$38M Museum Overhaul Sets Stage for Rail Bicentennial

The National Museum of Railroad History & Innovation will spend $38 million to transform its Baltimore campus before the 200th anniversary of American railroading. The project aims to link the industry's origins with its technological future while anchoring national celebrations of the railroad's societal impact.

The site, a 40-acre National Historic Landmark in Baltimore, is where the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad laid the country's first commercial tracks. It has long served as a Smithsonian Affiliate and a stop on the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. The upcoming expansion adds new indoor and outdoor spaces to this historic grounds.

The museum's leadership has long identified the location as the primary venue for the bicentennial. Kris Hoellen, the executive director, stated that the site is the only logical place to celebrate 200 years of the industry. He noted that visitors will be able to experience the full arc of rail history, from the first mile of commercial track to the technologies emerging in the new Innovation Hall.

The centerpiece of the renovation is the 33,000-square-foot South Car Works building. This structure operated as the nation's oldest continuously running railroad repair facility from 1869 to 1990. It will now house the Innovation Hall, which features exhibits on magnetic propulsion, freight efficiency, and data-driven rail operations. The space will also serve as classrooms for youth education and events.

For the first time, the museum will display its extensive archives to the public. The collection includes more than 30 million documents, 260,000 photos, and 200,000 artifacts. Items range from B&O board minutes dating to 1827 to presidential correspondence and genealogy recordings. Jon Goldman, the head curator, said the museum previously lacked the capacity to show the full breadth of these materials.

The campus will also feature a new outdoor amphitheater and a free community garden. The entrance has been reoriented to face the Southwest Baltimore neighborhood, replacing a retaining wall to improve local access. Hoellen described this shift as an intentional commitment to making the grounds a civic gathering space and a catalyst for local economic investment.

The new exhibits complement existing displays that trace the railroad's role in the Civil War and the Underground Railroad. The museum already holds the oldest collection of 19th-century American rolling stock, including The Tom Thumb. The expanded campus will open to the public on January 28, 2027. Adult tickets for the new experience are priced at $27.