for nearly forty years. The locomotive is one of the engines that pulled the train which carried Abraham Lincoln from Springfield, Illinois, to Washington, D.C., for his inauguration in 1861. It was renumbered to 55 in 1882 and was retired in 1892 when it was placed in storage. Fortunately, the Baltimore and Ohio had greatly favored its locomotives, and preserved its best examples, including number 25. The engine was displayed at the Chicago's World Fair of 1893, then at the St. Louis Exposition of 1904. In 1927, the number 25 was given the name William Mason in honor of its builder, and was exhibited at the railroad's own Fair of the Iron Horse, then at the 1939 New York World's Fair, and finally in 1948 at the Chicago Railroad Fair. During 1951, the engine was loaned to the Erie Railroad, operating as a traveling exhibit as part of the railroad's centennial celebration. When not being exhibited, it remained in storage until 1953, when it was placed on display in the newly opened Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum, where it currently remains. William Mason in film Typically, when a locomotive is placed in a museum, it becomes a static exhibit there, often never to operate again. Such was not the case with the William Mason. It had remained operable during the 1950s, when it was used in movies, most notably The Great Locomotive Chase in 1956, and Raintree County a year later. After these performances it returned to the museum, seemingly never to operate again. However, in 1998, the locomotive was restored once more to operating condition for use in the movie, Wild Wild West. After that, it continued to appear in films such as Tuck Everlasting and Gods and Generals. In February 2003, the roof of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum's roundhouse, where the William Mason was usually displayed, had collapsed from a major snowstorm. While many engines and rolling stock sustained considerable damage from the collapse, the William Mason was not in the roundhouse at the time, having been removed for inspection by the Federal Railroad Administration, and thus escaped damage. Current Status In November 2004, after the roundhouse was rebuilt, the museum reopened, with the William Mason returning to display in the roundhouse shortly thereafter. The museum operated the William Mason on select weekends in October until 2014 - after which the engine was taken out of