Southern's "Best Friend of Charleston" helped celebrate the 150th anniversary of railroading in the United States. Attended by more than 400 business, labor and government officials, the celebration was held at the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum, the site of the nation's first railroad station, in Baltimore. The Best Friend chugged alongside the Tom Thumb. Both engines are replicas. The Best Friend, on Christmas Day, 1830, began operating the first regular service in the United States. The B&O was chartered on February 28, 1827. The South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company, which operated the Best Friend and is the earliest of Southern's predecessor companies, was chartered in the same year as the B&O, but on December 19. The Tom Thumb is the engine that had the famous race with a horse in 1830. That race was re- enacted at the celebration.