Chessie System, Inc.was aholding companythat owned theChesapeake & Ohio Railway(C&O), theBaltimore & Ohio Railroad(B&O), theWestern Maryland Railway(WM), and several smaller carriers. It was incorporated in Virginia on February 26, 1973, and it acquired the C&O (which controlled the other companies) on June 15. C&O had been popularly known as "Chessie System" since the 1930s, and a version of the image of the"Chessie" mascotkitten used in advertising earlier in the C & O's history.
The three railroads had been closely related since the 1960s. C&O had acquired controlling interest in B&O in 1962, and the two had jointly controlled WM since 1967.
On November 1, 1980, Chessie System merged withSeaboard Coast Line Industriesto formCSX Corporation. However, the Chessie image continued to be applied to new and re-painted equipment until mid-1986, when CSX introduced its own paint scheme. (Wikipedia)
