Why Is The B & O Railroad Important

The B&O Railroad has an unwavering historic importance. It is the oldest common carrier railroad of America. The businessmen, surveyors and engineers from Baltimore and the state of Maryland took initiative for the building of the B&O Railroad. It was built to increase the state’s economic prosperity. The state had rich resources of coal deposits, natural gas and oil in the midst of heavily forested mountains. It linked the agricultural Midwest to the commerce offered by Ohio River. Chartered on February 28, 1827, the work of construction started on July 4, 1828. The work was completed to Wheeling, West Virginia in 1852 on the Christmas Eve. As a result of which the first ever commercial long-distance tracks and the first passenger station located on the banks of the Ohio River were built.
This building had its own state-of-the-art internal telephone system, electric elevators, indoor plumbing and steam heat which generated electricity for the station. The two-storey lobby had colored glass dome which got illuminated by the sky-lights from the 4th floor roof. The interior of the building is characterized by marble floors and wainscots, chandeliers and sconces of brass and wrought iron, scarlet walls, oak trim and cast iron stairwells. The area was frequently flooded, so the train tracks were located on raised platform adjacent to the second floor of the building. West Virginia has many renowned historical figures associated with rail industry. The railroad system was built and expanded by Collis P. Huntington, H. H. Rogers, Henry Gassaway Davis and Stephen Benton Elkins. All these personalities helped in developing and bringing prosperity to the