The Chesapeake & Ohio Railway entered the 20th Century as a small but growing line in the region of Virginia-West Virginia-Kentucky. By the middle of the century it was the world's largest carrier of bituminous coal, a major play in passenger service (though its own fleet was small), and was important in automotive industry transportation. Its stock was blue chip, its cash reserves seemingly limitless, its public relations and advertising the best in the country. It had a reputation as one of the best managed and most profitable lines in the nation.

In the late 1860s, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) pushed its first tracks westward from Virginia's Tidewater region across the mountains into what was then the new state of West Virginia. Ultimately its tracks stretched across a half-dozen states and even into Canada. Appalachian coal was the C&O's primary cargo, but its fast freights carried shipments of all kinds, and its crack passenger trains were marvels of their day. In 1963, the C&O merged with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in the first of what would become a wave of railroad mergers. Today the old C&O is part of giant CSX Transportation. Images of Rail: The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway gathers 200 photographs that chronicle the C&O story. Here is a fond look back at its mammoth steam locomotives and the diesels that replaced them, its bustling passenger stations, and much more, including the legendary John Henry, who beat that steam drill, and Chessie, the sleeping kitten that was the C&O's much-loved trademark.

This directory, published in the early 20th century, provides a comprehensive overview of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Company. It includes maps, photographs, and descriptions of the railway's history, equipment, and facilities. While it may be of most interest to railway enthusiasts and historians, the directory provides valuable insights into the role of the railway in American transportation history. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.