Summer Speaker Series
August 15 at 7:00 pm
Topic: History of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
Speaker: Dr. Neal Brooks
Oakland B&O Museum
117 E Liberty St, Oakland, MD 21550
Topic: History of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
Speaker: Dr. Neal Brooks
Oakland B&O Museum
117 E Liberty St, Oakland, MD 21550
September
Topic: Olive Dennis - A Female Civil Engineer for the B&O Railroad in the 1920s
Speaker: Sharon Harwood
Oakland B&O Museum
117 E Liberty St, Oakland, MD 21550
Topic: Olive Dennis - A Female Civil Engineer for the B&O Railroad in the 1920s
Speaker: Sharon Harwood
Oakland B&O Museum
117 E Liberty St, Oakland, MD 21550
Ongoing Efforts
Oakland's Kick Off to Summer
Join us at the museum during Oakland's Kick Off to Summer on June 8
Summer Speaker Series
We invite railroad, station, and history experts to come speak at our museum each summer
Our volunteers welcome school children!
Eachfall, 4th graders are invited to come learn about our station, John Work Garrett, and B&O Railroad history
Not-So-Spooky Halloween at the Museum
Halloween at the B&O is a fun time where children can get treats!
December is a Magical Time at the Train Station
We invite all pre-K and kindergarten classes to visit in December to watch the Polar Express movie and enjoy some fun activities!
Join us at the museum during Oakland's Kick Off to Summer on June 8
Summer Speaker Series
We invite railroad, station, and history experts to come speak at our museum each summer
Our volunteers welcome school children!
Eachfall, 4th graders are invited to come learn about our station, John Work Garrett, and B&O Railroad history
Not-So-Spooky Halloween at the Museum
Halloween at the B&O is a fun time where children can get treats!
December is a Magical Time at the Train Station
We invite all pre-K and kindergarten classes to visit in December to watch the Polar Express movie and enjoy some fun activities!
Historic Events & Announcements:
Dots and Dashes- Oakland B&O Telegraph Display
Photo by Sue Grey
This is a recent picture of the fourth grade class of Friendsville Elementary visiting the telegraph display at the Oakland B&O Museum. About twenty-five students at a time visit the museum from the Garrett County elementary schools. We divide them into three groups, railroad safety, railroad history, and the telegraph display. They rotate through these in about twenty minute intervals.
We have a table with a six volt battery, two KOB’s, a connecting wire on overhead poles, and some display items. The display items are a pen recorder, relay, and battery jar. The battery jar is very simple with a zinc strip and a copper strip to illustrate the principle.
We start of by asking how many use cell phone texting. The results are in the picture. From there I send the first few letters of the alphabet, and my name. There are two posters, one in front of me and the other at the far ends of the table with instructions how to hold the key and a few lines about spacing and rhythm.
The rhythm part is easy because most of the students are studying music. Then I pick a student’s name and send that, using music notation to show the proper timing, and how the operator forms the letters with the key.
Then I show them that there is only one wire. Then I show them how to use the circuit closers to change the direction of the transmission. Then two operators work the keys. One sends their name, then the other replies with their name. Usually we have enough time for all of the pairs to try it.
Here are two stories from the past. First, we had a number of people in the room where the telegraph display is. I was explaining the telegraph display when I noticed two teenage girls in the back standing side by side texting with their cell phones. So I asked them what they were doing… So I picked on them and sat them down at the keys and explained the circuit closers. I was surprised that they both seemed to be interested.
I was working the museum by myself, so I left to take the group through the rest of the displays and out into the yard where we looked at the rolling stock. It was some time later when I got back to the telegraph display. When I got close I could understand both sides of the conversation. They were sending about eight words per minute… Any faster and I would have been under the table.
Second, once again we had a large number of visitors in the museum listening to my story about the telegraph. In the back was a matronly woman with a young girl. The woman was signing to the girl as I talked. I mentioned that Thomas Edison, who was a telegraph operator, was deaf. Immediately the girl started signing to the woman who came over and asked me how someone who is hard of hearing could be a telegraph operator. I motioned the girl to come over. I told the woman to ask the girl to put her hand on the table while I was sending. My sounder was right next to the key, and the girl could feel the code through the table. The look on her face was priceless.
Actually, something memorable happens every time people visit the display. Anyone interested in our display can contact me for a personal tour of the museum.
Respectfully submitted,
Morgan C. France
silverdaggr@gmail.com
We have a table with a six volt battery, two KOB’s, a connecting wire on overhead poles, and some display items. The display items are a pen recorder, relay, and battery jar. The battery jar is very simple with a zinc strip and a copper strip to illustrate the principle.
We start of by asking how many use cell phone texting. The results are in the picture. From there I send the first few letters of the alphabet, and my name. There are two posters, one in front of me and the other at the far ends of the table with instructions how to hold the key and a few lines about spacing and rhythm.
The rhythm part is easy because most of the students are studying music. Then I pick a student’s name and send that, using music notation to show the proper timing, and how the operator forms the letters with the key.
Then I show them that there is only one wire. Then I show them how to use the circuit closers to change the direction of the transmission. Then two operators work the keys. One sends their name, then the other replies with their name. Usually we have enough time for all of the pairs to try it.
Here are two stories from the past. First, we had a number of people in the room where the telegraph display is. I was explaining the telegraph display when I noticed two teenage girls in the back standing side by side texting with their cell phones. So I asked them what they were doing… So I picked on them and sat them down at the keys and explained the circuit closers. I was surprised that they both seemed to be interested.
I was working the museum by myself, so I left to take the group through the rest of the displays and out into the yard where we looked at the rolling stock. It was some time later when I got back to the telegraph display. When I got close I could understand both sides of the conversation. They were sending about eight words per minute… Any faster and I would have been under the table.
Second, once again we had a large number of visitors in the museum listening to my story about the telegraph. In the back was a matronly woman with a young girl. The woman was signing to the girl as I talked. I mentioned that Thomas Edison, who was a telegraph operator, was deaf. Immediately the girl started signing to the woman who came over and asked me how someone who is hard of hearing could be a telegraph operator. I motioned the girl to come over. I told the woman to ask the girl to put her hand on the table while I was sending. My sounder was right next to the key, and the girl could feel the code through the table. The look on her face was priceless.
Actually, something memorable happens every time people visit the display. Anyone interested in our display can contact me for a personal tour of the museum.
Respectfully submitted,
Morgan C. France
silverdaggr@gmail.com
Brick Orders
The Oakland B&O Museum will be accepting Brick Orders for the sidewalk that will run along the recently acquired locomotive. Temporary plain bricks will be put into the sidewalk at this time and then replaced with the customized stamped bricks at the end of the locomotive restoration process. Bricks are $50 each and the form below can be downloaded, filled out and mailed to the address on the form.
Steam Engine Project
The Oakland B&O Museum in conjunction with the Town of Oakland recently acquired a 1920 locomotive that was originally built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Jonesboro, Lake City and Eastern Railroad in Mississippi County, Arkansas. The locomotive originally carried the number 40, but was changed to #76 when it was leased to the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad. In 1967, Sloan Cornell purchased locomotive #76 and moved it to Pennsylvania for service on his Penn View Mountain scenic railroad. Then, in 1976, Mr. Cornell closed his Penn View Mountain railway and moved his entire operation to the Gettysburg area, where he operated the Gettysburg Scenic Railway. In 1999, the locomotive was sold to the Ohio Central Railroad and was trucked to the Ohio Central's Morgan Run Shops to await its' turn for a complete overhaul. In 2005, still awaiting its' restoration, the locomotive was sold to the Steam Railroading Institute at Owosso, Michigan. Here it began a slow restoration process that was ultimately abandoned in favor of another locomotive. In the fall of 2017, the Oakland B&O Museum received a generous donation from the Daniel E. Offutt III Charitable Trust, for the purpose of acquiring a steam locomotive to displayed at the museum. This was followed by another generous donation from Tom and Sara Kuhn to facilitate enhancements to the engine, and the surrounding area. After an extensive search, the Oakland B&O Museum was able to purchase #76 from the Steam Railroading Institute of Michigan. It was moved from Michigan to Oakland in July 2018 and will be restored for display services on site by Diversified Rail Service, Inc.
The Oakland Express at the Oakland B&O Museum
The Oakland B&O Museum will be part of a Great Small Town Christmas each year, inviting children ages 4-9 to watch The Polar Express movie or have an Evening with Santa at the museum. There is limited space for these events. Please call Oakland town hall to make a reservation. RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED. We invite the parents to tour the station and enjoy some treats for yourself while your children are in the North Pole (classroom). This will be an experience your child will never forget!!!
Greetings to all of those who contributed to the cost of erecting the signal,
The museum committee and the people of Garrett County are grateful for your contributions to the work to set up the signal next to the siding at the station. The folks in the attached picture are left to right, Bob Shaffer, Museum Committee (MC), Allegany Welding employee (AW), Matt Scheffel, AW, George Scheffel AW, Allegany Welding employee (AW), Larry Hileman MC, Morgan France, MC.
Allegany Welding was helpful throughout the restoration of the signal. They provided lifting service as needed and put the final coat of paint on the signal. Frank Arnold Contractors built the base for the signal and installed the underground electrical conduit. Evergreen Electric in the person of Steve Huntt did the wiring. The signal controls were provided by Josh Wotring. Geof Day helped Bob and Larry throughout the work.
The entire project has been underwritten by donations from the local community. Thanks to all who helped.
The museum committee and the people of Garrett County are grateful for your contributions to the work to set up the signal next to the siding at the station. The folks in the attached picture are left to right, Bob Shaffer, Museum Committee (MC), Allegany Welding employee (AW), Matt Scheffel, AW, George Scheffel AW, Allegany Welding employee (AW), Larry Hileman MC, Morgan France, MC.
Allegany Welding was helpful throughout the restoration of the signal. They provided lifting service as needed and put the final coat of paint on the signal. Frank Arnold Contractors built the base for the signal and installed the underground electrical conduit. Evergreen Electric in the person of Steve Huntt did the wiring. The signal controls were provided by Josh Wotring. Geof Day helped Bob and Larry throughout the work.
The entire project has been underwritten by donations from the local community. Thanks to all who helped.