B&O Museum Nov93 5
When I first visited the B&O Museum in Baltimore in 1993, some of their most famous exhibits were still outside- not good for long-term preservation, but certainly good for photos. The restoration of the carshop building adjacent to the iconic roundhouse, together with a program to slim down the size of the collection, allowed pieces like these to move to indoor display locations.
This is the famed B&O EA No. 51, built by EMC in 1937. Description from the Museum's website:
The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) was one of the first railroads in the country to adopt diesel-electric locomotives for its passenger trains in the 1930s. Arriving in 1937. the No. 51 EA was the B&O's first streamlined locomotive. Custom painted for the B&O in blue and grey, the EA unit had an elevated cab and sloping "bulldog" nose. The new design provided collision protection for the crew, was popular among travelers, and set a stylistic precedent for future GM-EMC (later GM-EMD) locomotives. The No. 51 was one of six two-unit sets that were placed in service on the "Capitol Limited" and other premier trains. These new hardworking locomotives were capable of burning fuel more efficiently than steam engines and required less maintenance. The B&O was so pleased with the performance of the No. 51 and its sisters that they decided to order 12 additional models from GM-EMD. One of the No. 51's fellow locomotives was so successful that it operated an entire year on the "Capitol Limited" Washington to Chicago run without missing a trip.
In 1953, the No. 51 was sent back to General Motors as part of a trade-in program. At the plant, the No. 51 was stripped of its usable machinery and sent to the newly opened Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Transportation Museum.
B&O Museum Nov93 5
When I first visited the B&O Museum in Baltimore in 1993, some of their most famous exhibits were still outside- not good for long-term preservation, but certainly good for photos. The restoration of the carshop building adjacent to the iconic roundhouse, together with a program to slim down the size of the collection, allowed pieces like these to move to indoor display locations.
This is the famed B&O EA No. 51, built by EMC in 1937. Description from the Museum's website:
The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) was one of the first railroads in the country to adopt diesel-electric locomotives for its passenger trains in the 1930s. Arriving in 1937. the No. 51 EA was the B&O's first streamlined locomotive. Custom painted for the B&O in blue and grey, the EA unit had an elevated cab and sloping "bulldog" nose. The new design provided collision protection for the crew, was popular among travelers, and set a stylistic precedent for future GM-EMC (later GM-EMD) locomotives. The No. 51 was one of six two-unit sets that were placed in service on the "Capitol Limited" and other premier trains. These new hardworking locomotives were capable of burning fuel more efficiently than steam engines and required less maintenance. The B&O was so pleased with the performance of the No. 51 and its sisters that they decided to order 12 additional models from GM-EMD. One of the No. 51's fellow locomotives was so successful that it operated an entire year on the "Capitol Limited" Washington to Chicago run without missing a trip.
In 1953, the No. 51 was sent back to General Motors as part of a trade-in program. At the plant, the No. 51 was stripped of its usable machinery and sent to the newly opened Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Transportation Museum.