We all know that to win the game of Monopoly, one must first be the banker so you can cheat and slip yourself some extra money from time to time and you must own the four railroads on the board and put houses and hotels on those suckers. Logistically a property on each side of the board increases your chances of an opponent landing on your land. Let's all recollect that the four railroads are Pennsylvania, Reading, Short Line, and B&O. So it just so happens that nestled in downtown Baltimore is none other than the B&O railroad museum which stands for Baltimore and Ohio. I had no idea!
Needless to say, I had a lot to learn that day. I ventured out to the museum with two other travel nurses Jeremy and Sylvia Cupp. They are nurses from Ohio as well, the Cleveland Clinic, but I shall not judge. We had a great time. The only thing that can make a train any cooler than it already is; to see a train at Christmas. They had the museum all decked out with lights, nutcrackers, elves, and little soldiers. It was awesome! Not that I don't think about my dad everyday, but I so wished he were here in Baltimore visiting me and he and Lu were at the museum with me. I know he would have loved it.
After reading up on the history of trains and how they have gone from using coal to now diesel and electric and how trains impacted slavery, we went out to a train yard to see dinner cars, passenger cars, and where the passenger cars were repaired. That was no small building. Actually not that long but quite tall. In the passenger car repair building we met the infamous Al Stominski. Al was quite knowledgeable of the trains here in Baltimore, but it is possible that we were his first customers available to share his knowledge with that day and it was an hour before closing time. He was a talker! We learned a lot about trains and once Al found out we were all nurses, yep you got it, we heard all about Al's colonoscopy, prostate exam, several orthopedic surgeries, and the unfortunate passing of his wife. Oh the curse of being a nurse!
What I did learn was that B&O stands for the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. My question, why is Ohio so pivotal? It wasn't the state of Ohio that they were referring to, but the Ohio River. Access to the Ohio River gave access to the Mississippi and Missouri rivers which enabled the railroads to access more states. Well, somebody was smart. Another tidbit learned; passenger train cars were produced in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Lima, OH. My good friend Shannon is from Delphos, OH, which is near Lima, OH. If I recall correctly, Lima is not that big of a city. So the train museum that they just finished there must be a big attraction in that town.
Another great outing here in Baltimore! Pictures can be found in the photos section of the blog.
I had no idea you liked trains so much. Mom is learning all the time about you. Love you.
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