A shortened version of the Royal Blue stands in Baltimore. Of course, this is not Camden Station, but rather the nearby Mount Clare shops complex, which has become the B&O Railroad Museum. The 1937 slant-nosed EMC model EA was the first E-unit to be placed in service. A contemporary of the PRR GG1 electric, the first EA/EB set was immediately assigned to the Royal Blue , the flagship service on B&O’s Washington – New York route, competing with the GG1’s on the parallel Northeast Corridor.
The Achilles heel of B&O’s New York service was its failure to cross the Hudson River, meaning that a connecting ferry was required to reach Manhattan from the terminus in Communipaw (Jersey City), New Jersey. The PRR offered a much more convenient stop at mid-town Penn Station. Ultimately, the Royal Blue, and later lesser trains on the route, succumbed. Fortunately, the Winton-engined streamliner was set aside by the B&O for preservation. The subsequent years and outdoor display took its toll, and the streamliner is now being restored, as seen in Mitch Goldman’s 2016 photo.
