Birthplace of American Railroading,"
B&O Railroad is where America's most important, historic, and comprehensive collection lives to tell the story of railroading every day. It is the oldest, most comprehensive American railroad collection in the world. Forty acres of heritage and a world class collection of history await your discovery.
Located among Baltimore City's historic southwest neighborhoods, at the original site of the historic Mt. Clare Shops, the B&O Railroad Museum is recognized universally as the birthplace of American railroading. It was here within the Museum's 40-acre campus that Baltimore businessmen, surveyors, and engineers set about building the B&O Railroad in 1829 – laying the first commercial long-distance track, building the first passenger station, and inventing America's unique railroad.
A National Historic Landmark, Affiliate of the Smithsonian Museum, and independent educational resource, the B&O Railroad Museum collects, preserves and interprets artifacts related to early American railroading, particularly the Baltimore & Ohio, Chesapeake & Ohio, Western Maryland, and other mid-Atlantic railroads – to the delight of over 200,000 visitors a year. Fun for the whole family!