Formed in 1980 as a holding company for the Chessie and Seaboard Systems and several other eastern railroads, CSX in 1986 merged these several companies into CSX Transportation, staking its claim as one of the nation's dominant merger roads. This illustrated history provides a background of CSX's 25 years on the American railroad scene, describing how the company came to swallow several legendary regional lines and merger roads. The book also examines CSX hardware, facilities, and operations on more than 20,000 miles of trackage throughout the eastern half of the United States, from 1980 through today. Included is an explanation of the 1999 agreement by which CSX and Norfolk Southern purchased and effectively split the operations of their northern rival Conrail. Marvelous color photography, of course, depicts CSX diesel-electric powered freight operations in eastern and Midwestern U.S. urban centers and rural areas.

A stunning collection photographs of the CSX Transportation Railroad, an icon of the American railways.

CSX Transportation Railroad Heritage is a photographic essay of this major railroad that was formed in 1980 by a merger of the Seaboard Coast Line with the Chessie System, providing a history that goes back to its beginning with the opening in 1830 of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, which was the first common carrier railroad in the United States. An early predecessor railroad was the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway which introduced the figure of a sleeping kitten "Chessie" in 1933 that became a well-recognized advertisement for passenger service and later for freight service. Each of the railroads that were merged contributed to CSX reaching important population, energy, and manufacturing markets. The CSX Pride in Service program resulted in three special painted locomotives (shown in this book) honoring the nation's veterans, active military personnel, and first responders.

Formed in 1980 as a holding company for the Chessie and Seaboard Systems and several other eastern railroads, CSX in 1986 merged these several companies into CSX Transportation, staking its claim as one of the nation's dominant merger roads. This illustrated history provides a background of CSX's 25 years on the American railroad scene, describing how the company came to swallow several legendary regional lines and merger roads. The book also examines CSX hardware, facilities, and operations on more than 20,000 miles of trackage throughout the eastern half of the United States, from 1980 through today. Included is an explanation of the 1999 agreement by which CSX and Norfolk Southern purchased and effectively split the operations of their northern rival Conrail. Marvelous color photography, of course, depicts CSX diesel-electric powered freight operations in eastern and Midwestern U.S. urban centers and rural areas.