This tour starts at Mt. Clare which is located about a mile west of the center of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. In 1828, the B&O wanted to begin its railroad downtown at the city's harbor, but wrangling over the exact route delayed progress, so construction started near what was, at that time, the edge of the active city. Over the century that followed, Mt. Clare would evolve into a major terminal, with a large train yard, car repair shops, locomotive construction facilities, and even the passenger station shown in this photo.

Mt. Clare is the second-oldest railroad station along the Old Main Line (OML), younger than only the Ellicott City station we'll see later in this tour. The station is now home to the B&O Railroad Museum. Behind the station is the 1885 roundhouse that originally served as a car repair shop. Now the structure houses the museum's impressive collection of old locomotives. The B&O museum is open most days, and is a highly recommended stop for all railfans.

The 1936-dated photo linked below shows a plaque mounted on the exterior of the building which reads, "This Building Erected 1830 is the first passenger and freight station in America and the oldest in the world. At the time of its use, trains were pulled by horses between Baltimore and Ellicott's Mills. Baltimore and Ohio, The Pioneer Railroad of America, the cornerstone of which was laid by Charles Carroll of Carrollton, July 4, 1828."

Other historical documents show this station building was actually constructed around 1850. A passenger "shack" may have previously occupied this spot, but other records place it a short distance west.

Links to older pictures: 1936, 1969

Resting behind (west of) the roundhouse is one of the more impressive modern locomotives in the B&O Museum's collection: Chesapeake and Ohio 1604. This 2-6-6-6 Allegheny weighs in at 778,000 pounds, making it the heaviest reciprocating steam locomotive ever built. It's tough to appreciate the immensity of this beast from a photo. Those wheels are about the height of a person.

Despite its size, the power of the steam engine is dwarfed by that of newer transportation technology. For example, the weight of this unit is just about the same as that of a Boeing 747 aircraft. This locomotive generates 7,500 horsepower, but each of the four jet engines on the 747 generate about 15,000 horsepower.

The museum is running out of storage space, and equipment is crammed in and parked nose to tail, as you can see from the car just in front of the loco.

For the museum's All Aboard Days in spring 2002, they operated one of their more recently restored steam locomotives, a Porter 0-4-0 type. This locomotive has been used to switch inbound coal deliveries at St. Elizabeth's hospital in Washington, DC. The locomotive itself is coal fired.

In the back lot, the museum stores a few truck trailers that had been used for B&O's TOFC ("trailers on flatcars") service. B&OZ was the reporting mark. This particular logo is notable because the train depicted shows the "rising sun" paint scheme used briefly in the 1960s.

The B&O Museum operates a tourist train ride from the museum to almost the location of the ceremonial "B&O First Stone". This photo shows the view back toward the Mt. Clare station. The B&O had many tracks leading into the station; all but the one seen here have given way to new development.

I found the Mt. Clare Express tour somewhat disappointing. It doesn't quite reach the "first stone" location (because that's on part of the active CSX railroad). The tourguide's announcements were difficult to hear. And the scenery along the route left much to be desired. At least the passenger car we rode was air conditioned.

At their maximum size, the B&O's Mt. Clare facilities reached almost a half mile west from from the Mt. Clare station to here at Carey Street. At one time, 5 or 6 tracks crossed via this bridge, but now the museum's single track is the sole survivor. Note the B&O logo on the bridge.

Periodically, the museum hauls out some of its collection for Live Steam Weekend along the mile of track it owns west of the station. The event is a great opportunity to see some of this old equipment in operation.

This is the museum's Lafayette engine, a reproduction of a 19th century design built for the B&O's 1927 Fair of the Iron Horse. The coaches being pulled illustrate how, at the beginnings of passenger service, horse-drawn carriages were adopted for use on the railroad.

Kudos to the museum staff for all the effort it takes to get these old beasts to breathe once more, and all the work keeping them in shape for us to enjoy.

Link to older picture: 1927

This is the William Mason, the world's oldest railroad locomotive still in operation. This 4-4-0 design dates to 1856 when it was built by the William Mason Locomotive Works in Taunton, Massachusetts. Here it is still wearing the accoutrements and polish applied for its 1998 appearance in the Wild, Wild West movie.

The John Bull locomotive, now part of the Smithsonian's collection, is often called the "oldest operable locomotive". In 1981, for its 150th anniversary, the engine was operated for one last time.

Link to older picture: 1969

Here's the Porter 0-4-0 again, chugging out plenty of smoke while hauling visitors back to the museum.

This is the first stone arched bridge west of Mt Clare and dates to before 1830, but was expanded in 1848. This could be a pretty location, except that the streambed is littered with clumps of trash. The nearby sewer lines contribute a distinctive odor as well.

The person in the photo provides perspective on the substantial size of this bridge. He appeared to be a homeless man searching for scrap metal. This is not the best part of town.

This is the location of the ceremonial first stone laid by the B&O. Charles Carroll, last living signer of the Declaration of Independence, turned the first spadeful of dirt to begin the construction of the railroad. The original stone has been moved inside the B&O museum and this marker took its place. The marker is shrouded to discourage vandalism. The inscription reads "Site of the First Stone, Baltimore & Ohio Railroad erected July 4, 1828. Marking the 1st mile Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Given by CSX Transportation to the B&O Railroad Museum March 18, 1992."

Tucked within a tiny grotto, with its back to an ugly scrap metal facility, framed by two cars, the shrouded marker can be seen across the tracks.