On the rails again: The Amtrak Experience (8): Great American Journey by train

Northeastern Regional 143 from Philadelphia to Baltimore

The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad was the first operating railway in the United States. It opened with the idea of Baltimore businessmen to promote their port on Chesapeake Bay with inland traffic via a railway link to Wheeling on the Ohio river. From there freight and passengers could be transported further by riverboat.

Arrival of a northeastern regional in Baltimore

The B&O is noted for its pioneering innovations in railroading. In 1827 it built the Carollton Viaduct, a stone bridge across the Gwynn falls, which is still in use today. It was the first U.S. railroad to operate a steam locomotive, in 1829 it was the first company to operate a locomotive, Tom Thumb, built in America. In the same year its Mount Clare station in Baltimore was the first passenger and freight station in the US and on May 23rd, 1830, the B & O was the first railway publishing a timetable. In 1895 it was the first in the US to operate an electric locomotive through its Howard street tunnel in Baltimore.

A Maryland rapid transit train in Baltimore Penn station

In 1927 the B & O celebrated their 100 years anniversary. For that occasion they rebuilt a number of their early locomotives and preserved and renovated others. Already in 1953 the B & O railway opened a museum in their Mount Clare workshop. Therefore when the time of steam engines came to an end, many artifacts were preserved which ended up at the scrapper at other American Railway Companies. The museum owns one of the most significant collections of railroad treasures in the world and has the largest collection of 19th-century locomotives in the US. Any trip on US rails would not be complete without a visit to that museum.

Suburbia between Philadelphia and Wilmington

Northeast Regional 143 leaves Philadelphia on time at 11.20 am. It is only a trip of 75 minutes from Philadelphia to Baltimore. On the way the train stops only in Wilmington, Delaware, at the end of the Delaware bay, a place hat looks dreadful from my train window.

Wilmington, Delaware

Most of what I see along the line is suburbia. However, between Wilmington and Baltimore the track crosses several estuaries on long dams or bridges. These are the mouths of the Susquehanna river, the Bush river and the Gundpowder river. These are all tributary of the enormous Chesapeake Bay. The Bay is more than 300 km long from the mouth of the Susquehanna river to the opening to the sea between Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Newport News.

Bridges across the tributaries of Chesapeake Bay

The route between (New York), Philadelphia and Washington was served both by the Baltimore & Ohio and the Pennsylvania Railroad. For through traffic between Washington and New York the Baltimore and Ohio had to rely on the cooperation with other railroads between Philadelphia and New York while the Pennsylvania Railroad had its own right of way between Penn station in New York and Union Station in Washington DC.

B & O's former Mount Royal station

The B & O’s tracks went originally through downtown Baltimore and the streets of Fell’s Point. End of the 19th century a completely new belt line was built to avoid the route through downtown. It involved the building of a tunnel under Howard street and a new station at the upper end of the tunnel. The new tunnel and Mount Royal station were opened in 1896. Since the tunnel had a steep grade it was electrified. It was the first electrified railway in the US.

Access to the station

Baltimore’s B & O Mount Royal station supposedly was the most luxurious station in the US only to be used by a single railroad. It had open fireplaces in the waiting rooms and visitors compared it to a mountain lodge rather than a station.

The train hall with a freight train thundering through

With the end of passenger service of the B & O the station was closed. It now houses the Maryland College of Art. However, trains still run through the train hall between the tunnel mouths behind the station. The howl of the enormous freight trains passing though the station hall and in the tunnel under the city can be heard from far away. I wanted to take a picture of the southern entrance to the hall but the spot was occupied by a homeless who has set up his tent in the vegetation outside the fence. Hearing his noises I thought it better to not bother him.

A homeless has set up his tent above the mouth of Howard street tunnel at Mount Royal station

Amtrak uses the former route of the Pennsylvania Railroad and stops in Baltimore Penn station, which is not far from the B & O’s former Mount Royal station. It was built in Beaux-Arts style in 1911. The main concourse features a balcony and a stained glass ceiling. The wooden benches are decorated and carry brass chandelier, which are unfortunately hidden under the long overdue christmas decoration. Likewise the beautiful tiled reliefs are partially hidden behind the garbage bins. At least they did not suspend even more christmas garbage on the wall chandeliers.

Baltimore Penn station

Next to the entrance to platforms is a shoe-shine stand. I haven’t seen anybody busy there but the reason might be that I arrived and left on holidays.

Shoeshine and tiles in Penn station

There are plans of redevelopment and the construction of a new station due west of the old one. Of course this can only be financed by including a shopping mall. The new station has to be bigger to offer enough space for the expected increase of travelers. At the moment the station hall is perfectly sufficient for the number of users. I hope it stays like that.

Stained glass ceiling in Penn station

Northeast Regional 143 arrives on time. I step out of the station hall into the sunshine of a 1st of January winter morning. The station square is adorned by the enormous sculpture Male/Female by Jonathan Borofsky. It definitely spoils the view of the beautiful old art-deco station. Its brutal ugliness is made even more provocative by the graceful art-deco chandeliers which decorate the station square and the first block of Charles street, the main thoroughfare into downtown Baltimore.

Access to the platforms

Baltimore has a reputation of being rough. In 2021 it has surpassed Detroit as the deadliest large US city. Among cities with populations of 500,000 or more people, it had the highest per-capita murder and robbery rate. However, while I walk to my hotel I don’t see a soul in the streets. Later, after nightfall, a black man walks past me: “Hey buddy, how are you doing? How is your vacation?”. I guess he had seen my camera. After my reply he warns me to be careful. With a “God bless you” he disappears in a Deli.

Police observation post in Baltimore

Like in Philadelphia, the different neighborhoods and sights are well indicated as signed posts at every street corner in the center. There are also a cultural walk and a heritage walk which leads along the different sights and neighborhoods.

Washington monument and statue of Lafayette

What is even better: Baltimore has a free bus network, the circulator. Five different buslines go in all directions to the different, even out-lying sights. This free bus competes with the Maryland transport authority’s regular bus lines requiring the payment of a fare and the bus service offered by the John Hopkins University and the University of Maryland. In addition, Baltimore has preserved one street car line which links Howard street with a couple of suburbs and Baltimore Washington airport. The circulator buses are well used, not the least by the homeless to warm up.

View down Charles Street

There were times when Baltimore was one of the most important cities on the US East coast. At times it passed neighboring Philadelphia in wealth and number of inhabitants. Like in Philadelphia this can be seen by the number of enormous art-deco business and hotel buildings in downtown.

Many of the big buildings are redeveloped and now house apartments. However, a lot look neglected and some are boarded up or even in ruin.

B & O building in Baltimore

For 75 years the B & O building built in 1904-1906 was the headquarters of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. Its impressive exterior and interior art-deco ornaments show the wealth of the railroads at that time. The building's entrance is adorned by the sculptures of Mercury, the Roman god for commerce, and a figure named Progress of Industry, which holds a torch and a locomotive.

Mercury and Progress

The inside is clad in marble from 7 different countries on three different continents. The elevators have beautiful clock like indicators for the floors. Tiffany has provided stained glass windows and the artificial light comes from art-deco chandeliers.

Entrance hall and elevators

Today it houses a hotel and also an American Brasserie. Since it carries the name B & O i supposed that its decoration has a railway theme. I go there for dinner but the interior is disappointing. They have stripped all the original ornaments and turned the space into a black hole. The main decoration are television screens which are indispensable in any US establishment. They usually show sport events where androidic males struggle with each other. However, service is excellent and there is a good selection of beer and food.

The B & O restaurant

The same company has built the Belvedere hotel in 1902. For a long time it was the premier hotel. End of the century it was converted into condominiums but the grand ball room and the observation level restaurant are still used for events.

Entrance to former Belvedere hotel

The highest building of the period in Baltimore was the 16 story Continental Trust Company Building, two blocks away from the B & O building.

Continental Trust Company Building

The most attractive part of Baltimore is the area around the Washington monument. George Washington resides on an enormous column in the middle of cross-shaped square surrounded by stately buildings. There is the Peabody library, the Walters arts museum and various mansions. The parks in the arms of the cross are ornamented with various statues, for example of Lafayette and Peabody.

Howard street

Although this area called Mount Vernon square is the nicest of Baltimore there is nobody around. No pedestrians, not even the homeless and very few cars. That is the case in many of the streets in central Baltimore. In Howard street, which the city has labeled its “Arts district”, many of the buildings are boarded up and derelict. Homeless scream at each other across the street. The term “Arts” seems to refer to the graffiti on the boarded up buildings. However, there are some operating theaters in this area.

Tram passing one of the ruins in Howard street

The last remaining suburban railcar line also runs down Howard street. Baltimore also has a trolley and streetcar museum but unfortunately it is closed in winter.

One of the theaters

This sunday most people wile around in the port area. There is an ice skating rink and some of the shops and cafes are open.

USS Constellation

In the 1960’ies Mayor Theodore McKeldin started an ambitious redevelopment project of the inner harbor. It involved the rebuilding of a power station into an event location and hotel, and rebuilding of the public water works into a museum. A historic fire ship, a submarine, a coat guard ship and in particular the USS constellation are part of the maritime museum and remind of the role of Baltimore in the shipbuilding industry. The inner port also houses the National Aquarium, one of the biggest in the Americas.

Local variety of pedal boats

Today the pavilions around the inner harbor look outdated and are partially empty. A new redevelopment will take place in the future to replace the pavilion.

The rebuilt power plant reflected in the wall of the National Aquarium

The inner port also houses a tourist information. When I walk in I see a sign that they have a guided cultural city tour at 10.30. It is 10.37 and I ask whether I still might be able to join. It turns out that I am the only one who is interested today but Ira, a local Afro-American is friendly enough to do the tour also for only one guest. The tour is by bus. For 90 minutes Ira drives me around the different neighborhoods of Baltimore, gives explanations and tells stories.

The former municipal works, now museum

This is how I come to the neighborhoods of Fell’s Point, Federal Hill, Locust Point, Jonestown and Little Italy. Before his tour returns to the visitor center I have to get out at Fort McHenry were I have to watch a movie. It tells the story of the siege of Baltimore in the war against the British in 1814. When Fort McHenry withstood the assault the perforated flag gave rise to the “star sprangled banner”, the national anthem of the USA. The screen rolls away to reveal the view of the fort, the anthem is played and a sign reminds you to stand up ….

Shot tower

Fort McHenry protected the entrance to the important inner port of Baltimore. To produce musket ammunition so called shot towers were used. The Phoenix shot tower in Jonestown was built in 1828. Molten lead was dropped through a sieve from a platform at the top of the tower into cold water at the bottom to produce "drop shot". After hardening, drying and polishing the ammunition was packed into 25-pound bags. 100,000 bags could be produced every year. The tower was used until 1892.

Fells point

Closeby Fells Point is the former waterside shipbuilding neighborhood of Baltimore. With its cobbled streets where many of the rails of the port railway and streetcars are preserved it seems to be unchanged since many years. The warehouses and piers have been converted to hotels and apartments. Many of the old buildings house restaurants and pubs.

Docks in Fells point

One of the pubs is the “the horse I came in on” Saloon. It was here that Edgar Allen Poe had his last drink on October 3rd 1849.

“the horse I came in on” Saloon

Edgar Allan Poe probably was Baltimore’s most famous inhabitant. Born in Boston on January 19th, 1809, he first appeared in Baltimore in 1829. Here he stayed with his aunt, Maria Clemm, a poor widow, her daughter Virginia Clemm, his brother Henry, and his invalid grandmother Elizabeth Cairnes Poe. After first living in Fell’s point, they moved to this little house, which now is surrounded by boarded up and desolate property, but at the time was surrounded by countryside and pastureland. A number of tales were presumably written in this house, including the gruesome "Berenice".

The house of the Poe family

After some time in Virginia Poe returned to Baltimore and to his relatives in March 1831. In August of the same year his elder brother Henry died from alcoholism. Poe left again.

Abandoned housing around the Poe house

After several year of absence Poe returned again to Baltimore in 1835. At the time he was 26 years old and determined to marry his cousin Virginia, who was 13. Shortly afterwards Poe left again for Virginia.

Edgar Allan Poe's original grave

He came back in 1849. His wife Virginia meanwhile had died from TBC in 1847. Poe died in nearby Washington Medical College on Sunday, October 7, 1849, at 5:00 am after he was found semiconscious by Joseph W. Walker "in great distress, and... in need of immediate assistance". His last words were "Lord help my poor soul".

Memorial Vault for Edgar Allan Poe

There are a lot of theories around Poe’s death at the age of only 40. All of the medical records and his death certificate are lost. Poe's death was reported in the news as "congestion of the brain" or "cerebral inflammation", common euphemisms for death from disreputable causes such as alcoholism.

Lexington Market already existed on Poe's time

Poe was buried in the Westminster Burying Grounds in Baltimore at the corner of Fayette and Greene streets. Originally he had a rather simple grave in the back of the cemetery. It was later relocated to the front corner and decorated with a representative monument.

Little Italy

After New York Baltimore was the most important place of immigration along the American East coast. Around the corner from Fells Point the Italian immigrants settled in Little Italy. Although the houses do not appear very Italian there are lots of Italian pizza restaurants and the hydrants are painted in the colors of the Italian flag.

Little Italy

The first station of the B & O was in Mount Clare. From here the first railway was built to Ellicott's Mills around 20 km away. Mount Clare developed into one of the B & O’s major workshops. The museum was established in an 1888 roundhouse which in itself is an industrial monument.

The historic B & O roundhouse of 1888

On my first day in Baltimore I set off for the more than 2 km walk to the B & O. But disappointment was great: in spite of the information in Google and on the website the museum was closed on January 2nd for removal of the decorations installed for the Polar Express seasonal train rides. I greatly dislike christmas decorations in places where they do not belong and so I was kind of glad to come back the next day. After looking at the collection of more recent equipment installed as backdrop for the parking lot I left.

Exhibits inside the roundhouse

They were still not entirely finished with the removal of the decorations the next day. The 5 track car repair shop, where all the big engines are shown, was still half empty and the exhibits inaccessibly stalled somewhere outside. But I needed most of the day to see the rest and read all the information.

York

In the beginning the B & O operated their 13 mile line with little engines which got their steam from a vertical boiler. They were called “Grasshoppers” because of their moving pistons. The “York” was constructed by Phineas Davis, a watchmaker from York, Pennsylvania, and won a contest held by the B & O to look for suitable engines. It was the B&O's first regular operating steam engine. It weighed only three and a half tons but could pull four cars at a top speed of thirty miles per hour. Unfortunately, it was still too light for reliable service and was retired after one year. The engine displayed today is a reproduction built for the 100th anniversary celebration of the founding of the B&O called the Fair of the Iron Horse at the time.

Tom Thumb

At the time it was still under debate whether a steam engine or a horse would be more suitable to pull a rail car. Peter Cooper, a local inventor, designed the Tom Thumb, which soon got the nickname “teakettle”. To prove its value the engine's inaugural journey carried the directors of the B&O from Baltimore to Ellicott's Mills on August 28, 1830. As the rumor goes, the Tom Thumb came upon a horse-drawn car on a return trip and in the ensuing race the horse won because the Tom Thumb broke down. This still did not halt the victorious development of the steam engine.

Atlantic

By 1838, the B&O had fourteen grasshoppers and two crab-type engines, which had a different movement of the pistons. Each engine weighed around eight tons and could reach speeds of thirty miles per hour. One of them was the “Atlantic” built in 1833. Although it was scraped in 1836 it was later rebuilt by changing the “Andrew Jackson” completed at the Mt. Clare shops in 1836 to the appearance of the “Atlantic”. It worked for the B&O Railroad for nearly 60 years until 1893. Today, the 1892 reproduction of the No. 2 “Atlantic” on the basis of the “Andrew Jackson” of 1836 is one of the world’s oldest surviving steam locomotives,

John Hancock

The “John Hancock” built in 1836 was the first American locomotive equipped with a covered cab which increased the weight to 14.5 tons. It worked for the B&O until 1892.

Early double deck carriages

The B & O also had the primeur of using double deck passenger coaches. Although today the coaches look very inviting and scenic it must have been a torture to ride on them. In particular the passengers on the upper deck were exposed not only to the elements but also the soot and cinders of the engine.

Double deck as compared to Nova Scotia carriage

Consequently the open carriages were replaced by little two wheeled vehicles. This so called Nova Scotia coach was built around 1 838 by Timothy Hackworth of London and is one of only three coaches which survive of the 1830’ies in America. Also this coach was displayed at the Fair of the Iron Horse in 1927.

Lafayette

Eventually vertical boilers had their limits since the size could not be further increased. The B & O switched to engines with horizontal boilers with higher capacities. By 1837 the B&O purchased its first horizontal boiler engine from Norris in Pennsylvania and named it "Lafayette." Its nickname was "one-armed-Billy" for its single piston connecting to its only driving wheel and after its designer, William Norris. It entered service in 1837 and represents the first true passenger engine pulling small closed coaches with end platforms and center aisles on the newly opened line between Baltimore and Washington. However, already soon engines with a single driving axle of a wheel arrangement 4-2-0 were too light and replaced when the B&O received its first 4-4-0 locomotives with 2 driving axles in 1838. Since the last 4-2-0 disappeared around 1860, a replica of the "Lafayette" was built in 1927 for the Fair of the Iron Horse. Afterwards it appeared in movies like "Wells Fargo" (1937), "Stand up & Fight" (1939), "The Great Locomotive Chase" (1956) and Spielberg’s "Amistad" (1997).

Early hopper cars

One of the B & O ‘s most important sources of income was the transport of coal. Already in 1844 the railway started with the construction of so called steel pot hopper cars. While the first had one pot and could carry a load of 7 tons, these built in 1858-1885 had a capacity of 20 tons. At the time of the civil war the B&O's had 1,193 cars of this type in service.

Number 600

With their main line from Washington via Baltimore to Ohio the B & O was at the front line during the American civil war. For most of the time the trains continued running between confederate and Union territory. Operations were dangerous and at one point the B & O lost a big part of their material due to an attack of the confederate general Stonewall Jackson. At the same time the company made good business due to the increased need of transportation. The existence of railways also greatly influenced the outcome of the war. Union troops quickly learned about the advantage of displacing large amounts of material and soldiers from one theater of operation to another by train which eventually led to the Union’s victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg leading to the Union’s eventual success.

Muddigger Memnon

For these heavy transports across the grades of the Allegheny mountains the B & O needed powerful engines. In 1844 the B & O started to employ freight engines with four coupled axles: 0-8-0. The first earned the unfortunate designation "Muddiggers" because the driving cranks had a tendency to hit the ground as the locomotive moved. By the time "Memnon" # 57 was built in 1848 the problem had largely been solved. "Memnon" operated throughout the Civil War, carrying supplies, munitions, artillery and, occasionally, soldiers through the Alleghenies and into Virginia. Because of its reliable service to the Union army, # 57 earned the nickname "Old War Horse". It is one of less than five existing locomotives with documented service in the American Civil War.

Coach of 1868

This coach built immediately after the Civil War in 1868 represents those in daily use during

the war. It also demonstrates the fast progress compared to the coaches in beginning of railroad passenger traffic. These cars built of wood were relatively comfortable and afforded upholstered seats for 40-50 people. The kerosene lamps hanging from the ceiling and stoves at both ends were a source of comfort for the passengers but also a serious fire hazard during derailments.

Inside coach of 1868

The B & O also pioneered in building the first iron boxcars. Interesting enough the frame was still from wooden beams. Number 17001 is one out of only two existing from the time of the civil war.

1870 steel boxcar with wood frame

Cumberland Valley Railroad engine # 13 "Pioneer" of 1851 with the classification: 2-2-2 had only one driving axle and therefore was only suitable for very light trains. Nevertheless it was seriously damaged in 1862 when Confederate cavalry set fire to the Cumberland Valley Railroad's machine shops and roundhouse in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. After it underwent minimal repairs in 1871 it stayed in service until 1880. Fortunately, its historic value was realized and it was not scrapped.

It retains many of its original parts and nearly all of its original 1851 appearance.

Pioneer

Already in 1856 the single drive axle engines were replaced by stronger machines with two driving axles of the classification 4-4-0. Engine number 25 of 1862 pulled light freight and passenger trains out of Baltimore to points South and West during the Civil War. No. 25 was only retired in 1892 and prepared for display at the following year's Columbian Exposition.

# 25

For even more powerful engines not only the number of wheels but also the size of the firebox had to be increased to facilitate a bigger area for burning coal. This led to the eccentric and endemic american design of the camelback locomotive. Since there was no space for the cab of the driver besides the firebox it was placed high on the middle of the boiler. Eventually thousands of these locomotives were built. Only five survive. Only three are in a presentable state and two are owned by the B & O museum.

Camelback # 305

The engineer on these engines not only had extremely hot and uncomfortable working conditions because he sat directly above the boiler but he also faced only a slim chance of surviving a

derailment or broken driving rods. The fireman who was located on the tender had very little shelter to be protected from the weather and communication to the separate location engineer was difficult. Because of the dangers construction of these engines was forbidden after 1927. # 305 was built at B&O's Mt. Clare shops in Baltimore in 1869. It was retired in 1892.

Early electric engine 10

# 1 built for the traffic through the Howard Street tunnel was the first electric engine in the US. After the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad's success with electric locomotives operating on the Howard Street Tunnel in 1895, the railroad purchased a small electric switcher for its recently electrified, Fell's Point terminal in Baltimore. # CE-10 was a regular sight in Fell's Point throughout

its 45 years of service.

# 545

Built in 1888 # 545 was one of the "no-frills" work horses known as "Consolidations" for the daily work at the end of the 19th century. # 545 served until it was retired and preserved by the B&O in 1927 for the railroad's 100th anniversary celebration.

Atlantic Camelback 592 was able to run at 140 km/h

For their trains to New York the B & O had to use the right of way of the Reading Railroad and the Central New Jersey. For express trains the Reading designed the "Atlantic Camelback" in 1877. It had an extremely large firebox to burn anthracite coal. These engines also called "Mother Hubbard" or “Snapper" had oversized drivers which facilitated high speeds. Although their production was forbidden since 1927 some railroads continued to use them into the 1950s. Built in 1901 by ALCO, the No. 592 could reach speeds of up to 140 km/h pulling passenger trains between New York and Philadelphia.

Clinchfield # 1

"Old Number One," the Clinchfield Railroad No. 1 was originally built in 1882 as No. 423 by the Columbus, Chicago & Indiana Central Railway in Logansport, Indiana. It saw many owners until No. 1 found its way back to the Clinchfield Railroad in 1968 where it was used for passenger excursions after restoration until 1979.

C & O ALCO Hudson # 305

After the first world war railroads increasingly were faced with competition by automobiles and airlines. To make their passenger traffic more attractive they increased speed. Trains were streamlined to reduce air resistance. The design of these engines frequently was done by famous designers of the time such as Raymond Loewy or Jerome Deyfuss. ALCO L-1 Hudson 490 was built in 1926 as a "Pacific" but rebuilt in 1946 to become a streamlined 4-6-4 for the C&O's Chessie streamlined trains. As such it could reach a speed of more than 150 km/h. It is the only streamlined express steam engine surviving from this time. Ironically it was rarely used for the stream-liners because C&O began to dieselize in 1949. # 490 operated only until 1953.

The Allegheny

At the same time the weight and speed of freight trains constantly increased. In 1941, the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway received its first 2-6-6-6 "type locomotive. They got the name "Allegheny" since they were intended for heavy coal trains across the West Virginia mountains. However, since they also were capable of reaching speeds of 110 km /h they could also pull passenger trains. The 60 "Alleghenies" were considered the finest steam locomotives ever produced by Lima. On August 6th, 1943 the C & O tested Allegheny # 1606 with their dynamometer car which is also preserved in the B & O museum. With a train of 14075 tons the engine nearly 7,500 drawbar horsepower. Nevertheless, the time of steam was coming to an end. The last Alleghenies were already retired by the end of 1956. # 1604 was one of two that survive.

# 1604

Already in 1923, General Electric and the American Locomotive Company (ALCO), created the first commercially successful diesel-electric locomotive, identified as the No. 1000. Since city councils increasingly tried to ban the polluting steam engines in the urban areas # 1000 was purchased by the Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ). Other railroads followed suit as they discovered that diesel-electrics were efficient yard switchers. # 1000 served for more than 30 years in the Bronx, New York rail yards, where B&O freight trains bound for New York terminated.

Early Diesel-electric engine for shunting

Baltimore’s location far inland at the end of Chesapeake bay and the increasingly improved rail connections inland led to the rise as an industrial town in the 19th century. The rise and fall of industry in Baltimore is documented in the harbor-side museum of industry.,

Cooking device for cans

Since Baltimore also was a fishing port and mussels and crabs were abundant in Chesapeake bay the town became a center of the canning industry. The museum shows how oysters were boiled, canned and the cans labeled. The museum also has a big department showing the development and functioning of lithographic printing.

Lithographic print shop

But Baltimore also began to house big international producers like Martin Marietta, Black & Decker and in particular Bethlehem Steel. Over decades the latter developed the sparrow point plant into one of the largest steel production sites in the US employing thousands of people. The plant was the center of a whole town.

Bad management led to bankruptcy of Bethlehem Steel in 2001. The company received court approval to wipe out its "legacy costs”, the retiree pensions and health benefits. Sparrows Point suddenly became an attractive investment while laid off employees were stripped off part of their pension and their health benefit plan. After several changes of owners the plant finally closed down and was demolished. The workers had lost their jobs, their pensions, their health care and their sparrow point homes. It is no miracle why there is such a number of homeless in the streets of Baltimore. Today sparrow point houses a huge distribution center.

Sunk vessel and sugar factory

From the museum I can see a big bulk carrier being moored next to the Domino sugar mill. It is one of the last big industrial plants close to downtown Baltimore.

Museum ship at the museum of industry

The museum also houses replicas of how bakeries, farmacies and butcher looked like when these were family owned small businesses which might have been housed in the neighborhood of Federal Hill which overlooks the inner port of Baltimore.

Federal hill neighborhood looking down on the port

Federal Hill is characterized by blocks of small houses with narrow entrance doors. The corner houses at each intersections still house a little business like cafes, a barber shop or a pharmacy. The neighborhood has preserved its attractive small scale appeal.

Federal hill

Due to its location serving the border region between the slave owning southern and the abolitionist northern states the B & O played a decisive role in the so called “underground railroad”. It was neither underground nor a railroad but a network of people, routes, and depots or safe havens. An estimated 100,000 African Americans called the Freedom Seekers fled the South that way. Freedom Seekers often used rail in combination with other means of transportation, including walking, horse-drawn carriages, and steamboats. Some rode in, or on top of, passenger and freight trains. Other Freedom Seekers followed the tracks as physical paths north. A major route to the North passed Maryland, which was uniquely both a free and slave state. West Baltimore had the largest concentration of free Black people in the country.

Abandoned house in Baltimore

However, there were laws like the fugitive slave act of 1850 to restrict Black from leaving the South. Even free Black Americans faced multiple obstacles to simply buy a train ticket. In addition to showing their Freedom Papers as, documentation of their free status, they were also required to have a "responsible" white person vouch for them. In addition, even in northern states, authorities were obliged to send back fugitives when it was clear that they were not set free by their southern owner but had escaped.

Abandoned houses in Baltimore

The B & O museum present examples of how the underground railroad was used. John Thompson of Alabama, for example, escaped in 1857 by riding on top of passenger cars until he reached Virginia. There, he was captured and sold again. However, he escaped again and made it to New York. Others got themselves shipped in a wooden crate by express freight. The indication “this side up” was not always observed. The box was shipped via rail and riverboat to a northern destination, where the poor fugitive inside was set free. One couple decided to disguise the wife as white owner of the husband, since she had a white face. Since both could not write and sign papers they pretended that the wife’s, the white owner’s, arm was broken in a cast. It worked.

Jim Crow coach, in the foreground the colored compartment

After the civil war discrimination was still common. The so-called Jim Crow segregation laws of the 1900’s required white and black people to travel in separate compartments. The B & O museum shows a coach where a little part is separated for black passengers. It lacks the lush decoration of the part where whites were traveling. Smoking was only permitted in the black compartment.

Abandoned houses in Baltimore

The hotel where I stay is run by Afroamericans. During the week the day-time receptionist sits freezing in a chair almost inside the open fireplace while watching soaps on televisions featuring black actors. His replacement on sunday is an amiable black lady. For the entire day she listens to the Joel Osteen network. Osteen is an evangelist who preaches to always conserve hope even in the most unfortunate situations.

Police observation post

While he preaches on the TV I go outside to smoke a cigarette. It is bitter cold with a strong, biting wind. A black man walks by and utters something I cannot understand. I guess he either wants a cigarette or change. I shake my head. He stays in front of the hotel entrance with his back turned into the wind. His thin looking coat flutters in the wind. After a while he turns away and disappears. Where will he spend his night?

Belongings of homeless outside a shelter in Baltimore

In 1963 the Chesapeake & Ohio railway took financial control of the B & O. In 1971 the remaining passenger train operations were taken over by Amtrak. Further mergers of freight railroads led to the formation of CSX. The B&O Railroad Museum is a separate entity of CSX which donated some of the former B&O Mount Clare Shops in Baltimore, including the roundhouse. The Baltimore & Ohio Warehouse at Camden Yards rail junction in Baltimore became the right-field wall at the Baltimore Orioles' team’s current home, Oriole Park at Camden Yards.