Chessie System

Chessie System
Overview
HeadquartersCleveland, Ohio
Reporting markB&O
C&O
WM
LocaleDelaware
Illinois
Indiana
Kentucky
Maryland
Michigan
New Jersey
New York
Ohio
Ontario
Pennsylvania
Virginia
Washington, D. C.
West Virginia
Dates of operationFebruary 26th, 1973–June 30th, 1986
SuccessorCSX Transportation
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 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.

"Chessie" 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.