Chessie System
Reporting marks	B&O, C&O, WM
Locale	Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia
Dates of operation	1972 – 1987
Successor line	CSX Transportation
Track gauge	4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge)
Headquarters	Cleveland, OH

The Chessie System was a holding company that owned three American railroads, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O), the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O), and the Western Maryland Railway (WM), from 1972 until 1987, when the B&O and C&O were merged into CSX Transportation. In 1980, Chessie System merged with Seaboard Coast Line Industries to form the CSX Corporation. Image File history File links Chessie_System_logo. ... Reporting marks on two CP Rail covered hoppers passing Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, June 20, 2004. ... Official language(s) None Capital Dover Largest city Wilmington Area  Ranked 49th  - Total 2,491 sq mi (6,452 km²)  - Width 30 miles (48 km)  - Length 100 miles (161 km)  - % water 21. ... ... Official language(s) English Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... Official language(s) English Capital Indianapolis Largest city Indianapolis Area  Ranked 38th  - Total 36,418 sq mi (94,321 km²)  - Width 140 miles (225 km)  - Length 270 miles (435 km)  - % water 1. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Frankfort Largest city Louisville Area  Ranked 37th  - Total 40,444 sq mi (104,749 km²)  - Width 140 miles (225 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Official languages English Flower White Trillium Tree Eastern White Pine Bird Common Loon Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Lieutenant-Governor James K. Bartleman Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 106 24 Area Total... Official language(s) None Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 160 miles (255 km)  - Length 280 miles (455 km)  - % water 2. ... Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  Ranked 35th  - Total 42,793 sq mi (110,862 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 430 miles (690 km)  - % water 7. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Area  Ranked 41st  - Total 24,244 sq mi (62,809 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 240 miles (385 km)  - % water 0. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... CSX Transportation (AAR reporting mark CSXT) is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the CSX Corporation. ... Rail gauge is the distance between two rails of a railroad. ... A foot (plural: feet) is any of several old units of distance or length, measuring around a quarter to a third of a meter. ... Mid-19th century tool for converting between different standards of the inch An inch is an Imperial and U.S. customary unit of length. ... A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... As railways developed and expanded one of the key issues to be decided was that of the rail gauge (the distance between the two rails of the track) which should be used. ... This article is about the city in the state of Ohio. ... A holding company is a company that owns enough voting stock in another firm to control management and operations by influencing or electing its board of directors. ... The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from many smaller railroads begun in the 19th century. ... 1876 map The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) is one of the oldest railroads in the United States, with an original line from the port of Baltimore, Maryland west to the Ohio River at Wheeling, West Virginia and Parkersburg, West Virginia. ... The Western Maryland Railway ( AAR reporting mark WM) was an American Class I railroad which operated in Maryland, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... CSX Transportation (AAR reporting mark CSXT) is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the CSX Corporation. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Seaboard Coast Line Industries,incorporated in 1969, was a railroad holding company that owned the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad and the Louisville & Nashville Railroad (acquired 1971) as well as several smaller routes. ... CSX Corporation was formed in 1980 by the merger of Chessie System and Seaboard Coast Line Industries and eventually merged the various railroads owned by those predecessors into a single line that became known as CSX Transportation. ...

Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, the Chessie System was the creation of Cyrus S. Eaton and his protégé Hays T. Watkins, Jr., then president and chief executive officer of the C&O. A chief source of revenue for the Chessie System was transportation of coal mined in West Virginia. Nickname: The Forest City Motto: Progress and Prosperity Location in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, USA Coordinates: Country United States State Ohio County Cuyahoga Founded 1796 Incorporated 1836 Mayor Frank G. Jackson (D) Area    - City 82. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ... Eaton on the cover of Time, 1930 Cyrus Stephen Eaton (December 27, 1883–May 9, 1979) was a Canadian-American financier, industrialist and philanthropist. ... Coal Coal (IPA: ) is a fossil fuel extracted from the ground by underground mining or open-pit mining (surface mining). ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Area  Ranked 41st  - Total 24,244 sq mi (62,809 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 240 miles (385 km)  - % water 0. ...

The signature symbol of the Chessie System was its "Ches-C", a large emblem incorporating the outline of the C&O's famous "Chessie" the kitten logo. The Ches-C was emblazoned on the front of all Chessie System locomotives, and also served as the "C" in "Chessie System" as emblazoned on the locomotive's flanks. Chessie System locomotives were painted yellow, vermilion, and blue. The Chessie System itself did not own any locomotives or other rolling stock; rather, a locomotive would be placed on the roster of one of the three component railroads. While all three companies shared a common paint scheme, actual ownership of the locomotive was denoted by a large "C&O", "B&O", or "WM" above the roster number. These markings could be found beneath the cab windows on either side of the locomotive. Chessie Chessie on a 1940s timetable The logo of the Chessie System, with Chessie at left Chessie was a popular cat character used as a symbol of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. ... A locomotive (from Latin loco motivus) is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train, and has no payload capacity of its own; its sole purpose is to move the train along the tracks. ...

Chessie's famous locomotives

One of Chessie's famous locomotives, GM-EMD GP40-2 GM50, is shown here as an HO scale model.

Chessie had three famous diesel-electric locomotives in its fleet: B&O 1977 (an EMD GP40-2) was meant to celebrate the B&O's 150th anniversary (this locomotive became B&O 4100 and B&O 4163; for a short time there were two B&O locomotives numbered 1977), B&O GM50 (another EMD GP40-2) was painted gold to celebrate GM-EMD's 50th anniversary as a diesel locomotive manufacturer (GM50 got repainted in 1984 and became B&O 4164), and B&O 4444 (3rd to last GP40-2 owned by Chessie, last unit was B&O 4447) was the locomotive that pulled Ronald Reagan's 1984 presidential train through Ohio. Image File history File linksMetadata GM50_(1). ... Image File history File linksMetadata GM50_(1). ... An HO scale (1:87) model of a GP40-2, painted as Chessie System GM50. ... HO scale (H0 scale in continental Europe) is the most popular scale of model railway in most of the world outside the United Kingdom, where the slightly larger in scale OO scale is most common. ... An HO scale (1:87) model of a GP40-2, painted as Chessie System GM50. ... Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was the 40th President of the United States (1981–1989) and the 33rd Governor of California (1967–1975). ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ...

The Chessie System operated and exhibited a former Reading Railroad 4-8-4 steam locomotive (#2101) on a national tour as the "Chessie Steam Express," beginning in 1977 (also in celebration of the B&O's 150th anniversary). The 4-8-4 had previously been used as one of three locomotives pulling the American Freedom Train. The train was painted in the Chessie System motif and consisted of the locomotive, two tenders, and eighteen to twenty passenger and baggage cars. The locomotive was severely damaged in a fire in March, 1979 while stored in a Chessie System roundhouse. It has since been cosmetically restored, and is on display at the B&O Railroad Museum, in Baltimore, MD. Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Categories: Rail stubs | Philadelphia and Reading Railroad ... The Norfolk & Western Railways Class J locomotive #611, a 1950 product of the railroads own Roanoke, Virginia shops. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... The American Freedom Train was a special exhibit train that toured the United States in the latter half of the 1940s, and again with different equipment for the United States Bicentennial celebrations. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... Roundhouse in 1909, turntable in the front Steam locomotives sit in the Chicago and Northwestern roundhouse at the Chicago, Illinois freight yards, December 1942. ... Mt Clare Roundhouse Opened in Baltimore on 2 July 1953, the B&O Railroad Museum is located at the historic site of the B&O Railroads Mt. ... This article is about the city in the US state of Maryland. ...

External links

• Chessie System Historical Society
• Chessie Photo Archives