On our way to the city of Baltimore, Maryland, this morning, we visited the National Railway Museum - built around the engineering sheds and sidings where locomotives and passenger cars were constructed from the mid 19th century.
The main building was of an unusual design with a turntable in the middle to bring engines in and out through these large doors.
The museum had an impressive collection telling the story of the Railway from the days before the first locomotive was made in the US.
Understandably this poor creature could only pull a wagon along the tracks for a few hours. On the right hand side of the photo is one of the early US made vertical boiler steam locomotives.
There were some very early, unusual and beautifully restored locomotives. Above and below two camel back designs where the engineer (driver) was on top of the boiler in his cab - to allow for a design with a longer boiler.
A number of exhibits focused on the Civil War when tracks and trains were often attacked. At one point in the war, whole engines which were needed in the south of Virginia were partially dismantled and hauled using teams of oxen and horses over dirt roads to get them there.
The wooden turntable in the center of the shed was turned by one person, slowly walking the track around to align it with the doors!
We went on to visit more locomotives and carriages in other parts of the museum and will come back to those another day.
