"AJ Cromwell"

The B&O No. 545 is a one-of-a-kind 2-8-0 “Consolidation” type locomotive. The first 2-8-0 engines were developed by Andrew Mitchel, Master Mechanic of the Lehigh Valley Railroad (LV), in 1866. That same year, the LV acquired the Lehigh Mahanoy Railroad. To celebrate the merger, Mitchel’s 2-8-0 was nicknamed the “Consolidation” – a title that would later be applied to all locomotives of this class. Though slow compared to its predecessors, the Consolidation class could pull ultra-heavy trains across extraordinarily steep mountain grades, and its three-point-suspension system allowed for increased traction. Because they were primarily used for freight services, these “Old Victorian Workhorses” appeared utilitarian, with no aesthetic ornamentation to speak of.  

In 1873, the B&O began using Consolidation locomotives to haul coal through the treacherous Allegheny Mountains. Other railroads soon followed suit as they recognized the money-making potential of the 2-8-0 class. By 1885, there were 180 Consolidation locomotives on the B&O Railroad, and the fleet was still growing. The No. 545 was one of several 2-8-0 type engines completed by Andrew J. Cromwell, Supervisor of Motive Power for the B&O Railroad, in 1888. For decades, it was used to pull coal-filled gondolas from the Alleghenies to the Baltimore harbor.  

The B&O continued to purchase and produce Consolidation type engines until c.1910, when they were superseded by new-and-improved units (such as the 2-8-2 “Mikado”). Like most Consolidation locomotives, the No. 545 stayed in operation until the 1920s. Some railroads were buying and using 2-8-0s as late as the mid-20th century. Between 1866 and 1950, about 33,000 Consolidations were made for the American railroad, and 21,000 were used for main line services.  

In 1927, the No. 545 was repainted and placed on display at the Fair of the Iron Horse. It was during the centennial celebration that the locomotive was named “A.J. Cromwell” in honor of its maker. Eight years later, the locomotive was sitting in an exhibition hall when a devastating thunderstorm caused the 500-foot-long, 100-foot-high roof to collapse. The damaged engine was soon restored and relocated, first to Bailey’s roundhouse near Camden Station, and then to Mt. Clare. Disaster struck the “A.J. Cromwell” once again in January of 2003, when a historic snowstorm destroyed the roof of the Mt. Clare Roundhouse. Though the Consolidation engine suffered severe damage, the B&O Railroad Museum managed to restore the “A.J. Cromwell” to its original 1888 appearance.  

Despite being damaged in two separate roofing disasters, the No. 545 is the only surviving 2-8-0 locomotive from the B&O fleet. It is also the oldest locomotive in the B&O collection equipped with air brakes. Fans of classic movies may recognize the locomotive from the 1956 film The Swan starring Alex Guinness, Louis Jourdan, and Grace Kelly (who became the Princess of Monaco shortly after the film’s release). In the movie, the Consolidation is dressed to resemble a 1910 Hungarian engine.