B&O No. 305

4-6-0 Davis Camel

Erected in 1869 by Ross Winans

Camels were a staple of the early B&O and could be found on the roster of Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, Reading Company and Central Railroad of New Jersey as well. They were useful because their huge fireboxes allowed the use of waste anthracite coal which made their operation less costly.

There are two distinct eras, the middle of the 1800s for about 30 years. These engines had the engineer atop the boiler and the fireman down and behind on a rather exposed platform.

The second was in the 1920s on the Lehigh Valley, Philadelphia and Reading, and the Central Railroad of New Jersey. These had cabs that straddled the boiler midway. At this time they garnered the nickname of Mother Hubbards or snappers. This location of the cab right above the wheels left the crew in a bad place when side rod or tire failures occurred. A few of this style worked until the end of mainline steam in the USA.

Currently resides at the B&O Museum, Baltimore, MD