.JPG	[71] BORRY_140309_244.JPG	[72] BORRY_140309_251.JPG
[73] BORRY_140309_254.JPG	[74] BORRY_140309_256.JPG	[75] BORRY_140309_258.JPG
[76] BORRY_140309_260.JPG	[77] BORRY_140309_263.JPG	[78] BORRY_140309_265.JPG
[79] BORRY_140309_269.JPG	[80] BORRY_140309_272.JPG	[81] BORRY_140309_275.JPG
[82] BORRY_140309_285.JPG	[83] BORRY_140309_289.JPG	[84] BORRY_140309_294.JPG
[85] BORRY_140309_296.JPG	[86] BORRY_140309_298.JPG	[87] BORRY_140309_301.JPG
[88] BORRY_140309_304.JPG

Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. BORRY_140309_026.JPG: The Car That Carried Ike on His Last Trip C&O Baggage-Express Car No. 314 Built by Pullman Car & Mfg. Co., 1929 On the evening of March 31, 1969, America's last Presidential funeral train -- that of Dwight D. Eisenhower -- rolled sadly out of Washington on its way to Abilene, Kansas. Its ten-car consist was undecorated in any way, and near its front, the body of the military hero and former President rode in this ordinary baggage car. It was the way any common solider would have gone home for burial -- and the way "Ike" wanted it to be. The car chosen had served C&O for 40 years before. Built for the boom passenger traffic of the late 1920's, No. 314 was very typical of the heavyweight cars which carried checked baggage, express shipments and bulk mail at the head of passenger trains. Aside from minor interior modifications and a new paint job in the early 1950's to match C&O's newly-delivered streamlined cars, it is essentially original. This car is displayed today exactly as it appeared when it took Ike home for the last time.
2. BORRY_140309_032.JPG: Ike's train
3. BORRY_140309_092.JPG: Baltimore & Ohio Railroad The Mount Clare Shops You are standing on the site of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's Mount Clare Shops, a large industrial complex critical to maintaining every aspect of the railroad's daily operations. Because of their strategic importance, the shops were among the first sites in Baltimore that the U.S. Army secured when the Civil War began. From this heavily guarded location the B&O supported the Northern war effort. Thousands of troops, tons of supplies and munitions, and material essential to rebuild damaged sections of track moved west from Baltimore along the B&O. With armies constantly maneuvering, with the ceaseless demands for military supplies, and with the numerous attacks on the rail line by Confederate raiders, the vital work here never stopped. John W. Garrett, president of the B&O during the war, was known to have expressed pro-Southern sympathies prior to the outbreak of hostilities. These sympathies led Northerners to question the loyalty of the railroad's management during the early days of the war. Garrett's political skill deftly navigated the B&O through its precarious situation and soundly reassured the supporters of the Union cause. His abilities and efforts on behalf of the North gave the B&O the nickname "Mr. Lincoln's Railroad." "Several old passenger-cars awaiting repair (at Mount Clare), were occupied by the company and afforded comfortable accommodations; and the paymaster's car, fitted up with tables, lounges, and berths, was the officer's quarters…The duty, however, was light, averaging only about three hours a day to each man; and it consisted only in guarding against fire and intruders, the men were able to secure themselves against the inclemency of the weather." -- Col. Emmons Clark, 7th New York Infantry.
4. BORRY_140309_109.JPG: The War Came By Train
5. BORRY_140309_116.JPG: Luther G. Smith On June 12, 1912, Luther G. Smith, a locomotive engineer for the Pennsylvania Railroad, founded the Brotherhood's Relief and Compensation Fund (BR&CF). The BR&CF, a non-profit corporation established in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, provides job income protection to railroaders throughout the United States and Canada who are "Held Out of Service" as a result of a suspension or dismissal. Brother Smith did not object to the railroads using a method to discipline employees when such discipline was necessary, but he did not see the logic in innocent family members having to suffer when the head of the home made an error in the performance of his duties that resulted in a suspension or dismissal. The BR&CF had assisted tens of thousands of railroaders and their families in their time of need over the past 100 years. Brother Smith would be proud that the BR&CF has withstood the test of time. On behalf of rail labor, we salute Brother Smith for having the courage, wisdom and vision to create the Fund and for accomplishing what many said, "could not be done." The project was funded entirely by the North American Railway Foundation
6. BORRY_140309_139.JPG: Working for the Railroad: African Americans African Americans played an integral role in American railroading from its inception. Slaves, and later freedmen, help construct many of America's early southern railroads. By 1859, Baltimore had one of the highest populations of free African Americans in the United States, many of whom were employed as laborers. African Americans were traditionally hired for the most labor-intensive jobs, such as trackmen, brakemen, and firemen. Depending more on immigrant labor during the 19th century, northern railroads did not hire many African Americans until World War I. Encountering violent racism in the north as they competed for jobs, African Americans were refused membership in the traditional railroad brotherhoods and unions. One of the first African-American railroad labor unions was the Association of Colored Railway Trainmen and Locomotive Firemen, formed in 1912. Most African-American railroad workers in the first half of the 20th century worked in unskilled labor and service jobs. Although many moved into the skilled trades, by 1966 only 2.5 percent of African-American railroaders were employed in "white collar" jobs. In the 1870s, northern industrialist George Mortimer Pullman recruited recently freed slaves as porters in order to provide the utmost service on his new sleeping cars. Considered admirable careers within the African-American community, men received higher wages as porters than other available jobs. By the 1920s, Pullman was the largest private employer of African Americans. Nevertheless the career was rooted in slavery and perpetuated negative stereotypes of African Americans. The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Maids was established by A. Philip Randolph in 1925 and successfully lobbied for greater economic opportunities and equality.
7. BORRY_140309_141.JPG: Pullman Troop Sleeper No. 7437 During World War II, railroads quickly experienced a shortage of available coaches and sleeping cars as they moved an average of one million military personnel per month. In order to accommodate traffic, the federal government ordered durable troop sleepers from the Pullman Manufacturing Company. After the war, troop sleepers were sold to railroads and converted into such things as baggage cars, cabooses, and refrigerator car. The No. 7437 was abandoned in New York until the Western Maryland Railway purchased it in 1947 for maintenance of way service. It eventually operated as part of the Chessie system and retired in 1988.
8. BORRY_140309_155.JPG: Railroad Troop Movement in World War II Troop Sleeper No. 7437 World War II put a tremendous strain on American railroads. In order to successfully wage war against the Axis Powers, the United States needed to move its troops, military supplies and other resources quickly. The railroads assumed the burden of mobilization in addition to its regular passenger and freight traffic. Regular passenger trains quickly became overcrowded as men leaving for war packed into coaches and sleeping cars with civilians. Initially, American railroads used spare heavyweight Pullman tourist sleeper cars to haul military personnel, but the traffic demands necessitated even more rolling stock. The United States' Defense Plant Corporation ordered 2,400 standard troop sleepers between 1943 and 1946 from the Pullman Company. Owned by the government but operated and maintained by Pullman, these cars were designed and built as rapidly and economically as possible. Troop trains moved a million men each month. Most moved through the nation from military bases to points of departure under relative secrecy, and at times the troops did not know of their location. Many military personnel who rode on troop sleepers contend the name was inaccurate: sleep, they claimed, was nearly impossible. A combination of freight and passenger car design, the trucks on troop sleepers produced a rough ride. Troop sleepers contained 30 bunks, each with two wooden coat hangers and a rifle rack. The upper bunk was fixed into position, but the middle and lower bunks could form a seat for daytime travel. Each car was equipped with four sinks, two separately enclosed toilets, two chemical fire extinguishers, and a first aid package. A water cooler was located at one end with a water supply of 150 gallons. Despite the rough ride and bare amenities, each troop sleeper was outfitted with a Pullman porter to change the linens every night and assist troops during their travel. Declared surplus after the war, troop sleepers were sold to used-equipment dealers who recognized the potential of their use for other purposes. With various modifications, the veteran troop sleepers became express/baggage, caboose, refrigerator, work train, storage, and power cars. The troop sleeper on display at the B&O Railroad Museum was restored following its donation in 1988. It serves as a reminder of the service rendered by the millions who traveled so many miles from coast to coast on their way to war in places around the globe.
9. BORRY_140309_163.JPG: The B&O In World War II: The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and its employees played an integral part in the World War II effort at home and abroad. In 1941, the B&O employed 47,000 men and women. By the end of the World War II, over 17,000 had left their jobs to serve the United States military. Responding to a request from the federal government, the B&O established the Military Railway Unit, 708th Headquarters, Railway Grand Division, and provided numerous experienced railroaders for military service. By the end of the war 201 B&O employees lost their lives, two of whom earned the nation's highest military award: the Congressional Medal of Honor. All of the nation's railroads, including the B&O, experienced a dramatic increase in freight and passenger traffic during the war years. In order to help the B&O and other railroads cope with an increase in demand and a shortage of labor, many workers pushed back or returned from retirement. The B&O also hired women to work in what were typically considered male occupations in shops, along tracks, on trains, and in offices. From January to August 1943, the B&O recruited 450 female high school graduates to work in their offices. In addition, the B&O collaborated with the U.S. and Mexican governments to temporarily hire over 2,800 Mexican nationals. In addition to their efforts moving troops and military supplies, B&O employees supported the war effort in many ways. Railroad employees participated in war bond drives. In 1944, over 4,400 employees authorized personal payroll deductions and by the end of the conflict they had purchased nearly $1,300,000 in war bonds. The B&O Agricultural Development Department encouraged workers and their families to plant "Victory Gardens" along the right-of-way. Two B&O Mt. Clare Shops employees invented "boxcar tankers" which consisted of four steel-lined wooden tanks inside a boxcar. These makeshift specialty cars could carry 2,200 more gallons of oil than standard tankers. The B&O also hauled ship building materials to the Bethlehem-Fairfield shipyard in Baltimore where Liberty ships like the Daniel Willard (named after the late B&O President) were manufactured. In his August 1945 victory message, B&O President Roy B. White announced to the men and women of the B&O: The most important material factor in our hard-earned victory has been the industrial power of the United States. Production of ships, planes, guns, tanks, and other implements of war mounted with incredible speed and volume, turned the tide of battle, and saved thousands of lives and much potential suffering. Fundamental in this production job has been the services of the American railroads. Nine-tenths of all the war freight shipments and nearly all the troop movements have been made by rail… The Baltimore & Ohio has played its full part in the doing of this job, and I am grateful for what you, as individuals, have done to make this fine record and I share your pride in it.
10. BORRY_140309_175.JPG: Sgr. Johnnie Squires first B&O Man to Receive Congressional Medal of Honor Nation's Highest Award Posthumously Given
11. BORRY_140309_194.JPG: Measuring Power: C&O & B&O: The DM-1 holds the distinction of recording the highest horsepower output ever recorded by an American-built steam locomotive. This occurred on August 6, 1943 when the C&O's Allegheny No. 1608 2-6-6-6 registered nearly 7,500 drawbar horsepower in testing. At the time of the test, it was hauling 14,075 tons of freight. The DM-1 was in regular service until the early 1960s, and used in a limited capacity into the 1970s. In 1979, the DM-1 became part of the permanent historic collection at the B&O Railroad Museum. The B&O Railroad was conducted dynamometer tests and early tests proved that steam engines had more pulling power than the early diesel engines. The B&O Boxcab Diesel No. 50. The dynamometer showed "Lady Baltimore" developed an actual cylinder horse power of 1767 at 72 miles per hour, and an actual drawbar horse power of 1485 at 72 miles per hour. Similar tests of B&O Boxcab diesel No. 50, an 1800 horse power diesel-electric locomotive, when full 1800 horse power was being developed by the engines at 72 miles per hour, there was available a drawbar horse power of 1173.
12. BORRY_140309_275.JPG: B&O No. 908 "John T. Collison" Railroads built office cars for officials, directors, stockholders, and other wealthy patrons as early as the 1840s. Used for right-of-way inspection trips and other business travel, these rolling offices provided an observation platform, lounge/office space, bedrooms with wash areas, dining room, and kitchen. Generally, officials traveled with a male secretary and small service crew. Originally a wooden office car, the B&O No. 908 received a steel underframe and sheathing in 1926. It was assigned to various B&O officials, including Chief Engineer (and later President) John T. Collinson. Private and office cars were frequently called "mansions on rails" because of their extravagant amenities. Many politicians, like Herbert Hoover, traveled the nation on their private office cars.
13. BORRY_140309_298.JPG: Working for the Railroad: Women Prior to World War I, a small percentage of women worked for railroad companies as maids, car cleaners, and telegraph operators. The B&O hired its first women as car cleaners in 1855. As men left to fight overseas in the world wars however, the nation's railroads called upon the service of female labor. Usually young and single, women filled many positions including track workers, yard workers, machinists, station agents, train operators, telephone operators, statisticians, lawyers, yard police, clerks, designers, and engineers. The number of female laborers decreased as men returned from war, but many nevertheless continued their employment as "white collar" workers in the offices and as stewardesses.
14. BORRY_140309_301.JPG: Gandy Dancers: Groups of laborers called "section gangs" maintained track and the right of way for railroads. Their duties consisted of maintaining railroads bed and aligning rail to ensure the proper gauge and elevation. Other tasks included track inspection, rail replacement and vegetation control. Immigrants and African-Americans were often employed by the railroad for this labor intensive activity. Railroads often hired female laborers when men were away at war. These laborers became known as "gandy dancers" in the early 20th century. The origins of the term remain unknown. Journalist Freeman Hubbard wrote in 1945 that the term derived from the use of tools made by the Gandy Manufacturing Co. of Chicago, Illinois, although no evidence has been found that the company existed. "Gandy dancers" chanted songs in order to work in unison, especially when driving spikes. The rhythmic combination of song and movement resembled dancing.
15. BORRY_140309_304.JPG: Working for the Railroad: Immigrants Many of the nation's original railroads were built using immigrant labor. Between 1830 and 1870, immigrants entering the United States were predominantly from northern and eastern Europe. Typically, ethnic groups settled in the same areas of the nation. Therefore railroads in different geographic locations relied on specific ethnic labor groups. For example, the northeastern railroads usually employed Irish immigrants, Germans mainly worked for midwestern railroads, and Chinese immigrants made up a large part of the western railroad labor force. Not only did these first generation ethnic labor groups have to endure strenuous work, they were also victims of discrimination, stereotyping, and abuse. Unlike their African-American counterparts in the South, however, many second or third generation immigrants were afforded opportunities in skilled labor as well as clerical, engineering, and management positions for the railroads.
Wikipedia Description: B&O Railroad Museum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The B&O Railroad Museum is a museum exhibiting historic railroad equipment in Baltimore, Maryland, originally named the Baltimore & Ohio Transportation Museum when it opened on July 4, 1953. It has been called one of the most significant collections of railroad treasures in the world and has the largest collection of 19th-century locomotives in the U.S. The museum is located in the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's old Mount Clare Station and adjacent roundhouse, part of the B&O's sprawling Mount Clare Shops site begun in 1829, the oldest railroad manufacturing complex in the United States.

Mount Clare is considered to be a birthplace of American railroading, as the site of the first regular railroad passenger service in the U.S., beginning on May 22, 1830. It was also to this site that the first telegraph message, "What hath God wrought[disambiguation needed]?" was sent on May 24, 1844, from Washington, D.C., using Samuel F. B. Morse's invention.

The museum houses collections of 19th- and 20th-century artifacts related to America's railroads. The collection includes 250 pieces of railroad rolling stock, 15,000 artifacts, 5,000 cubic feet (140 m3) of archival material, four significant 19th-century buildings, including the historic roundhouse, and a mile of track, considered the most historic mile of railroad track in the United States. Train rides are offered on the mile of track on Wednesday through Sunday from April through December and weekends in January. In 2002, the museum had 160,000 visitors annually.

The museum also features an outdoor G-scale layout, an indoor HO scale model, and a wooden model train that children will enjoy climbing on. From Thanksgiving through the New Year, local model railroad groups set up large layouts on the roundhouse floor and in select locations on the grounds of the museum. A museum store offers toys, books, DVDs and other railroad-related items.

The museum and station were designated as a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1961. In 2008, the Museum won three awards in Nickelodeon's Parents' Picks Awards in the categories of: Best Museum for Little Kids, Best Indoor Playspace for Little Kids, and Best Indoor Playspace for Big Kids. Television and film actor Michael Gross is the museum's "celebrity spokesman".

History:

The inaugural horse-drawn B&O train travelled the 13 miles (21 km) of the newly completed track from Mount Clare to Ellicott Mills (now Ellicott City, Maryland), on May 22, 1830, the first regular railroad passenger service in the U.S. The existing Mount Clare station brick structure was constructed in 1851. The adjacent roundhouse designed by Ephraim Francis Baldwin was built in 1884 to service the B&O's passenger cars.

For much of its history, the B&O had been collecting locomotives and other artifacts from its history for public relations purposes. This collection was stored in various places, until the railroad decided to centralize it in a permanent home. The car shop of the Mt. Clare Shops was chosen, and the new museum opened on July 4, 1953.

The museum ended up outliving its parent B&O Railroad, and was kept intact by both the Chessie System and CSX Transportation. In 1990, CSX deeded the property and collection to the newly formed, not-for-profit museum organization. In 1999, the museum became affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution.

In the early morning of February 17, 2003, heavy snow from the Presidents' Day Storm collapsed half of the roof of the museum's roundhouse. Although the structure's central support columns remained standing, the supporting iron struts and ties of the destroyed roofing sections failed under the snow load. The museum suffered heavy damage not only to the roundhouse itself but also to the collection within the roundhouse. Some of the items were damaged beyond repair. Reporting on the devastation the following day, The Baltimore Sun said, "...hours after the collapse, columns of mangled steel stuck out from the roundhouse ... Locomotives and passenger cars in the museum's collection, some dating from the 1830s, could be seen covered with snow and debris." The roundhouse, with a newly repaired roof, reopened to the public on November 13, 2004. Repairs are ongoing to the damaged exhibits.

Within the roundhouse three locomotives (including the Thatcher Perkins) that were damaged by the roof collapse remain on display, albeit behind protective glass. The roof collapse, subsequent fund raising and the restoration allowed the museum to upgrade many of its facilities. In 2005 the museum opened a new service facility west of the roundhouse for restoration of historical equipment and maintenance of active equipment.
Bigger photos? To save server space, the full-sized versions of these images have either not been loaded to the server or have been removed from the server. (Only some pages are loaded with full-sized images and those usually get removed after three months.) I still have them though. If you want me to email them to you, please send an email to guthrie.bruce@gmail.com and I can email them to you, or, depending on the number of images, just repost the page again will the full-sized images.
Connection Not Secure messages? Those warnings you get from your browser about this site not having secure connections worry some people. This means this site does not have SSL installed (the link is http:, not https:). That's bad if you're entering credit card numbers, passwords, or other personal information. But this site doesn't collect any personal information so SSL is not necessary. Life's good!
Photo Contact: [Email Bruce Guthrie].