Chessie (train)

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Chessie
standard gauge
Operating speedup to 100 mph (160 km/h)

The Chessie was a proposed

Cincinnati, Ohio. The train's luxury lightweight equipment was built new by the Budd Company. A revolutionary new steam turbine locomotive
would have provided power, including speeds up to 100 miles per hour (160 km/h). Although the equipment was delivered, a worsening financial outlook led to the cancellation of the train before it operated in revenue service.

Concept

Robert Young became chairman of the C&O in 1942. Chairman Young proved himself an innovator and pushed for improved passenger service on the C&O. He intended the Chessie as a vehicle for his ideas, naming the train after

first-run movies. All the cars would be newly built lightweight equipment.[2]: iv  Finally, the Chessie would be hauled by a revolutionary new steam turbine locomotive, the M1, which would enable the train to cover the 666 miles (1,072 km) between Washington and Cincinnati in 11 hours 45 minutes.[3]
: 252 

Cancellation

The C&O ordered the equipment in 1944, at the height of

standard gauge bogies for a broad gauge ones for use on General Roca Railway's premium service El Marplatense that operated from Buenos Aires to Mar del Plata
.

Equipment

The line issued this postcard depiction of the train's observation car with dome.

The C&O ordered 46 cars from the Budd Company, including

baggage cars, coaches, dome cars, tavern-lounges, dining-observation cars, and dining room-theater cars.[4]: 67  The C&O placed its orders with Budd in 1944 and the equipment arrived in August 1948. The cars cost $6.1 million.[5]
: 45 

Power

Main article:
Chesapeake and Ohio class M1

To pull the Chessie the C&O ordered three experimental

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum
for static display where it remains today.

Roster

Type Capacity Number Road numbers Disposition
Baggage-coach 28 seats 3 1400-1402 1402 retained by C&O, 1400-1401 sold to the General Roca Railway (Ferrocarriles Argentinos).
Coach 36 seats 12 1500-1511 1501-1502-1503-1506-1507-1508-1509-1511 sold to the General Roca Railway (
Seaboard Air Line Railway and Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
.
Coach 36 seats 10 1600-1609 Sold to the
Seaboard Air Line Railway and Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
.
Family coach 32 seats 3 1700-1702 Sold to the
Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railway
(C&EI)
Private room/dome car 3 drawing rooms, 5 roomettes, 1 bedroom
24 seats in the dome		 3 1850-1852 Sold to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) in 1950 and branded as "Strata-Domes".
Dome coach/observation 20 seats 3 1875-1877 Sold to the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad.
Lunch counter/tavern lounge 3 1900-1902 1900 retained by C&O (R. Young's private coach), 1901-1902 sold to the General Roca Railway (Ferrocarriles Argentinos).
Lunch counter/dining/observation 3 1920-1922 Retained by C&O
Dormitory/lunch counter/kitchen 3 1940-1942 Sold to the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad.
Dining room/theater 3 1970-1972 Sold to the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Chessie.
  1. OCLC 57641636
    .
  2. ^
    OCLC 56444812
    .
  3. ^ a b Railton, Arthur R. (March 1948). "Chessie Has That New Look". Popular Mechanics.
  4. OCLC 8848690
    .
  5. ^ a b George, Geoffrey H. (July 1968). "This Was The Train That Was (But Never Was)". Trains. Vol. 28, no. 9.
  6. OCLC 57143252
    .
  7. OCLC 38132717
    .
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