Baltimore & Ohio: Bursting with Pride

Many railroads were in financial difficulty as the 1950s drew to a close, and the Baltimore & Ohio was no exception. The cash-strapped railroad had ordered its last new locomotives in 1955; they were GP9s delivered in 1957. B&O's fortunes began to improve slightly when the Chesapeake & Ohio gained 90% control in 1962. That same year brand new GP30s began arriving from builder EMD. The 2250-hp road switchers were unlike any other locomotive on the B&O. The 30s sported a low-profile nose which was emblazoned with a large "Sunburst" logo with the Capitol dome in the center. The new look was far removed from traditional B&O attire.

The sunburst was also applied to a small number of existing locomotives during 1963 and 1964, road power as well yard engines. The sunburst scheme consisted of three components: Large nose graphic, large roman-style lettering and numbers, and yellow hash mark along the frame. Yard engines did not receive the nose graphic. B&O's sunburst scheme was short-lived and had all but disappeared by the close of 1966.

(GP30 #6928 and two Reading running mates lead B&O's "Northeasterner" through Fostoria, Ohio during the winter of 1963/64. R. Craig photo)


XXXX A Photo Review


Components Of The The Sunburst Fleet

click on image to enlarge

E6A 1412

George Menge photo

E7A 1428

Harold Buckley, Jr photo

E8A 1449

Marty Bernard photo

E9A 1457

Bill Hakkarinen photo

FA2 4028

R.R. "Dick" Wallin photo

F7A 4549

Tom Smart photo

FB-1 5012

J. David Ingles photo

GP7 6412

Tom Smart photo

GP30 6953

Joe McMillan photo

44-Tonner 8802

Photographer unknown

NW2 9551

Photographer Unknown

FM H12-44 & Alco S2

need photos of both

XXXXNotes

Developed by: R.Craig New: 1 February 2018 (revised 22 December 2021)
Reference sources:
  • Baltimore & Ohio: Cumberland to Chicago by David Ori, Stephen Salamon and David Oroszi
  • Baltimore & Ohio E-Unit Diesel Passenger Locomotives by Douglas B. Nuckles and Thomas W. Dixon, Jr.
  • Flickr.com
  • Rail Pictures.Net
  • RR PicturesArchives.Net
  • James C. (Jim) Mischke, long-time B&O fan and historian

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