Trains for the holidays

There are many model train sets scattered on tables/stands throughout the B&O Railroad Station in old Ellicott City (Main and Maryland streets) in addition to the permanent HO-scale model of the original thirteen mile track from Baltimore to Ellicott Mills that fills the side building (1885 freight house).

The Holiday Train Garden at the Ellicott City Volunteer Fire Department, 4150 Montgomery Road, is from Dec 2 to Jan 1. See it, then cross Montgomery Road and take Old Columbia Pike down to Main Street to the train station. And after, go shop at some of the Main Street stores.

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad 1836 - in French

The new B & O Railroad made the international news as seen in this excerpt from a French book. 

B & O Railroad 1832 - barracks

Charles Joseph Latrobe (1801-1875) an English traveler and future Governor of Australia described sites in Maryland - point of rocks, and "gigantic undertakings" like the railroad.

B&O Railroad route in 1831, by an American travel writer

Theodore Dwight (1796-1866) wrote several books, including an early travel book by an American.  He describes the early days of the B&O Railroad.  He wrote "Ellicott's Mills may be compared with Little Falls on the Erie Canal."

B & O railroad - wooden rails or stone rails

During the early days of railroad building, various materials were used to make the rails, including wood, stone or iron.

B & O Rail Road in the Niles' Weekly Register 1830

The opening of service on the Baltimore and Ohio Rail road was covered in the local Niles’ Weekly Register  Baltimore: Mar – Sept 1830.

Chronology of the B & O railroad 1825-1853

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was started by businessmen in Baltimore, with the first line going to Ellicott mills.  As recalled by JHB Latrobe, John Eager Howard hosted a dinner at his mansion "Belvidere" in 1825 (or 1826) to discuss the possibility of a railroad. In 1827, a more formal meeting was held at George Brown's home.

James Lea grafitti at the B&O railroad station 1838

James Lea (1816-1857) was the son of Elizabeth (Ellicott) Lea (daughter of George Ellicott), and Thomas Lea, of the Lea Brandywine mills.  James was born in Delaware but raised south west of Ellicott's mills at the family farm "Walnut Hill" near Sandy Spring, Md.  He and his brothers took produce and livestock into Ellicott's mills, then visited his grandmother Elizabeth (Brooke) Ellicott who lived by their mill, across the river from the station.

James fought during the Mexican War (1846-48), went overland to California for the 1849 gold rush then ran a hotel until he became ill and returned home. A further reason, when his grandmother Elizabeth (Brooke) Ellicott died in 1853 she left him a portion of her Brooke lands near Sandy Spring, MD if he returned to live in Maryland. He died, unmarried, in 1857.

The Pioneer - the first railroad passenger car - on a stamp

In 1830, the first horse drawn passenger car was used on the B & O rail road from Baltimore to Ellicott's Mills.  To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the B & O, a postage stamp was released showing the Pioneer, Tom Thumb (first steam engine) and a 1952 modern locomotive.

Walking from Ellicott Mills to Elkridge, then by train in 1843

On Friday, Oct. 13, 1843 a reporter (“Old Honesty”) walked the six miles from Ellicott’s Mills to Elkridge Landing and wrote a long article about the scenery, mills and trains along the Patapsco River.  He passed Illchester, Thistle Factory (image left), Avalon Furnace, Elkridge Landing and Relay station.

The river was called 'Patapsco Falls' until it reached Elkridge, where it was called 'Patapsco River' to the Chesapeake Bay.

1831 B & O survey of route for the first rail road line

The first passenger and freight railroad ran from Baltimore to Ellicott's mills (Ellicott City).  The tracks headed south out of Baltimore to run along the Patapsco River mills (Avalon mill at Elkridge, Md) to Ellicott's mills.  From the 1831 Ellicott mills rail road station (the oldest rr station in America, now a museum HERE) the route ran west along the river then to Frederick.

Oldest train station in America - B & O station in Ellicott City

The Ellicott City B & O train station, on lower Main St., was opened in 1831.  The right (southern) portion of the station was a "Car House" for repairs, making it also the only "combination" rail road station still in existence.  It is a museum, owned by Howard County since 1997, with free admission.  Go visit!   The track and railroad bridge are still in use by CSX. To the side of the station is a turntable, a replica of the first horse drawn passenger car "The Pioneer", an 1885 brick freight station building and a 1927 caboose.

B & O rail road sites in Howard County 1857

"Ellicott's Mills, fourteen miles from Baltimore, covering the bottom and slopes of the steep hills with dwellings, and their tops with churches and other public edifices." From excerpt below. Click on images to enlarge.

B & O rail road and the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal in 1829

James Stuart (1775-1849) from Scotland, traveled in Maryland in 1829, and wrote about the canal, railway and the famed "Baltimore clipper" ships.

Although both had ground breaking ceremonies on the same day - July 4, 1828 - (B&O in Baltimore, C&O in Washington DC), the canal only reached Cumberland, MD and stopped because the train line progressed further and was more profitable.

The image, from the 1850s, at Point of Rocks, shows the rails on left, the canal, and the towpath on right.

1831 B & O railroad drawn by horse and wretched breakfast at Ellicott Mills

Thomas Hamilton (1789-1842) rode in "a wooden house or chamber...drawn by a horse at the rate of about four miles an hour."  After 3 hours he arrived in "Ellicot Mills" to a poor breakfast.

1831 B & O horse drawn carriage

During an 1831 trip to North and South America, Sir James Edward Alexander (1803-1885) took a detour from riding a “coach (a sort of windmill, freely admitting the cold air through the leathern sides)” from Washington to Baltimore to ride on the “Baltimore Railway”.  They rode in a "heavy double carriage, drawn by one horse."

Bollman truss bridge images

Wendel Bollman (1814-1884) from Baltimore started working for the B&O railroad and created a more stable bridge of iron for the trains. His first iron bridge was at Savage in 1850, and received a patent in 1852. Many photos (one of Mr. Bollman) and information at link below.

Sites on the B&O train line through Howard County in 1833

Riding the new B&O railroad from Baltimore was a novel 'excursion', and was described in the 1833 book:  A Complete View of Baltimore

B&O train ride described in Harpers 1857

By 1857 the B&O railroad had a kitchen and dining car combo but the restaurant in the Relay House (in picture) still offered a breakfast of "Maryland luxuries" of "softcrabs" and "spring-chickens" which tasted like "luscious flavor of solidified cream browned over a hickory fire in clover scented butter."  The article also described the stone viaducts, Bollman's iron bridge, granite and iron works.

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, strike, Vinegar Hill, gondola cars - Randolph Brandt Latimer remembers

Randolph B. Latimer (1821-1903) began working at age 15 in the B & O Railroad engineering department, then started a store Randolph & Latimer and flour commission. His father ran a stage line between Baltimore and Washington city.