The landmark 1884 roundhouse - the center of the B&O Railroad Museum complex a few blocks west of Baltimore's Inner Harbor and one of the shrines of American railroading - lost half its roof under the weight of the weekend's snowfall.

To prevent deterioration to the roundhouse and further damage to the trains, a temporary cover will be placed over the roof when structural engineers determine it would be safe to do so, [Courtney B. Wilson] said. He said he hoped the roof could be repaired and that insurance would cover the cost.

The roundhouse - one of five historic structures in the B&O Railroad Museum complex - opened in 1884 as a facility to build and repair passenger cars. The historic building, including the roof, was restored in the mid-1970s at a cost of about $1.5 million.