the Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Magazine November/December 2019 Chessie Begins Her Fifth Life Official Publication of the Chesapeake & Ohio The Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Magazine Historical Society, Inc. November/December 2019 Volume 51, Nos. 11&12 312 E. Ridgeway Street, Clifton Forge, VA 24422 Research/Order Inquiries (540) 862-2210 Fax: (540) 863-9159 e-mail: [email protected] In This Issue... www.chessieshop.com ♦ www.cohs.org AND The C&O Railway Heritage Center C&O Scene 3 705 Main Street Clifton Forge, VA C&O's First Steel Cabooses: 4 (540) 862-8653 cohs.org/heritage 90000-90049 ISSN 0886-6287 ©2019 All Rights Reserved The contents and format of this publication are protected by Brush with History - Phil Shuster 10 U.S. and international copyright and intellectual property laws. Reproduction, repurposing, archiving or storage, by any means and in any form, of material presented in The CHESAPEAKE & OHIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY MAGAZINE is strictly prohibited Modeling Three-Bay Hopper No. 300003 12 without the express prior written permission of the COHS. Address inquiries to COHS headquarters. The COHS is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the historical 14 preservation and dissemination of information about the Chesapeake Loading Box Cars on Car Ferries - 1969 & Ohio Railway, its predecessors and successors. Annual regular membership dues within the United States are $45. Chessie Carries On - Begins Her Fifth Life 18 COHS Board of Directors Chairman J. C. Watson PM Business Car No. 1 - C&O No. 15 25 Vice-Chairman E. S. (Tod) Hanger, Jr. President Mark L. Totten 29 Vice-President Clifford L. Clements C&Oddity - Forced Draft Experiment Secretary William F. Michie, III Treasurer Kerry Worsham Chessie System is Created 30 ON THE COVER...This Legal Counsel Philip L. Hatchett month's cover features Engineering Committee Robert E. Jackson Chessie and her family, A Modern Truck Mine 35 Director Andrew K. Bostic Director James (Jim) Corbett in recognition of our new Director Thomas W. Dixon, Jr. emphasis on the history C&O/B&O-N&W Merger Cabooses 37 Director Jeremy Ferrell of this unique advertising Director Charles F. (Rick) Gartrell symbol that has lasted for Storage Mail on the C&O 38 Director C. Bryan Kidd nearly 90 years. See pages 18 & 30 for articles. 45 COHS Headquarters Staff (C&OHS Collection) "Best Christmas Ever!" Publication Design & Composition Michael Dixon Customer Services Coordinator Brandy Dudley Shipping & Customer Service Wendy Montgomery Editor’s Note Financial Administrator [Vacant] C&O Railway Heritage Center Staff With this issue we introduce that led even to the naming of a Heritage Center Manager Andrew K. Bostic you to Chessie once more. She is railroad for a kitten. The whole Interpreter Tom Hefner the "once and future" cat. Visitor Services Kathy Reynolds story is fascinating especially to Facilities Management Coordinator Leo Wright We plan to emphasize her people who never knew Chessie in her other lives as a sales cat Editorial-Publications Staff contributions to C&O history in Chairman and President Emeritus for passengers, then for freight, and Chief Historian/Magazine Managing Editor the next year by promoting her Thomas W. Dixon, Jr. through our website and the new then as a symbol for C&O/B&O/ [email protected] WM. We hope now to introduce Phone: 434-610-8959 children's book Chessie Takes a her to a whole new generation-- Publication Design & Composition; Train Trip (KBK-19-938), as well Archives Management in the fifth of her nine lives (see Michael Dixon as by a complete redesign and 312 E. Ridgeway St., Clifton Forge, VA 24422 pages 18 & 30). Phone: 540-862-2210 expansion of the famous Chessie [email protected] the Railroad Kitten book. It went Otherwise, I want to ask Technical Editor – Karen Parker through 29 printings 1987- everyone to look at joining my [email protected] 2010 as one of the most popular Modeling Consultant – Bob Hundman "Coffee Club" giving program. 5115 Monticello Rd. railroad books of all time. You've seen the flyers throughout Edmonds, WA 98026 this year. We NEED you more [email protected] The whole story of Chessie Freight Car Editor – Al Kresse than ever to launch ourselves 8664 Gates, Romeo, MI 48065-4365 is unique in railroad advertising [email protected] and in the field of advertising in into a second 50 years of service. Hocking Valley/Ohio Historian - Cliff Clements Pledge today (540-862-2210)! general. Only perhaps "Nipper," [email protected] the RCA dalmatian, equals her This magazine is a little late, Chicago Division Historian – Jeffrey Kehler stature as an advertising symbol. so you will not receive it until 15335 Forest Glade Dr., Fishers, IN 46037 [email protected] In the railroad world there are after Christmas. We hope you Archives Consultants: none. Certainly not the GN's had a great holiday and that John Maugans, Dan Kitchen, Jeff Kehler mountain goat or CP's beaver. 2020 will be a good year for you. Senior Copy Editor of C&OHS Publications We appreciate your support so Rick Van Horn The genius of L. C. Probert, C&O Historical Society Newsletter Web Edition C&O's PR chief who "found" very much and look forward to Coordinator - Michael Dixon - [email protected] serving you in 2020! To subscribe contact [email protected] Chessie, created an unlikely From time to time, the C&O Historical Society may review models, books, etc., of general interest to members, and note their availability from various and surprising chain of events Respectfully, vendors. Such announcements and/or reviews are provided as a service, and are not to be considered an endorsement by the COHS. The COHS and its officers disclaim any responsibility or liability for any loss, damage, Tom Dixon or misrepresentation resulting from contacts made through the Magazine or at functions sponsored by the COHS. C&O, C&O For Progress, Chessie, Chessie System, and CSX trademarks are the property of CSX Corporation 22 and are used with permission. Printed in the United States of America. C&O SCENE Looking at the photo above revenues. The first car is likely this photo was shot. The train one might think that the date was one of C&O’s 81-91-series built by lasted until the end of December, perhaps 1920, but it is actually St. Louis Car Co. in 1934. These 1949, when it was discontinued as 1947. The ex-Hocking Valley 4-6-0 durable Harriman-roof 30-foot part of a general effort by C&O to was still stepping high, just as it apartment RPO cars were used on eliminate most of its branch line did when it was new in 1912. This mainline trains that didn’t have passenger service. ten-wheeler served Hocking Valley enough mail business to rate a full Steam locomotive aficionados, for 18 years and C&O for another RPO. They also suited branch line in appraising a engine's looks, two decades before retirement and postal operations well. Although often speak of how it was scrapped in 1947. Class T-2 on the the Railway Mail Service called proportioned. This was a good- HV, C&O gave it F-13 class when this type car an “apartment RPO,” looking locomotive by any the merger occurred in 1930. because the RPO function was measure. It came at a time when Nos. 89-91 were HV's newest related to only a portion of the car, the crude early designs were fading passenger power. It arrived in C&O called them “Mail & Express,” away but the modern functional 1912 from ALCO’s Richmond or “M&E,” cars. In a train such designs had not yet gained Works. By 1947, the engine was as this, the car handled the RPO, dominance. express, and any baggage that was in its very last year, in the rural Photographer Ben F. Cutler Ohio backwater, handling a two- checked. The heavyweight coach that followed accommodated what worked for Rail Photo Service, just car local between Columbus and as did our own Gene Huddleston, Pomeroy. The nicely-composed few passengers were left on this line. taking photos which RPS later picture was taken near Hobson, Ohio. sold widely through the mail using The train was probably largely Old No. 90 was scrapped by mimeographed lists. the end of 1947 not longer after supported by mail and express (C&OHS Collection, COHS 1016) NOVEMBER/DECEMBER, 2019 3 C&O's First Steel Cabooses: 90000-90049 By Thomas W. Dixon, Jr. Private car Erie 400 as it appeared on the private car track at Huntington, W. Va., before being donated to C&OHS. (C&OHS Collection) This is part of a series of from their earlier predecessors Committee (AMC). Students of articles we are doing about C&O except more sturdy construction. C&O steam locomotives often cabooses. We discussed PM’s steel Although we often say they encounter references to the AMC, cabooses in the last issue of this were “wooden,” a more accurate but we hear little about its freight magazine. This article is about the description is “wood-sheathed.” car and caboose designs. C&O’s first 50 steel cars, built in They had steel frames and The AMC was created in 1937. Much of this material, and underframes, making them not 1929. It was made of mechanical a lot more, can be found in Dwight only durable but sturdy in train engineers brought to the Jones’s book Steel Cabooses of service. Cars built this way are Cleveland headquarters from the the Chesapeake & Ohio. The generally known as “composite.” railroads that constituted the Van second, expanded, and enlarged The new cars C&O acquired in Sweringen empire: C&O, NKP, edition of this book is still available 1929 were certainly good enough Erie, and Pere Marquette.