Jordan Spreader

The B&O No. B-29 is a “Jordan Spreader,” a special type of maintenance car designed to spread ballast. Ballast is the layer of crushed stone that is used as a foundation for railroad tracks. The layer of stone prevents the railroad ties from moving, and it allows water to drain away from the tracks. It also stops weeds and other plants from growing on the line.  

The Jordan Spreader was patented in 1907 by Oswald F. Jordan, a roadmaster for the New York Central Railroad. It is considered by some to be the earliest type of railroad maintenance equipment. The original design featured a single blade that could be moved up and down using a hand crank. Over time, the technology evolved to include multiple blades and hydraulic folding “wings.” Later models were designed to spread ballast, dig drainage ditches, and plow snow.  

1,400 Jordan Spreaders were produced by the O.F. Jordan company between 1898 and 1960. In 2001, the machine was inducted into the North American Railway Hall of Fame. Today, the versatile spreader has been widely replaced by more specialized machines.  Tampers pack the ballast, regulators distribute the ballast, and cleaners sweep the ballast from the tracks. The remaining Jordan Spreaders are primarily used for snowplow services.  

The B&O No. B-20 was built in 1951 by the O.F. Jordan Company of East Chicago, Indiana. Later in life, it was renumbered as the B&O No. SC-502. After the B&O became a subsidiary of the Chessie System in 1973, the spreader was given a Chessie Era paint scheme and renumbered again, this time as the No. 914172. The Jordan Spreader became property of CSX by 1987, when all Chessie lines were officially absorbed by the new railroad company. In 1993, CSX delivered the No. 914172 to the B&O Railroad Museum. Shortly thereafter, the machine was renumbered as B&O No. B-29 and cosmetically restored to match its original appearance.