South Car Works: Reimagined Front Entrance
The B&O Railroad Museum has broken ground on its Campus Transformation Plan, which will restore the oldest continuously operating railroad repair facility in the nation, as well as reconfigure the Museum’s campus flow to face Southwest Baltimore for the purpose of spurring economic development.
The U.S. turns 250 in 2026, and railroading turns 200 in 2027! The railroad was Maryland’s gift to the nation almost 200 years ago, and the new campus—establishing an Innovation Hall, creating a free community garden and amphitheater, expanding our archival space, and building two new classrooms for students— is our gift to the nation now, as we approach these momentous occasions.
Join us as we invest in Southwest Baltimore!
Full Steam Ahead: The B&O Groundbreaking Ceremony
Tracks to the Future: Campus Transformation
CSX CEO and President Steve Angel to Co-Chair B&O Railroad Museum’s Anniversary Campaign
Baltimore, MD — The B&O Railroad Museum, the birthplace of American railroading, is pleased to announce Steve Angel, President and CEO of the CSX Corporation (NASDAQ: CSX), will co-chair the Museum’s $38 million dollar capital campaign to transform its campus in preparation for the 200th Anniversary of American Railroading in 2027. Angel was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of CSX in September 2025. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Linde plc from 2018 to 2022, and Chairman since 2022.
Angel will join Benjamin H. Griswold, IV, as co-chair of the campaign. Griswold is the great-great-great-great grandson of Alexander Brown, who in 1800 founded Alex Brown & Sons, the first investment bank in the United States. It was also at Alex Brown’s house in 1827 where the Baltimore merchants convened to charter the first American common carrier railroad, the B&O Railroad. Griswold was a former director of the New York Stock Exchange, Stanley Black & Decker Inc., W.P. Carey Inc and Flowers Foods (lead director). He is currently chairman emeritus of W.P. Carey Inc. and trustee emeritus of the Johns Hopkins University.
The Museum will restore the South Car Works building located on its property, the oldest, continuously operating railroad repair facility in the United States if not the world, 1869 – 1990. In restoring this nationally significant 33,000 square feet building and making it the new entrance to the Museum, the Museum will reimagine its campus flow to face Southwest Baltimore to spark community economic development and to create the CSX Bicentennial Garden, a public amphitheater and green space for community use. CSX has demonstrated its deep commitment to this vision through a landmark $5 million contribution toward the creation of the Garden, which will serve as both a community gathering space and a tribute to the company’s historic connection to American railroading. The restored building will create space for an Innovation Hall to exhibit the present and future of American railroading technology, add state-of-the-art educational space, and house the Museum’s extensive historical archives. Groundbreaking for the project occurred in May 2025 with an estimated completion date of October 2026. To date, the Museum has raised $28 million dollars of the needed $38 million dollars.
“CSX, as the proud successor to America’s first commercial railroad, is committed to honoring our heritage while advancing the future of rail,” said Angel. “Co-chairing the B&O Museum’s 200th Anniversary Campus Transformation Campaign is an opportunity to help shape how that story is told – connecting past achievements with the innovation driving our industry forward. This effort isn’t just about celebration; it’s about creating an experience that will educate, inspire, and strengthen the connection between railroading and the communities it serves.”
“I’m thrilled to have Steve Angel join me as co-chair of the B&O Railroad Museum’s capital campaign,” said Griswold. “I look forward to working with him and am confident that together we will honor railroading’s legacy, celebrate its 200th anniversary, and prepare the Museum and surrounding community for a bright future.”
“We’re extremely honored that Steve Angel, President and CEO of CSX, is joining the campaign as co-chair,” said Kris Hoellen, Executive Director of the B&O Railroad Museum. “Steve is a visionary and understands that the Museum’s campus transformation is not just about celebrating our past, but also about leveraging our heritage to propel the Museum into its next 200 years. One could not ask for a stronger team at the helm than Steve and Ben!”
The B&O Railroad Museum is the birthplace of American railroading and is home to the oldest, most comprehensive collection of railroad artifacts in the Western Hemisphere, including an unparalleled assemblage of 19th and 20th-century railroad rolling stock and equipment.
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About the B&O Railroad Museum
The B&O Railroad Museum, located in Baltimore, Md., is the birthplace of American railroading, a National Historic Landmark, a Smithsonian Institution Affiliate, and a National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom site. It is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American railroading and its impact on American life, socially, culturally and economically. The Museum is home to the oldest, most comprehensive collection of railroad artifacts in the Western Hemisphere, including an unparalleled roster of 19th and 20th century railroad equipment, over 30 million archival documents, the 1851 Mt. Clare Station, the 1884 Baldwin Roundhouse as well as the first mile of commercial railroad track ever laid in America. The Museum welcomes guests annually from all 50 states and 40 countries. For more information, please call 410- 752-2490 or visit www.BORail.org.
About CSX
CSX, based in Jacksonville, Florida, is a premier transportation company. It provides rail, intermodal and rail-to-truck transload services and solutions to customers across a broad array of markets, including energy, industrial, construction, agricultural and consumer products. For nearly 200 years, CSX has played a critical role in the nation’s economic expansion and industrial development. Its network connects every major metropolitan area in the eastern United States, where nearly two-thirds of the nation’s population resides. It also links more than 240 short-line railroads and more than 70 ocean, river and lake ports with major population centers and farming towns alike. More information about CSX Corporation and its subsidiaries is available at www.csx.com. Like us on Facebook (http://facebook.com/OfficialCSX) and follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter (http://twitter.com/CSX).
Media Contact:
Stephanie Jayakanthan
B & O Railroad Museum
Sjayakanthan@borail.org
520-233-3947
Questions & Answers
The B&O Railroad Museum is a historic site located on the original B&O Railroad grounds, the first commercially chartered railroad in the country in 1827.
The Museum will restore the South Car Works building, the oldest, continuously operating railroad repair facility in the United States if not the world, 1869-1990. In restoring this 33,000 square feet building and making it the new entrance to the Museum, the Museum will reconfigure its campus flow to face Southwest Baltimore for the purpose of spurring community economic development.
The Museum is actively preparing for the 200th anniversary celebration of the railroad in 2027! The campus transformation will be complete by 2027 as well as in time for the 250th anniversary of the United States in 2026. The railroad was Maryland’s gift to the nation.
The Museum will create an amphitheater for free community use at the entrance of the South Car Works. We will excavate the current area, make a tiered tree-lined terrace available for the community to enjoy for concerts, movie nights, or just a nice place to eat lunch. This area of the Museum’s property (all contained within the Museum’s existing footprint) will serve as a vibrant event space and provide a fresh, new location to welcome visitors to the Museum. It will be known as the CSX Bicentennial Garden!
Innovation Hall
The top floor of the building will be used to create an Innovation Hall displaying the present and future of railroading technology. The Museum has the most comprehensive collection of 19th century rolling stock in the Western Hemisphere and significant pieces of 20th century rolling stock innovations. However, the Museum does not currently have space to display, engage, and educate the public on new railroad technological innovations, such as hybrid engines for cleaner fuels, positive train control, and modern-day command operation centers. The Innovation Hall will contain interactive exhibits on the newest technologies contributing to a faster, safer, more efficient, and smarter rail network.
Archival Space
Did you know the Museum maintains an extensive archives collection containing:
- Employee records for genealogical searches
- Complete set of B&O Railroad Board of Director minutes starting with the first meeting of the Directors in 1827
- Correspondence with U.S. presidents such as between President Lincoln and the B&O; the B&O supported the Union and was known as “Lincoln’s Railroad”
- Over 200,000 photographs along with original paintings by American artists commissioned by the B&O and other amazing collections.
The first floor of the South Car Works will provide dedicated temperature controlled space for the archives, allowing for reading rooms and for the general public to access the archives and for educators to teach children how to use ‘original source’ documents.
Smart Classrooms
Space will be dedicated for two smart classrooms. The Museum’s education program has doubled in size since 2019 and the trajectory is for more growth both in terms of onsite visits and digital learning opportunities. The smart classrooms are intentionally being placed next to the archives for the students to learn about railroading history and careers and how to use original source materials.
Community Economic Development:
By creating a beautiful entrance and accessible community space and turning the Museum’s face to Southwest Baltimore, the goal as an anchor institution is to help catalyze further investment in the community and to improve overall community quality of life.
Create better wayfinding and flow for Museum guests:
Having guests enter the Museum and walk back through time, starting with the present and future, moving towards the 20th century and finishing with the first 100 years of railroading in the 1884 Roundhouse creates a better experience for the guest. The Museum is a brand ambassador for American railroading.
Historic Preservation and railroading legacy:
The South Car Works is a national landmark with its outside walls protected under easement. The building deserves to be restored and its legacy honored.
We’re on the front end of this exciting time and project that reimagines our campus and interpretive flow of the exhibits. The total investment for the project is $38 million dollars into Southwest Baltimore. To date, the Museum has raised $25 million dollars. Benjamin Griswold, Chair Emeritus of Brown Advisory, is serving as the Museum’s campaign chair. CSX’s gift is the lead private gift followed by the state, a public-private partnership. The B&O Railroad was our nation’s first public-private partnership project. Naming opportunities exist, and the Museum looks forward to working with everyone to complete this transformative project, national in relevance, local in impact.
Contact:
For general information and donation inquiries, please contact: 200thCampusCampaign@borail.org
