C&O No. 490 was built by Alco in 1926 as a Pacific, the C&O rebuilt this engine as a streamlined Hudson in 1946 for "Chessie" service, the C&O’s hope for the future of its passenger business. B&O #5300 was the first of 20 class P-7 Pacific-type locomotives built for the B&O by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1927. These locomotives were named after the first 21 U.S. Presidents with President Adams representing both John Adams and John Quincy Adams. They were designed for the B&O's premier Royal Blue Line passenger route between New York and Washington. After thirty years of service, the President Washington was retired and set aside for preservation in 1957.