This is part 10 of our tour of the region with our friend James, who visited us from the U.K. Today's blog spotlights the
famous Baltimore and Ohio (or B&O) Railroad. The B&O Railroad
museum is located at 901 West Pratt St., Baltimore, MD 21223.
 |
| Rob and James pause for a pic |
WHAT'S IN THE B&O MUSEUM? Comprised of the oldest and most
comprehensive collection of railroad history in the Western Hemisphere, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum, Inc. is a unique cultural and
educational asset for the city and the region. It houses an unparalleled roster of
the 19th and 20th century railroad equipment, original shop buildings,
and surviving tracks at the historic Mt. Clare sit. It shows visitors every aspect of American
railroad development and its impact on our society, culture and economy.
 |
| The B&O Museum Roundhouse |
THE ROUNDHOUSE -
Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables.
The defining feature of the traditional roundhouse was the turntable,
which facilitates access when the building is used for repair facilities
or for storage of steam locomotives.
 |
| A caboose |
WHAT IS A CABOOSE USED FOR? - A
caboose is a manned railroad car at the end of a
freight train. Cabooses provided shelter for crew at the end of a train, who were required for
switching and
shunting, and to keep a lookout for load shifting, damage to equipment and cargo, or overheating axles.
 |
| Front of an engine |
 |
| Railroad yard |
OUR ADVENTURE
- We arrived at the museum at 3:40 p.m. EDT after touring two historic
ships, Geppi's museum, and grabbing a quick lunch. The museum was
supposed to close that day at 4pm, but we decided to go through anyway
as there were too many other plans for the coming days. Unfortunately,
the clerk didn't offer us any discount or return passes and instead said
"you'll have to hurry through the exhibits." We raced through the
roundhouse and took lots of great pictures. After we got home, I wrote
the museum and they agreed that the clerk should've made some amends, so
the manager did. I am grateful for that. It's so important to provide
good customer service, and B&O came through, so I look forward to
bringing other visitors to the museum and will be more mindful of their
flex hours.
 |
| Selfie of Rob and James at an Engine! |
COOL EXHIBITS - The exhibits were well laid out and had great information. They provided the history and allowed us to look inside of them. It was a great look at the railroads through history!
 |
James at a passenger car
|
NEXT: **Trip Blog Resumes on July 19th with a Monumental Trip to Washington, D.C.
 |
| Engine and box car exhibits in the round house |
 |
| A look in a passenger car |
