Chessie System was the result of the merger of the Chesapeake & Ohio, the Baltimore & Ohio, and the Western Maryland railroads. CSX Transportation was the further merger of Chessie with the Seaboard System railroads.
As part of their celebration of the B&O railroad’s 150th anniversary during 1977 and 1978, the Chessie System ran a series of steam excursions using former Reading Railroad T-1 locomotive #2101. Later, in 1980, they ran more steam excursions, called the “Chessie Safety Express,” as part of a system-wide safety campaign. Those specials used former C&O locomotive #614. Here are a few of the many shots I took.
While Harpers Ferry is, of course, famous for its Civil War history, it is also a great place to watch and photograph trains.
Cumberland, MD, was home to the main locomotive shops for the eastern part of the Chessie System. I always visited the shops on my frequent visits to photograph trains on Sand Patch grade. There was a large sign on Virginia Avenue which evolved over the years. Here are several incarnations.
I made almost annual pilgrimages to Sand Patch grade, west of Cumberland, usually during the fall to take pictures during the peak of the fall foliage season. Here is a small sample of the hundreds of photographs from the area.
One of the most beautiful spots on the old C&O railroad is the section along the New River in Virginia, especially the area around Hawk’s Nest.
Here are some of my favorite shots of Chessie trains on the former Western Maryland.
On a 1997 mini-vacation, I did some railfanning along the old Clinchfield Railroad and surrounding areas.