A lot of the cities match on both: Baltimore, Hagerstown, Wheeling, etc... However, the National Road seems to have stopped at Vandalia Illinois. Did the B&O follow the National Road from Baltimore to Wheeling, then angle off to Chicago from there?
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
The B&O followed the various streams and rivers west from Baltimore, with the Old Main line following the Patapsco River West and then various creeks to Point of Rocks where politics delayed further construction for several years. Eventually the line followed the Potomac River West to Cumberland. To reach Wheeling and the Ohio River, the B&O built over the Allegheny Mountains to Grafton, VA and then a line from Grafton, VA to Wheeling VA - arriving in 1853 or so - 25 years after the line was started at Baltimore.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Murphy Siding Did the B&O follow the National Road from Baltimore to Wheeling, then angle off to Chicago from there?
Did the B&O follow the National Road from Baltimore to Wheeling, then angle off to Chicago from there?
The answer depends on what "follow" means.
In the sense that Baltimore was one end and Wheeling the other, then yes. In the sense of following the same route, then no.
The road was built to as to minimize miles, damn the hills. The railroad was built to minimize grades, generally following watercourses, at the expense of additional miles, and was forced to not use the best route west of Cumberland MD, which lay in PA. The PRR got the PA legislature to prohibit the B&O from building in PA so the B&O had to go the long and steep way through (West) Virginia.
It did not take the B&O long to figure out that there was not much point to Wheeling as a western terminal, so they dropped back to Grafton and built a new line to Parkersburg which developed into the main line to Chicago.
That is a very short version of a very complex story. Pick whichever answer you like.
Mac
They were also one of the first to get grant R/W from the feds in order to get through tidal basin areas near Baltimore in 1832.
mudchicken They were also one of the first to get grant R/W from the feds in order to get through tidal basin areas near Baltimore in 1832.
Johnny
probably a little alcohol and a cash favor
Deggestyas I recall, the "h" was added much later
I believe you recall incorrectly. The first time was just a misspelling on the printed 'documentation'. The official "Pittsburg" hobgoblin-of-small-minds name change came in the early 1890s, long after the B&O came through...
In following the Potomac River, the B&O also followed the old C&O canal.
Wizlish Deggesty as I recall, the "h" was added much later I believe you recall incorrectly. The first time was just a misspelling on the printed 'documentation'. The official "Pittsburg" hobgoblin-of-small-minds name change came in the early 1890s, long after the B&O came through...
Deggesty as I recall, the "h" was added much later
http://rrpicturearchives.net/locoPicture.aspx?id=40195
Brakie is gonna tell us that it's a name we haven't thrown out there yet, anyhow.
Central & Eastern Kansas was riddled with rail lines, including some really oddball ones...most don't lend themselves for naming pussygatos... (and then there were those mangy things that lived in the steam tunnels in La Junta and Sand Creek (Newton) yards...didn't mess with those things - but had no rodent issues either while crawling around in the tunnels)
mudchicken Wizlish Deggesty as I recall, the "h" was added much later I believe you recall incorrectly. The first time was just a misspelling on the printed 'documentation'. The official "Pittsburg" hobgoblin-of-small-minds name change came in the early 1890s, long after the B&O came through... The one in Kansas got the "h" kicked out of it......why hasn't "Cinders" shown up yet?...If they wind up with two males you could have Amos & Andy (nicknames for Santa Fe's prototype pre-E units...1 and 1A)...Or Christine (CRIP's mongrel DL-109 re-engined by EMD) http://rrpicturearchives.net/locoPicture.aspx?id=40195 Brakie is gonna tell us that it's a name we haven't thrown out there yet, anyhow. Central & Eastern Kansas was riddled with rail lines, including some really oddball ones...most don't lend themselves for naming pussygatos... (and then there were those mangy things that lived in the steam tunnels in La Junta and Sand Creek (Newton) yards...didn't mess with those things - but had no rodent issues either while crawling around in the tunnels)
The one in Kansas got the "h" kicked out of it......why hasn't "Cinders" shown up yet?...If they wind up with two males you could have Amos & Andy (nicknames for Santa Fe's prototype pre-E units...1 and 1A)...Or Christine (CRIP's mongrel DL-109 re-engined by EMD)
BaltACD: "Wheeling, VA" gave me a bit of a start when I read the "VA" part but, of course, you're right. That's what it was until 1862.
ChuckAllen, TX
From Wikipedia () which, in this case at least, is correct:
From 1890 to 1911 the city's "h" was removed but after a public campaign it was officially restored by the United States Board on Geographic Names.at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh
Interesting side note totally unrelated to the topic of this thread: PRR's station, having been completed in 1910, was officially the Pittsburg Union Station. That name was literally cast in concrete (well, terra cotta) on the front facade. It was called a Union Station because PRR, PCC&StL, and PFW&C shared it at the time.
Murph:If you havent, you should read Vance's "The North American Railroad". It is a geography and railroad book combined.
Ed
The original spelling of Pittsburgh was with the "h" on the end. Pittsburgh was named in honor of British Prime Minister William Pitt by Scottish General John Forbes. Forbes used the Scottish language spelling as in Edinburgh, Scotland.
It is interesting to note that the ties of the Pittsburgh region to Scotland go far beyond the spelling of the city. The dialect of the region (aka Pittsburghese) is directly related to Scottish English. To this day, vistors to the region often have no idea what the locals are saying, unless of course you are visiting from Scotland, then you know exactly what is being said.
As far as B&O lines following the National Road, the W&P Subdivsion followed the road side-by-side from Washington, PA to Wheeling.
As noted above the B&O followed the National Road and C&O canal west to Cumberland MD. The National Road (US40) went northwest from Cumberland through Washington PA then slightly south to Wheeling. As also mentioned above the B&O due to non approval of the Pennsylvania legislature had to build entirely in Virginia (West Virginia after June 23, 1863) from Cumberland to Wheeling staying entirely within Virginia. The line from Clarksburg to Wheeling was very twisty and hilly. The B&O eventually crossed the Ohio River at Benwood, about 10 miles south of Wheeling. With the death of the steel industry Wheeling went into decline. B&O abandoned the line from Clarksburg to Wheeling, the line from Washington PA to Wheeling, and several lines in Ohio near Wheeling. Conrail (nee PRR) abandoned their line from Wellsburg WV south to Benwood and the Wheeling Terminal Railway bridge over the Ohio in northern Wheeling was torn down. Wheeling is a mere shadow of itself railroad wise with the only line into town is the stub end line along the Ohio River to Huntington WV. There is not any other railroad connections in Wheeling existing today.
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