The B&O Railroad
By: Jaime Lewis
For: Professor Knutson
November 26, 2013
CON 101

Abstract The construction of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad started in July of 1828. The city of Baltimore came up with the idea to build this railroad from Baltimore to Ohio because of the competition throughout the popular seaports in the United States. Baltimore was already a popular city, but adding a train that could carry people as well as goods would make more people travel to Baltimore, and other places along the train’s route, bring goods into Baltimore, and help keep Baltimore alive. The B&O railroad was always expanding. The railroad is best known for being the first railroad in the United States that used a steam locomotive.

B&O Railroad Why was there a need for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad? The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was built due to competition throughout the main seaports in the United States. Due to the fact that Baltimore is at the top of the Chesapeake Bay, it had many advantages over other ports. Another way for goods to be transported from Baltimore all they way to Ohio was a great idea for Baltimore, therefore causing the plan for the B&O Railroad. During this time Baltimore was flooding with business. They constantly had ships coming into the harbor as well as trucks riding the highways. Baltimore was (and still is) such a popular and thriving city, so the railroad made sense to help keep business, and the city, alive. Baltimore had to compete with many other large cities, and needed to keep expanding, which is why the idea of connecting Baltimore to Ohio was such a popular idea for the city.
Getting Started It took numerous meetings and dozens of hours worth of brainstorming to come across an idea of how to connect Baltimore and Ohio. The idea that was most thought about and explored was the idea of a Chesapeake and Ohio Canal project. At first this idea was ruled out completely, but then later a meeting of people throughout the state decided “the practicability of a canal from Baltimore to intersect and unite with the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, thence to Pittsburg, and thence to Lake Erie, no longer admitted of a doubt and should be carried” (Hungerford 16). The idea was further talked about and logistics figured out. Then the idea of a railroad was talked about due to Evan Thomas. There was a dinner held at Colonel John Eager Howards home in Baltimore where Evan Thomas attended after his trip to England. He talked of his trip and how he went and inspected the Stockton and Darlington Railroad. Philip Thomas, Evans brother, was very insistent of his brother’s idea, and because he was viewed so positively, the idea was taken seriously. Then the idea came up about how to power the train. It was first looked at to use horses because they are more reliable, but Evan and Philip made the experimental steam locomotive sound like the right idea. George Brown was the banker of the town and very influential. He had the businessmen over where the Thomas brothers took control of the meeting to persuade the people. They came to the conclusion “take under consideration the best means of restoring to the city of Baltimore that portion of the western trade which has recently been diverted from it by the introduction of steam navigation and by other causes” (Hungerford 19). Meaning, that the best way to complete this project, for the good of Baltimore is to have a steam-powered locomotive that travels from Baltimore to Ohio.

Map of the B&O Railroad

There were twenty-five men apart of the committee, consisting of Charles Carroll, Philip Thomas, Alexander Brown, and more. The town was full on energy and soon the whole state was engaged with this idea. Then, the state of Maryland passed the railroad on February 28th 1827 (Hungerford). It was apparent that the city of Baltimore was eager for the railroad due to their support. Three million dollars was needed to start the construction. Along with selling share of stocks, money from Baltimore and Maryland, the majority of families had a part of the process by buying stocks to support the railroad (Hungerford).

Founders of the B&O

Construction The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) started the construction process February 28th, 1827 in Maryland. On the Fourth of July in 1828, the first stone, the cornerstone, was put in place. Charles Carroll, the last living signer of the Declaration of Independence, laid the first stone. People came from all around and crowded the city just to see the ceremony of the corner stone. Now the hard work began and it was time to start building the railroad. Yet, it wasn’t too much longer after they got to work that they realized they needed to “adopt a policy” and start constructing the bridges (Hungerford 62). A year later in 1829 the first bridge, the Carrollton Viaduct (named after Declaration signer, Charles Carroll), was completed. The bridge is about three hundred feet long, about sixty five feet tall, and arches about eighty feet over the Gwynns Falls. The bridge is equipped with two railroad tracks and an underpass for carriages. The first bridge was made by using a wooden framework, which held tons of weight while the granite stones were put in place by using a masonry walled approach. This was the very first masonry railroad bridge made in the United States, and has survived while still working today (Hungerford). One hundred and nine feet long, over a thousand dollars to build, and in white pine was the Jackson Bridge. Built in the same year, it was named after President Andrew Jackson. The trusses of the Jackson Bridge were constructed with timbers and were connected by locking and splicing techniques. Overall the bridge has a skinny and simple appearance, but was nothing compared to the Carrollton Viaduct, that will still be running for quite some time (Hungerford 62-66).

Laying the first stone The Carrollton Viaduct

Meanwhile, many other bridges were being constructed for the B&O railroad. Soon brawls were starting. Alcohol was being sold on worksites and heavily consumed, resulting in many fights between workers and contractors. Getting back on track (no pun intended) was simple once they decided to lay the first permanent track on October 1st, 1829. Under the supervision of Major George W. Whistler and engineer John Ready, Thomas McMachen and a list of four carpenters laid the first track. They used about sixteen thousand granite blocks that were each cut into squares to be about fourteen inches. They were placed in lines with the opposite corners touching one another. This was a fine method to use, despite the cost. Since these costs were so high, they could clearly not use granite stones for all of the railroad tracks. Therefore, when completing the rest, they decided to use wooden foundations for the tracks. This made the process much easier and more adequate (Hungerforth 69-70).

Brawls During the Making of B&O Railroad

Materials When putting the tracks in place, it was originally decided to use four feet, six inches for the tracks, but then changed until they reached four feet, eight and a half inches. Once they were placing the rails they were using wrought iron, using the “fish-belly” pattern. Like always, they again decided to change the tails to cast-iron, due to cost issues, for the branches and sidings of the railroad. A few years later the first 13 miles of the railroad opened, reaching from Baltimore to Ellicott Mills, MD (Ellicott City today). On January 1st, 1830 all of the rails were in place from Mount Clare to the Carrollton Viaduct. Everyone wanted to come out and test this wonderful train that carried not only freight, but people as well (Hungerford 71-72). Later, in 1835 Washington D.C was reached, and in 1852 it stretched to Wheeling (now West Virginia). Although the train was damaged in the Civil war, the train continued to grow. In 1865 there was 521 miles of train track and 1700 miles in 1885 (Baltimore and Ohio Railroad).

Advances in Technology The B&O Railroad had many advances for its time, which is why it has become so important and is still talked about. As Gary John Previts and William D. Samson say best in their “Exploring the Contents of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Annual Reports”, “The B&O was a major innovator in American railway transportation. Not only a technology leader, the company created an organizational structure and developed new capital sources…” The steam locomotive, although disputed for a while, was probably the biggest achievement, while being a new concept and very experimental and risky. It had been done before, but never in the United States and was still not guaranteed that it would work. “Tom Thumb”, named after its small size, was the first built steam locomotive made by Peter Cooper in the United States. It is a four wheel locomotive that runs on anthracite fuel, and was easily one of the coolest things to happen during the construction of the B&O Railroad.

First Steam Locomotive in the United States

“Tom Thumb”

Materials and New Technologies The B&O Railroad was the first ever railroad to patent the next steam shovel, the dirt remover. Which was basically just a step up from the steam shovel, technology and efficiency wise. It also was the first to make their bridge out of stone, and had the first “wagon”. These wagons were like freight cars, but had more of an incline, and were a more “high tech” design. The B&O was the first to carry freight as well as people, which was a very unique and useful idea for the train, because they were making extra money, and for Baltimore because they were still getting in the necessary goods. Amazingly, the train traveled speeds up to fourteen miles per hour, and had the double track system where a train could travel both ways, rather than the traditional one way. Throughout all of these processes the B&O was taking ideas from all over and applying them. They were trying to get the best results while being innovative. Looking back at this time, it seems so long ago, and that they wouldn’t have a lot of the technology we use today, which they obviously don’t, but at the same time they were getting to the beginnings of where we are today. Meaning that they were scrapping the surface with their new ideas and methods, and using tools that were available to them like the typical stones, metals, and machines that were already made (The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Network).
If it was Built Today If I were to build the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad today, I would use a more modern and more effective design to make the train more high-tech. After doing some research, I concluded that it would be best to go with a new magnetic levitation train, also called a maglev train. These trains are much faster than older trains, such as the B&O, and can reach from three hundred, to five hundred miles per hour. The maglev train is much faster because it eliminates wheel and rail friction, so it levitates with a magnet so it never actually touches the rails. It also costs less, is faster, not as crowded, and will last longer due to the train not actually touching the tracks. Although it technically costs more to construct a maglev train, it is a better investment and decision rather than a train with wheel and track action because these don’t need to be replaced nearly as often. It is generally quieter and smoother than all other trains, which benefits people who live around these tracks and ride the train. Additionally, it is much safer than any other trains because it cannot have a collision with another train, or with automobiles at crossings due to the fact that is elevated (Danby, Powell). This, like the B&O Railroad would be very innovative for the United States. Like the B&O Railroad, this has been done before, but never (yet) to the extent and speed that I would make it.
How to Construct it today If I were to construct one of these maglevs I would need to start with the foundation. I would make about one hundred foot long beams, piers and caps. This would stand as the general guide way. I would have these guide ways shipped, and I would then start to make concrete footings. These concrete footings would support the guide ways. I would place the footings, and then continue to place the beams with a crane. There would also be beam expansion joints to help the train be guided better. I would make automatic doors throughout the train, enough so that there doesn’t need to be a large herd of people trying to get off at once. This unique vehicle is magnetically driven by the Linear Synchronous Motor (LSM), along the guide way by a second pair of aluminum loops on the side. The LSM is connected electronically using different switches to turn them on. Once they are turned on the loops push and the maglev starts to move. The LSM in linear, rather then cylindrical, therefore it moves the same speed no matter the wind or uphill/downhill climb. Guidance magnets would be placed so that there would be no way to go off the track and ensure it follows the guide ways (Maglev). To make this idea even more advanced and efficient I propose the use of vactrains. These are airless tubes that remove air drag in maglev trains. This technology can increase speed highly, because a lot of the energy lost is due to air drag (Dodson). As Dodson says best, “The short version of the ETT story is as follows: put a superconducting maglev train in evacuated tubes, then accelerate using linear electric motors until the design velocity is attained. As the motors are integrated into the evacuated tubes, the conveyance capsules which travel in the tube need have no moving or electrically activated parts - passive superconductors allow the capsules to float in the tube, while eddy currents induced in conducting materials drive the capsules. Efficiency of such a system would be high, as the electric energy required to accelerate a capsule could largely be recaptured as it slows.”
Eliminating time and energy is completely innovative and genius. This is exactly where we are heading as a society, so why not start now? According to Dodson it would only take a couple of minutes to go about one hundred miles (depending). This is a very good way to transport freight, as well as people that are going long distances. A Maglev train in Germany Overall, I think the B&O Railroad was one of the most significant transportation advances in the United States. Without the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad who knows if we would be making such advanced trains and ways of transportation like we are today. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was a far-fetched idea for the United States at the time, but with persistence and perseverance from the founders, they made this idea a reality.

Works Cited
"Baltimore and Ohio Railroad." Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History. Ed. Thomas Carson and Mary Bonk. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 1999. 74-76. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
"Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O)." Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
Dodson, Brian. "New York to Beijing in Two Hours without Leaving the Ground?" Gizmag 22 Mar. 2012.
Hungergord, Edward. The Story of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. Vol. 1. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1928.
"Laying of the First Stone." B&O Railroad Museum. 20 Nov. 2013.
"Magnetic Levitation Train." BBC. July 2005. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.
Powell, James, and Gordon Danby. "MAGLEV the New Mode of Transport for the 21st Century." 21st Century Science & Technology.
Previts, Gary John, and William D. Samson. "Exploring the Contents of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Annual Reports: 1827-1856." Accounting Historians Journal 27.1 (2000): 1-42.
"The Maglev America Project – Our Highways to the Future." Magnetic Glide. 20 Nov. 2013.
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Network. 22 Oct. 1999. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.