B O No. 117 Thatcher Perkins Baltimore Ohio Railroad 4-6-0 Perkins Ten Wheeler Editorial Image

In 1853, the Baltimore Ohio Railroad built its first Ten Wheeler locomotives to tackle the tough mountain grades in what is now West Virginia. A decade later, this locomotive type was needed to meet the demand caused by the Civil War and increased passenger traffic on the B O. The No. 147 was part of the first series of Ten Wheelers designed by Master of Machinery, Thatcher Perkins, in 1863. After moving Union troops during the war, the versatile No. 147 continued to pull both passenger and freight trains.