The US military and our railroads have developed a strong bond that began during the Civil War. That was the first time in our pioneering Nation that national unrest and our railroad infrastructure became intertwined. In truth, had the conflict erupted much earlier, the eventual resolution would have been longer in coming, simply because our new railroad system achieved a new level of efficiency and speed that heretofore, had not existed and that tipped the balance.
The history of the Civil War has many tenacles but that subject has significance to Marylanders since the first bloodshed of the Civil War occurred on April 19, 1861 in the vicinity of the President Street Station, of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad, on the east side of the Baltimore Harbor – interestingly, a few blocks south of the first location of MTS. Beyond political and philosophical differences, one major difference between the north and south were the number and quality of well-developed industrial plants and railroad suppliers in the north. The lack of both in the south became a game changer that contributed to eventual defeat – much earlier than the southerners anticipated.
Military strategists realized early on that destroying railroad lines had a crippling effect on the opponent. The populace of Maryland was roughly divided by northerners and southern sympathizers so the area railroads – the Baltimore & Ohio, PW&B and the Northern Central (the two latter became vassals of the PRR between 1871 and 1881) were hammered throughout the conflict. Bridges were destroyed, facilities burned and locomotives destroyed. The US Military Railroad, guided by some of most capable railroad men of the era, recovered much faster after such losses compared to the Confederates, mainly because the best locomotive works, car builders and railroad suppliers were located in the north.
Notable Civil War lore includes the Andrews Raid aka Great Locomotive Chase, when members of the Union Army stole a locomotive on the Western & Atlantic Railroad in Georgia and were chased by an alert, south railroad crew. A look at the builders of both locomotives that were star performers in that event reveal both were built in the north by Rogers Locomotive Works and Danforth, Cooke & Company – underscoring the south’s dependance on the north for railroad technology.
Fortunately, our Nation became one after that brutal conflict and 50 years later the lessons learned about the unbeatable strength of the military and our railroads in that period between 1861 and 1865 was employed abroad, first during World Wat I and later, World War II. Our railroad and military practice were the most advanced globally, strengths that eventually helped bring an end to both conflicts.
Fast evolving technology and changes in warfare have reshaped the degree that railroads play in supporting the military at peace and war, but the relationship remans solid and always ready for new challenges of the future.
Worthy of note is a look at several Civil War era locomotives that have been preserved. Baltimore & Ohio # 25 (once named from 1927 to 2003 to honor its builder William Mason) now resides at the B&O railroad Museum in Baltimore. Both the Western & Atlantic locomotives the General and Texas of Andrew’s Raid fame, also survive, have been restored and are on display at Kennesaw and Atlanta GA respectively. Another Rogers locomotive from the same era, the Satilla of the Atlantic & Gulf Railroad, is on display at the Henry Ford Museum along with a flat-roofed coach of the same period. Interestingly, two of the best-preserved Rogers locomotives were owned by predecessor railroads that are now part of CSX. Beyond locomotive heritage, the once popular B&O blue and gray livery, designed by Otto Khuler in the 1930s, was inspired by Civil War heritage since the B&O main line along the Potomac River was considered the dividing line between the north-blue and south-gray.
We felt that brief look at the past was an appropriate way to honor the men and women that have served our Nation and the legacy of those that have given their lives in the pursuit of freedom. The MTS family proudly salutes you and extends our sincere thanks now for your interest in this article, social media and other news we share.
Frank Wrabel
Modeltrainstuff.com