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
Words from Joe Hinrichs, President & CEO of CSX and Chair of the Capital Campaign:
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. Joseph
Hinrichs, CEO of CSX, and Benjamin Griswold, Chair Emeritus of Brown Advisory, are
serving as the Museum’s campaign co-chairs. 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
