Baltimore and Ohio Railroad In West Virginia (WV)

Images of Rail

by Bob Withers

In 1827, a group of Baltimore capitalists feared their city would be left out of the lucrative East Coast-to-Midwest trade that other eastern cities were developing; thus, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was chartered. Political pressure kept the B&O out of Pennsylvania at first, and so track crews
headed for what is now West Virginia, building mountainous routes with torturous grades to Wheeling and Parkersburg. Eventually the B&O financed and acquired a spiderweb of branch lines that covered much of the northern and central parts of the Mountain State. This book takes a close look at the line's locomotives, passenger and freight trains,
structures, and, most importantly, its people who endeared their company to generations of travelers, shippers, and small Appalachian communities.

128 pages, Paperback

First published September 26, 2007

Reviews

[Paul Lunger]

From 2007, Bob Withers takes a look at the "Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in West Virginia" in this book out of "Images of Rail". The book itself examines just how the railroad interacted with the state as well as the offshoot lines especially into the northern panhandle. As someone from a state bordering WV & a big fan of railroads this book is a nice addition to the collection & one that did open my eyes up to some things that I wasn't entirely aware of. Anyone with an interest in the railroad industry will definitely enjoy this book.

[Flynt]

A quick read, mainly because the book is primarily photographs & a few charts. It was fun seeing my grandfather's short line on B&O's map. Sure brought back memories!

[Jeff]

Receive this book as a Father's Day present from my daughter. The photos and the captions are quite interesting, I just wish there was a narative to go with them.