Electric Switcher

In 1860s, the B&O built a small rail network in Fells Point to service Baltimore’s waterfront factories and warehouses. Because an 1831 city ordinance prohibited the use of steam engines in, the Fells Point line was originally serviced by horses. In 1897, the railroad constructed a 6-story tobacco warehouse at Henderson’s Wharf, just next to the railway. It was designed by E. Francis Baldwin, the same architect responsible for the B&O Roundhouse. Thanks to a freight agency and car-float facility attached to the building, the B&O was able to receive goods from Locust Point, which was located directly across the harbor.  

The Howard Street Tunnel was electrified by the B&O in 1895. It was the first time that electricity was applied to a mainline railroad. The following year, the B&O erected overhead trolly wires around Fells Point. The wires received their power from a nearby streetcar line. The electrified Fells Point line was initially serviced by the B&O No. 4 “Dinky,” a 5-ton electric switcher developed by General Electric (GE). The engine was operated by two employees of the Henderson’s Wharf freight agency.  

Thanks in part to the B&O’s harborside terminal operations, Fells Point was a thriving port by the dawn of the 20th century. In 1909, the “Dinky” was replaced by the B&O No. CE-10, a 10-ton electric boxcar switcher. Thanks to its compact steel body, the new engine was perfect for the sharp turns and narrow streets of Fells Points. The switcher continued to service the waterfront terminal for the next several decades. In 1942, the engine was renumbered as B&O No. 150 

By the mid-1950s, the B&O’s Fells Point line serviced 12 major customs including the private Belt’s Wharf Warehouse, several canning and manufacturing businesses, and the Arundel-Brooks concrete plant. The No. 150 regularly visited these locations until 1954, when Baltimore ended its electric trolley service, and the Fells Point terminal lost its power source. The electric trolley lines were torn down, and the No. 150 was replaced by the DT-1, a modified B&O tractor.  

In the late 20th century, many of Baltimore industries fell into decline. In 1969, the Henderson Wharf car-float facility was condemned, cutting off trade between Fells Point and Locust Point. The B&O warehouse was abandoned by the company in 1976, and the railroad’s few remaining harborside operations were closed in 1985. The old rail lines can still be found throughout Fells Point, and the old 6-story Henderson Wharf building is now used as an apartment complex.