Changing Horses at the Relay House, 1830

Horses pulled the first passenger trains on the B&O Railroad.The first section of track built was from the passenger station of Mt. Claire road, Baltimore (the oldest station in the world, still standing today) to Ellicott Mills which was 14 miles. At 9 miles into the journey the Relay House where a fresh horse was put into service to pull the train up the hilly stretch to Ellicott's.