Who Are We and What Do We Do?

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Historical Society is dedicated to the preservation of and education about the history of America's first Common Carrier Railroad, the Baltimore and Ohio. The Society has over 1,300 members all over the world across a variety of railroad interests from modeling to research to preservation.

Throughout its 180 plus years, the B&O Railroad enjoyed a rich and varied corporate life. It was America's first common carrier railroad and survived to become one of the world's oldest railroad companies. This was made possible through a combination of skill, foresight, and ingenuity. Along the way, the B&O acquired a secure place in the cultural and economic history of the United States. In 1963, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway officially took control of the B&O, beginning what was to become the Chessie System. Formal merger of the two railroads began in 1971, with the Western Maryland Railway being merged into the Chessie System in 1973. In 1980, the Chessie System merged with the Family Lines System to become the CSX Corporation.

The CSX Historical Society has some good history on the B&O. Here is a link to their site that should prove quite interesting. There are some additional excellent sites that provide a broad history of the B&O that are located in the Railroad Sites link on the left side of our Home Page

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Historical Society exists to help assemble, interpret, and share the history of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The B&O, like railroading everywhere, touched virtually all areas of American life. This diversity is reflected in the Society: members' interest range from motive power and railroad architecture to modeling and artifact collecting. Most importantly, the Society provides a forum for the exchange of information and news, the publication of original research, and for members to simply get to know each other. The fellowship of common interest and the opportunities for mutual assistance are two of the Society's greatest assets. Through the Society, members may participate in various field trips, research projects, equipment restorations, and locally sponsored get-togethers. Each year, the Society holds an Annual Convention, with facility tours, workshops, photo and models shows, displays, and an Annual Membership Meeting and Banquet. Additionally, two regional mini-conferences are held annually, one in the Maryland/Pennsylvania/West Virginia area, and a second in Ohio. The purpose of these mini-conferences is to bring together fans to conduct workshops, listen to presentations by noted B&O historians, and just generally discuss the B&O. The links at the right under the heading Upcoming Events provides a list of some of the future events the Society is involved in.

The Society maintains a formal archive function and maintains a small warehouse full of documentation from the Office of the Vice President of Operations and Engineering, B&O Railroad. We are also the custodians of several thousand photographs and blueprints, maps, and drawings. Since 1979, the Society has published a quarterly magazine, The Sentinel, dedicated to the recurring publication of articles and news items of historical significance and interest to the B&O fan. Other publications include reprints of the multitude of B&O documents that have been saved throughout the years; the Society also produces an outstanding calendar each year. The Society also produces a publication The B&O Modeler which is dedicated to modeling B&O equipment and structures.

We are particularly pleased to provide a copy of our Society By Laws for you to read. They provide the foundation for our Society, and a listing of the duties of each of our Officers and Directors. Each year, we have an election. At that time, two of our 6 Director positons are up for reelection. Also, each of our Officer positions are also up for reelection. New blood is vitally important to the continued success of any organization. Each of our members are encouraged to consider running for one of our positions that are up for reelection each year. Notice of our elections, along with a ballot when appropriate, are provided in the quarterly mailings of our magazine, The Sentinel. For a current listing of our Directors and Officers, as well as other contact information, please see our Contacts link here.