The rebirth of Baldwin's Cathedral - 1884 passenger car roundhouse B & O railroad museum Baltimore, Maryland

This paper presents a summary of the beginning of railroading in America, the origin of the B T 0 Railroad Museum's 1884 Passenger Car Shop (Roundhouse) with its unusual features and the sequence of events that led up to the partial collapse of the low roof on February 16th and 17th, 2003. Included is a summary of the weather conditions that caused this catastrophic event. An analysis of the failure mechanisms based on field investigation and engineering evaluation is thoroughly discussed. The emergency measures taken to save the building along with the subsequent design and reconstruction of the Roundhouse are presented herein.