Baltimore's connection to the railroad industry is steeped in history, and the city's B&O Railroad Museum is leaning into that past with a major upgrade to its campus timed to coincide with the 200-year anniversary of the U.S.'s first chartered railroad between Baltimore and Ohio.
The museum broke ground Wednesday on a $38 million capital project that will reorient the Southwest Baltimore campus and restore one of its historic buildings. Executive Director Kris Hoellen said the project is the next "milestone" for the museum grounds, which also date back to the start of the country's first railroad.
"It is transformative for the museum and the community," Hoellen told the Baltimore Business Journal.
The museum announced the project in 2023. It's expected to be complete in September 2026 — in time for the B&O Railroad's 200th anniversary in 2027. Among the changes will be a relocation of the entrance to Ramsay Street, facing Pigtown, and the restoration of the museum’s “South Car Works” building.
The two-story, 33,000-square-foot facility is not open to the public and has been used for storage. Once the restoration is complete, it will become the museum's new entrance and will also house an innovation hall, an archival space, classrooms and a public cafe. The first floor will be open to the public, with a ticketed entrance starting on the second floor.
The B&O Railroad Museum’s entire campus flow will change with the reconfiguration, moving museum-goers through the railroad industry’s history as they pass through three main public buildings. History will flow from the present and future of the railroad industry to the past, with exhibits ending in the museum’s roundhouse.
The South Car Works building is located at the corner of Ramsay and South Amity streets and will also have an amphitheater and multi-use space next door called the CSX Bicentennial Garden. The space will be intended for community use and will also be available to host community-oriented events such as markets and festivals.
The project is supported by the B&O Railroad's successor, Jacksonville, Florida-based CSX Corp., which donated $5 million, as well as the state of Maryland, which is investing $8.1 million. Bank of America is also supporting the project and will have its name on a terrace overlooking the new garden. The museum has raised $25 million thus far and is working on raising additional funds for the remaining cost of the project.
CSX President and CEO Joe Hinrichs spoke before the groundbreaking celebration and outlined the long history of the railroad as well as its future. The railroad industry is tied to many historic changes, such as the invention of time zones and Labor Day. While steeped in history, Hinrichs believes railroad systems need to continue evolving to make sure people are still talking about the railroad in another 100 years.
To do that, he said, railroads need to make the industry more exciting and reinvest in infrastructure, such as the expansion of the Howard Street Tunnel, a CSX and Maryland Port Administration project that will facilitate the shipping of double-stacked freight. The tunnel's $466 million reconstruction will help make the port and CSX more competitive.