Upcoming Meeting this Month

Chicago Temple

77 West Washington (across from City Hall)

3rd Floor

Friday - May 11th

7:00 PM Free/No Admission

Railway and Locomotive Historical

Society, Chicago Chapter

Program: The Chessie System in the Midwest

in the 1970's and 1980's - Slideshow by Mike Blaszak

Neither the Chesapeake & Ohio nor the Baltimore & Ohio had much of a public presence in the Midwest.  The C&O originally reached Chicago through the line from Cincinnati, whose sole passenger train in its last years terminated at Gary.  After acquiring the Pere Marquette in 1947, a few passenger trains from Michigan came into Grand Central Station.  The Baltimore & Ohio had a larger presence, through  the B&O Chicago Terminal and Grand Central Station, into which the prestigious "Capital Limited" and other trains to Washington, D.C. operated.  Way downstate, it also had a main line to St. Louis from Cincinnati and secondary lines from the Illinois River to the Ohio River and from Springfield to Cincinnati, via Indianapolis.

When the C&O took over the B&O in the early 1960's, it did not do much at first to change the corporate image for some years.  By 1972, though, it began to improve its public presence by advertising itself as the "Chessie" system.  This well-remembered Chessie Steam specials were a part of this.

Program includes the Chessie Steam Specials and the Lake Michigan car ferry service

Visit Our Table on

National Train Day

Saturday, May 12th

11:00AM to 4:00 PM 

Union Station 225 S. Canal St