The Baltimore Ohio Railroad's Washington Branch: The First Rail Link to the Nation's Capitol

摘要

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's first branch line became its most important branch, and almost immediately became intertwined in the nation's history. Because the B&O served the capitol city, it boasted that it was the President's railroad, since every President from Andrew Jackson to Dwight Eisenhower traveled its trains. Construction of the branch involved the challenge of bridging a major river valley with a great stone arch bridge that stands today as a monument to the ingenuity, courage and perseverance of the hardy men who built the railroad. When artist-inventor-promoter Samuel Morse needed a route to put the wires for the first intercity telegraph, he naturally chose the Washington Branch. After the B&O's arch-rival Pennsylvania Railroad managed to build a competing line into Washington after the Civil War, the B&O's "branch" line slowly began to recede in importance. Today, in spite of automobiles that relieved the railroad of much of its local traffic and airlines that took away long distance travelers, the Washington Branch continues to be both a significant commuter route and a vital part of the US intercity freight network. The Washington Branch will continue to be a critical link in America's transportation infrastructure for many years to come.