The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Linking Thirteen Great States With The Nation

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, “Linking 13 Great States With The Nation.” This was the B&O's slogan for much of its existence and something which it held to for its entire life. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, commonly known as the B&O, holds the distinction of being this country’s very first common-carrier railroad (meaning a railroad chartered specifically for public use) being officially incorporated and organized on April 24th, 1827. – Just as a side-note the B&O was not the first railroad actually chartered in this country, that distinction goes to the Mohawk & Hudson Railroad which was created a year earlier in 1826.

Two B&O E8As, with #1449 shown, sit at the Ivy City engine terminal in Washington, D.C. on April 19, 1970.

By being this country’s first common carrier the railroad was instrumental in helping to build and grow not only our economy but also the country itself when the “west” meant the Ohio River. While never a wealthy railroad throughout its existence (when compared to the likes of its much larger and powerful northern competitors, the Pennsylvania [PRR] and New York Central [NYC] Railroads) its legacy will forever be remembered as a survivor and that it put customer service above all else. When the company’s name and existence finally came to an end on April 30th, 1987 it had just celebrated its 160th birthday and witnessed the industry grow from nothing more than few scattered systems to a rail network consisting of tens of thousands of miles linking the country from coast to coast (it also outlived its wealthier northern competitors by over a decade).

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was mostly created out of a great need by the city of Baltimore to compete with the creation of the Erie Canal which connected New York City with the Port of Albany at Buffalo and Philadelphia’s plan to build a similar transportation system to the City of Pittsburgh on the western side of the state of Pennsylvania. Out of this need the B&O came into existence, being originally chartered on February 28th, 1827 and officially incorporated and organized on April 24th, 1827.

By the Fourth of July that same year construction of the railroad began with the plan to link the B&O to the Ohio River (thus this is where the company inherited its official name). Reaching the Ohio River would be a very difficult task being that the Alleghenies lay in the way and political barriers restricted the company from taking an easier route through Pennsylvania (a route that the PRR would later take advantage of when that railroad was chartered by its namesake state, thus a main reason why it would forever have a superior advantage to the B&O).

However, by 1842 the railroad had reached Cumberland, Maryland (throughout the railroad’s existence the city would be a major division point on the railroad) and ten years later in 1852 it had reached the City of Wheeling, Virginia (later West Virginia) along the Ohio River.

At Grafton the Baltimore and Ohio began building west again and through a series of mergers and acquisitions the railroad had reached St. Louis by 1857 via Cincinnati, Ohio and Parkersburg, Virginia, thus linking eastern markets with the Mississippi River, and by 1874 the company had reached Chicago. At the B&O’s peak the railroad served the markets of New York City, Philadelphia (although always at a disadvantage to the PRR and NYC which it later conceded these two markets in the 1950s), Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Buffalo, Detroit, and St. Louis.

A Baltimore & Ohio work train led by Class B-8 4-6-0 Ten-Wheeler #1355 makes its way through Belpre, Ohio circa 1950.

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was always the underdog in an eastern market dominated by the PRR and NYC. The company also had an on-and-off struggle of remaining independent as it once went into receivership in 1896 and later ownership by the PRR. However, throughout all of this it steadfastly remained independent.

Despite its marginal financial situation the Baltimore and Ohio holds many “firsts.” It was quick to adopt the more efficient mode of diesel power in 1930s, and was the first to include air-conditioning in its passenger fleet. Other accomplishments include one of the fist railroads to use electric locomotives (through its Howard Street tunnel in Baltimore, the locomotives were developed by General Electric), streamlining its passenger trains to make them more appealing and including dome passenger cars in the eastern U.S.

The B&O’s financial situation would, however, catch up with it finally in the late 1950s during a recession that saw the company in a serious situation facing bankruptcy by the early 1960s. Perhaps as a blessing to the company (to find a means of survival through merger) the modern merger movement of today began all the way back in the 1950s when the Norfolk & Western Railway purchased the Virginian Railway, a coal hauler, which stretched from southern Virginia ports to the coalfields of southern West Virginia. During this time the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway (C&O) took an interest in the company and would later win a battle with the NYC for controlling interest in the Baltimore and Ohio.

B&O GP40 #3770 and Chessie System/B&O GP40-2 #4205 muscle an eastbound pig train over the summit at Sand Patch, Pennsylvania on September 21, 1980. The concrete marker in the foreground denotes the mountain's height, 2,258 feet.

The Baltimore and Ohio, however, was to suffer a better fate than the NYC and PRR, who would merge in the late 1960s to form the ill-fated Penn Central Corporation. The C&O, for several reasons, chose to leave the B&O almost entirely independent, only gradually merging the operational aspects of both companies. This finally changed in 1972 when the companies, which by then included B&O-subsidiary Western Maryland Railway, formed a new holding company called the Chessie System (which will forever be remembered for its brilliant yellow, blue, and vermilion paint scheme that featured the Chess-“C” silhouetting the C&O's famous Chessie the kitten napping on her pillow). The Chessie System, by far one of the best-loved railroads by railfans because of its dazzling livery, lasted only a short eight years before merging with Seaboard Coast Line Industries (which was a holding company for a number of southeastern railroads including the Seaboard Coast Line and Louisville & Nashville) in 1980 to form CSX Corporation (CSX Transportation as we know it today came into existence in 1987 when all railroads were finally merged into it).

The creation of CSX, however, entered the Baltimore and Ohio into its last of many long storied chapters. By now the company was merely a “paper” railroad (remaining in existence partly because of a tax exemption it retained in its home state of Maryland) and would be gone in only seven more years, being merged into CSX on April 30th, 1987 (the WM was merged just prior to this and the C&O followed that May).

The 1980s were not a good time for the B&O. Not only was the railroad merged out existence during the decade but also CSX, in a short lapse of vision, abandoned the company’s St. Louis main line, which extended from that point, east, to Baltimore. When the intermodal revolution began to gain momentum just after the 1985 abandonment, CSX was left without a market to move containers competitively until its acquisition of Conrail in 1999.

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Diesel Locomotive Roster

For a more complete Baltimore and Ohio diesel locomotive roster please click here. Also, for an excellent listing of EMD locomotives, including those owned by the B&O please click here. Lastly, for a list of preserved B&O diesel locomotives please click here.

The American Locomotive Company

The Baldwin Locomotive Works/Lima Locomotive Works

A short B&O passenger train powered by Class P-1 4-6-2 Pacific #5052 rolls southbound out of Benwood, West Virginia circa 1930s.

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Steam Locomotive Roster

For a more complete roster of B&O steam locomotives please click here. Also, for information regarding surviving B&O steam locomotives please click here.

B&O Class Q-3 2-8-2 Mikado #4561 takes a spin on the turntable at Chillicothe, Ohio circa 1950.

Notable Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Passenger Trains

Capitol Limited

Cincinnatian

National Limited

Royal Blue

Abraham Lincoln

Ambassador: (Baltimore - Detroit)

Columbian: (Washington - Chicago)

Diplomat: (Jersey City - Washington - St. Louis)

Metropolitan Special: (Washington - St. Louis)

Shenandoah: (Jersey City - Washington - Chicago)

B&O GP38s #3837 and #4811 head up a southbound freight out of Buffalo, New York on July 27, 1985. Note Buffalo Central Terminal off in the distance to the right of the photo.

Perhaps Mike Schafer said it best, although the Baltimore and Ohio was never a healthy and extremely profitable railroad it will forever be remembered for “its pioneer spirit, determination in the face of adversity, innovative technology, superior service, courteous employees, and aesthetic equipment,” which made it beloved by so many throughout the years. For more information about the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad please click here to visit the B&O Railroad Historical Society's website.

Also, for more reading and history about the B&O consider the book, Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, written by Kirk Reynolds and David Oroszi. While there are several more excellent books with superb illustrations out there covering different aspects of the B&O this publication includes a fine general history of the railroad with wonderful historical photos (many in color). If you're interested in perhaps purchasing this book please visit the link below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.