Patapsco & Back Rivers

Company History: The PBR was established in 1916 to acquire and build industrial trackage in and around Sparrow’s Point in the Baltimore, Maryland area specifically to provide rail service to their owner, the Bethlehem Steel Company. For most of its history, PBR had no trouble keeping nearly two dozen locomotives busy on their 100 miles of track. In the diesel era (PBR was fully dieselized in 1947,) they sampled switchers from EMD, Alco and Baldwin. After the fall of Bethlehem Steel, the mill and railroad have passed through several hands. More than 40 miles of track have been abandoned, the mill property is now an industrial park and the railroad is now operated by Tradepoint Rail.

Successor/Parent History: The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Until its closure in 2003, it was one of the world's largest steel-producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its success and productivity, the company was a symbol of American manufacturing leadership in the world, and its decline and ultimate liquidation in the late 20th century is similarly cited as an example of America's diminished manufacturing leadership. From its founding in 1857 through its 2003 dissolution, Bethlehem Steel's headquarters were based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. Its primary steel mill manufacturing facilities were first located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and later expanded to include a major research laboratory in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and plants in Sparrows Point, Maryland, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna, New York, and its final and largest site in Burns Harbor, Indiana.

Brief History: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.