AFT No. 1 was one of three locomotives that powered the 1975-76 American Freedom Train, a traveling exhibition during the U.S. Bicentennial carrying more than 500 pieces of Americana—from George Washington’s copy of the Constitution and Benjamin Franklin’s handwritten draft of the Articles of Confederation to the original Louisiana Purchase, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s robes, Judy Garland’s dress from The Wizard of Oz, and a lunar rover. (Download AFT No. 1 overview below.)
AFT No. 1’s cosmetic restoration, supported in part by a federal Save America’s Treasures grant administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, was completed in six months. It included replacing necessary jacketing, repairing wiring for headlights, class lights, and tab lights, and rust abatement work (download restoration details, photographs below). The seal and graphics were painted by artists David and Liné Tutwiler.
The locomotive and a corresponding new exhibit devoted to the historic American Freedom Train journey to 138 cities in all 48 contiguous states are now on permanent display at the museum, following the Jan. 12 unveiling ceremony, which included remarks by Martin O’Malley, former two-term Governor of Maryland, representing the Maryland 250 Commission, and Bruno Maestri, Vice President of Government Affairs and Corporate Communications for Amtrak and a B&O Railroad Museum Board Member, plus participation by the original engineers of the 1975-76 Freedom Train.
Both unveilings launch a yearlong series of programs, exhibitions, and events at the museum centered on the AFT No. 1 and America 250, culminating in the celebration of the 200th anniversary of American railroading in 2027.
“The American Freedom Train and the locomotive that pulled it, the AFT No. 1, were a touring museum carrying artifacts representing the best of our country,” said Kris Hoellen, Executive Director of the B&O Railroad Museum. “Today, we are honoring this great nation and the mode of transportation that made the Freedom Train possible—the railroad, which is celebrating 200 years in 2027. The AFT No. 1 serves as a bridge connecting these two important anniversaries.”
“Maryland is proud to be the home of this national treasure,” Martin O’Malley commented. “By preserving the AFT No. 1, we are preserving the memories of millions of Americans and reinforcing the unity of our state and country.”
The B&O Railroad Museum is a historic site located on the original grounds of the B&O, the first steam-operated railroad in the United States to be chartered as a common carrier of freight and passengers. Its campus extends 40 acres into southwest/west Baltimore, Md., and features the first mile of commercial track ever laid in the country; five historic buildings, including the 1851 Mt. Clare Station (designated a National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Site); and the 1884 B&O Roundhouse. CSX, the B&O’s successor, in 1987 officially transferred all land and property for the museum to a non-profit that became the B&O Railroad Museum.
CSX President and CEO Steve Angel and Benjamin H. Griswold IV are co-chairs of the museum’s $38 million capital campaign for restoration work ahead of railroading’s bicentennial.
The campaign will cover work to restore the museum’s South Car Works building, which is said to be the oldest, continuously operating railroad repair facility in the United States if not the world (1869-1990). The 33,000-square-foot building’s transformation will include an Innovation Hall to exhibit the present and future of American railroading technology, as well as educational and historical archive space. Additionally, the building will serve as the new entrance to the museum. The museum said this will allow it to “reimagine its campus flow to face Southwest Baltimore to spark community economic development and to create the CSX Bicentennial Garden.”
CSX is donating $5 million to build the garden, which will include an amphitheater and multi-use space that can host local organizations and hold community gatherings. “This installation will serve as a vibrant event space and provide a fresh, new location to welcome visitors to the museum,” the railroad reported in 2023, when it became the first corporate patron to pledge support for the campaign, along with the state of Maryland, which included a $1 million grant in its Fiscal Year 2024 capital budget.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the museum project was held in May 2025. The museum is said to have raised $28 million so far for the project, which is slated for completion in October 2026.
Separately, CSX in May 2023 showcased its first heritage locomotive design in honor of the B&O.
