 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (January 2024) |
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Cleveland, Ohio |
| Reporting mark | B&O C&O WM |
| Locale | Delaware Illinois Indiana Kentucky Maryland Michigan New Jersey New York Ohio Ontario Pennsylvania Virginia Washington, D. C. West Virginia |
| Dates of operation | February 26th, 1973–June 30th, 1986 |
| Successor | CSX Transportation |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
Chessie System, Inc. was a holding company that owned the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O), the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O), the Western Maryland Railway (WM), and Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad (B&OCT). Trains operated under the Chessie name from 1973 to 1987.
Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, the Chessie System was the creation of Cyrus S. Eaton and his protégé Hays T. Watkins, then president and chief executive officer of the C&O. A chief source of revenue for the Chessie System was coal mined in West Virginia. Another was the transport of auto parts and finished motor vehicles.
The name "Chessie System" had been a popular nickname for the C&O since the 1930s, cemented with an advertising campaign that featured a sleeping kitten named Chessie. The 1970s holding company developed the "Ches-C" emblem: a kitten outline imposed on a circle, creating a rough letter C. This emblem was emblazoned on the front of all Chessie System locomotives, and also served as the "C" in "Chessie System" on the locomotive's flanks, and on other rolling stock.