B&O R/R Museum: Birthplace of American railroading
I toured Saturday the B&O Railroad Museum in Southwest Baltimore, at 901 W. Pratt Street, just a few blocks west of the Martin Luther King Blvd.
It’s a 40-acre campus, including a Roundhouse, which is steeped in the history of our city, state and country. It is rightly labeled, “The Birthplace of American Railroading.”
As the fates would have it, I have some ties to this space. By way of full disclosure. I worked here in my salad days, when it was known as Mt. Claire Station. I was an electrican apprentice back in the late 50s. I also put in a few days at the B&O R/R’s Riverside roundhouse, then located just off of Fort Avenue, near the Key Highway. Things didn’t work out for me in that trade, but I sure did appreciate the experience.
One of my first acting gigs, too, was in a documentary film for the Museum in the 90s. I played one of the founders of the railroad – the Hon. George Brown. Charles Carroll of Carrollton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was also one of its founders.
A photo of the Civil War train that carried the body of our murdered President, Abraham Lincoln, from Washington, D.C., to his final resting place in Springfield, Illinois, is on display here. The museum, according to its curator, also contains more train-related artifacts from the Civil War period than “any museum in the world.”
Another national treasure, the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., now has close ties to the Museum. The Irish Shrine at Lemmon Street is also affiliated with it. The latter, only a few blocks north, features the homes of some of the Irish immigrants who worked back in the mid-19th century on the B&O R/R.
Plenty of things are here for the kids to enjoy, including taking a ride on one of the old steam-driven trains. I did it and it’s a lot of fun. The Museum is also the home of “Tom Thumb!” – the first American steam locomotive to operate on a common carrier railroad.
Finally, snacks and soft drinks are available on the grounds. There are films to watch, and you can even take a “virtual tour.” Check out the museum shop, too, while you are there. To learn more details, go to: http://www.borail.org/default.aspx
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Bill Hughes is an attorney, author, actor and photographer. His latest book is “Byline Baltimore.” It can be found at: https://www.amazon.com/William-Hughes/e/B00N7MGPXO/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1