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The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Historical Society is dedicated to the preservation of and education about the history of America's first Common Carrier Railroad, the Baltimore and Ohio. The Society has over 1,500 members all over the world across a variety of railroad interests from modeling to research to preservation.
Throughout its 180 plus years, the B&O Railroad enjoyed a rich and varied corporate life. It was America's first common carrier railroad and survived to become one of the world's oldest railroad companies. This was made possible through a combination of skill, foresight, and ingenuity. Along the way, the B&O acquired a secure place in the cultural and economic history of the United States. In 1963, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway officially took control of the B&O, beginning what was to become the Chessie System. Formal merger of the two railroads began in 1971, with the Western Maryland Railway being merged into the Chessie System in 1973. In 1980, the Chessie System merged with the Family Lines System to become the CSX Corporation.
The CSX Historical Society has some good history on the B&O. Here is a link to their site that should prove quite interesting. There are some additional excellent sites that provide a broad history of the B&O that are located in the Railroad Sites link on the right side of our Home Page
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Historical Society exists to help assemble, interpret, and share the history of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The B&O, like railroading everywhere, touched virtually all areas of American life. This diversity is reflected in the Society: members' interest range from motive power and railroad architecture to modeling and artifact collecting. Most importantly, the Society provides a forum for the exchange of information and news, the publication of original research, and for members to simply get to know each other. The fellowship of common interest and the opportunities for mutual assistance are two of the Society's greatest assets. Through the Society, members may participate in various field trips, research projects, equipment restorations, and locally sponsored get-togethers. Each year, the Society holds an Annual Convention, with facility tours, workshops, photo and models shows, displays, and an Annual Membership Meeting and Banquet. Additionally, two regional mini-conferences are held annually, one in the Maryland/West Virginia area, and a second in Ohio. The purpose of these mini-conferences is to bring together fans to conduct workshops, listen to presentations by noted B&O historians, and just generally discuss the B&O. The links at the right under the heading Upcoming Events provides a list of some of the future events the Society is involved in.
The Society maintains a formal archive function and maintains a small warehouse full of documentation from the Office of the Vice President of Operations and Engineering, B&O Railroad. We are also the custodians of several thousand photographs and blueprints, maps, and drawings. Since 1979, the Society has published a quarterly magazine, The Sentinel, dedicated to the recurring publication of articles and news items of historical significance and interest to the B&O fan. Other publications include reprints of the multitude of B&O documents that have been saved throughout the years; the Society also produces an outstanding calendar each year. The Society also produces a publication The B&O Modeler which is dedicated to modeling B&O equipment and structures.
From time to time, while performing research for an article for our quarterly magazine, The Sentinel, or other publications, useful but little known information is found that while not used in the document to be published, is of significant value that it should be shared with those interested in the history of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. This area of our web site contains this type of information. Here is some little known but interesting facts. Check back periodically. This list will grow.
A table produced by Frank Dewey and Ed Young showing railcar production and refurbishment at the B&O's Washington, Indiana, shops after 1940This page was last modified on: