Baltimoreans know that their city has a rich history. Just one example? It’s the birthplace of American railroading!
If you haven’t been to the B&O Railroad Museum lately, or even if you’re a regular visitor, the museum’s new year-long program — B&O Unlocked — will offer unprecedented opportunities to tour every locomotive in the museum’s collection.
“Visitors told us that they wanted more access to more locomotives,” said the B&O’s Chief Marketing Officer Tom Yorke. “Our locomotives are super hard to move and once they’ve been restored, we have to limit visitor traffic so they’ll be protected. But, what this program does is it allows you to get a personal tour that will physically bring you on to these trains that have never been accessed before. Even if you’ve been here 20 times, you’ve never been able to do that before.”
In April, visitors can tour the B&O No. 908 “John T. Collinson” Office Car, considered the “pinnacle of luxury” for business executives, celebrities and politicians before air travel. In May, the B&O will present Pepco No. 3, a fireless steam locomotive crafted by Heisler Works in Erie, Pa. And in June, the museum will offer tours of the B&O No. 1961 Speedliner/BUDD Car that revolutionalized rail travel.
“The best way to take advantage of B&O Unlocked is to purchase a membership,” says Yorke. “That way, you can come back every month and see a new train.”
For more information about the B&O and the museum’s membership opportunities, visit BORAIL.ORG.

