Six months before it is slated to celebrate the 200th anniversary of American railroading, the B&O Railroad Museum announced it would be renamed the National Museum of Railroad History & Innovation. In a press release on July 14, museum officials said the new name would reflect its “expanded national mission to preserve and interpret America’s railroad heritage while exploring the innovations shaping the future of rail transportation.” 

“Nearly 200 years ago, a bold vision launched from this very place transformed our nation,” said Kris Hoellen, executive director of the National Museum of Railroad History & Innovation. “As we prepare to commemorate the bicentennial of American railroading, we are embracing a name that reflects both our responsibility to preserve one of America’s greatest transportation stories and our commitment to exploring where rail transportation is headed next.”

Located on a 40-acre campus where the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad—the nation’s first common carrier railroad—was founded, the museum occupies one of the most significant railroad sites in the United States. The campus is recognized as a National Historic Landmark, a Smithsonian Affiliate, and a National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom site. At the heart of the museum is a collection of historic equipment that was once owned by the B&O. The B&O opened the museum in 1953. 

Museum officials said while the name is changing, it remains dedicated to the history of America’s first common carrier. 

“The B&O is not being left behind—it is the foundation upon which the museum’s expanded role as a nationally significant institution is built,” Hoellen said. “With today’s announcement, we celebrate the past, the present and the possible.”

The announcement comes as the museum plans to open a new $38 million campus expansion in early 2027, just in time for the B&O’s 200th anniversary. 

—Justin Franz