No. 10582 Baldwin/ Westinghouse M-1 Steam Turbine Electric Locomotive, heading up the "Chessie" Streamlined Passenger Train

Chesapeake & Ohio Railway

          The flamboyant Robert R. Young attained the chairmanship of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway in 1942, and, as an outspoken advocate of superior rail passenger service, vowed that the C&O would have a postwar passenger service second to none.

         The Chesapeake and Ohio emerged from the Second World War in a strong financial position, and stood to be the railroad of destiny if it could develop a new streamliner hauled by a new design in steam power. In fact, the C&O could also make a preemptive strike against other railroads in the extremely competitive East Coast-Midwest passenger market if it could create a train completely different from any other before imagined. A formidable challenge, indeed, given the established competition from New York Central's "20th Century Limited" (see No. 10374) and Pennsylvania's "Broadway Limited" (see No. 10078) from New York to Chicago, Baltimore & Ohio's "Capitol Limited" (see No. 10138) from Washington to Chicago (and soon-to-be "Cincinnatian" [see No. 10325] to its namesake city) and Norfolk & Western's "Powhatan Arrow" (see No. 10130) from Norfolk to Cincinnati. Furthermore, in the "Chessie," Young saw his opportunity to position the C&O as the linchpin in a coast-to-coast empire.

         Young had another motive. As an outsider to the railroad establishment, he perceived the industry was dying smothered by outdated thinking. This moribundity, he reasoned, could only be overcome by fresh ideas and bold strokes. The first salvo in this campaign was fired in open and repeated attacks by Young on a railroad establishment that, he claimed, prevented passengers from receiving even the most basic of services. "A hog can cross the country without changing trains," he raged, "but you can't!" In public speeches and national advertising, Young charged that the then-standard section sleepers were nothing but "traveling tenements." Adding "For Progress" to the traditional stacked C-and-O "doughnut" herald, Young then took the bold step of withdrawing the railway from the Association of American Railroads and founding the rival Federation of Railway Progress.

         In this crucible, the "Chessie" was forged as the best a passenger train could possibly be and as the symbol of all that American railroading could possibly become. On August 1, 1945, the C&O placed a 30-car order (increased to 46 cars in January 1946 and totaling some $1.6 million) with The Budd Company of the suburban Philadelphia community of Red Lion, heralding the move as significant of the new age for railroading in which the passenger would reign supreme. Not only would the C&O create the finest train in history, but it would do so without the leading car builder and staunch member of the conservative railroad establishment, Pullman-Standard.

         The "Chessie" was to be, in the words of then-president Robert J. Bowman, "the finest daylight train in the world." The "Chessie" was to offer all-reserved first-class coach service between the nation's capital city and Cincinnati on a fast 12-hour schedule. Morning departures (8:50 a.m. Washington, 8:30 a.m. Cincinnati) each way would ensure daylight passage through the magnificent Shenandoah Valley, New River Gorge, and Ohio River. In order to make this ambitious timetable a reality, certain concessions were made; only 14 stops were scheduled en route. Moreover, no baggage cars or other head-end equipment would encumber this flyer.

         During the nearly three years between the announcement of the "Chessie" and its first public viewing in the fall of 1948, the C&O's publicity machine whetted the public's appetite by dangling tantalizing hints as to the luxurious offerings of the new train: movie theaters...art exhibits...news wire services...libraries stocked with current best-sellers...on-board telephones. For a public long denied comfortable rail travel, first as a result of the war, and now because of the poor financial condition of most of the nation's railroads, the C&O's promise of the "Chessie" was to be a dream come true.

         The next act in the well-paced C&O publicity build-up was second to only the "Chessie's" introduction itself. Marking the end of the preliminaries, this event was the roll-out of the largest passenger locomotive in all history, before or since; that magnificent M-1 Class steam-turbine- electric.

         Publicly committed to protecting the coal market, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway chose as a symbol of this position a technologically-advanced motive power unit for the premier train that would streak through the coal fields (choosing, of course, to ignore those diesel-hauled "Pere Marquettes" [see No. 10150] quietly burbling away in Michigan). The C&O found two willing partners to join its quest: Baldwin Locomotive Works and Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, both of which were only too eager to compete with the growing marketing menace of diesels by General Motors Electro-Motive Division.

         The coal-fired steam-turbine concept was not new. It had been introduced in Europe in both naval and stationary power plant use, and attempted in America by both the Union Pacific (oil-fired) and Pennsylvania railroads. In the C&O's version, however, the consortium embarked on a bold, even radical, design.

         Weighing in, without the tender, at more than 428 tons (43 tons heavier than the C&O's own H-8 "Allegheny," arguably the world's most powerful locomotive), the massive M-1 locomotive generated 6,000 horsepower, the equivalent of three of the EMD E7s. The power plant design, in effect, reversed the conventional steam engine orientation within its 160-foot span (more than half the length of a football field and 23 feet longer than the Union Pacific's "Big Boy"). The nose of the locomotive contained the coal bunker. The engineer's cab was placed behind the bunker, followed by the boiler, backhead in front, smokebox and stack to the rear. Next came the turbine and generator for the electric motors, with the water tender pulled behind. All this fuel and power culminated in eight traction motors, designating the engine a unique 4-8-0-4-8-4 wheel arrangement (2-C1+2-C1+B).

         In its rush to market, the C&O ordered three of these untested behemoths, numbered 500- 502, for a total cost of $1.6 million. By July 1947, No. 500 was on the rails of the Chesapeake and Ohio, emitting not the familiar "chug-chug" of the reciprocating steam engine, but a distinctively constant "whooshing" sound.

         The "500s" were immediately controversial, as much for their looks as for their engineering design. Big as they were, absolutely no amount of graphic treatment or styling could make this monster locomotive a particularly graceful sight. Instead, the design served to emphasize the brute power of the engine and still provide an appropriate streamlined front end for the new train.

         The running gear consisted of two separate units; the front unit having a four-wheel leading truck and a rigid eight-wheeled power truck; the rear unit having a four-wheel guide truck, a rigid eight-wheel power truck, and a four-wheel Delta trailing truck, establishing the 4-8-0-4-8-4 wheel arrangement. Three axles of each power truck and both axles of the trailing truck were powered.

         The two leading trucks used 36"wheels, while the power and trailing trucks all used 40"wheels.

         After the design had been completed, the C&O ordered the three huge machines built, and Baldwin delivered the first in July, 1947. The railway assigned road numbers 500-502, class M-1; the other two S-T-E's following in mid-1948. After a break-in period the "500"was sent on a system-wide publicity tour in December, 1947, visiting the major on-line cities, and an estimated 40,000 persons passed through the cab to inspect the controls. Later, in 1948, the locomotive again went on exhibit, this time at the Chicago Railroad Fair.

         Between its public appearances the "500"did manage to pull a few passenger trains.

         However, the machines were hampered by excessive firing rates and poor draft conditions and seemed to spend as much time out of service as working. In the autumn of 1948, the "Chessie" idea was dropped and the very reason for the S-T-E's existence was gone. It soon became apparent that the M-1s would never be able to match the diesel's economy or availability, interest in the turbines waned, and the locomotives were quietly retired and returned to Baldwin in 1950, after nearly two years of less than spectacular revenue service between Charlottesville, Virginia, and Cincinnati.

         Finally, after almost three years of anticipation and building excitement, the 46 new Budd- built streamlined stainless steel passenger cars were introduced on October 25, 1948. These cars, too, were like nothing ever seen before.

         In addition to the several firsts for the American railroading represented in the "Chessie" was a first for the Chesapeake and Ohio: Vista-Dome cars, two for each of three train sets (one mid-train and one observation). These were the only domes in America built to run in daylight service east of Chicago. Full-width diaphragms were also introduced to the C&O to accentuate the unbroken streamlined effect.

         On the octagonal observation car drumheads was the train name and portrait of L. C.          Probert's timeless kitten.

         Recognizing the tourist market that would support this luxurious cruise train, each 14-car consist (of three to be created) emphasized sightseeing and entertainment for the family throughout its interior appointments. As for the business traveler (or harried parent, for that matter), passengers were never far from a lounge.

         The first of two Vista-Domes offered the train's only private rooms (designated "cabins" in cruise ship nomenclature); one bedroom, three drawing rooms, and five roomettes. These last were primarily for the crew, but would be reserved upon demand. Up top, 24 seats were available in the dome. The seventh car in the consist was a lunch counter (12 seats)-tavern (25 seats)- lounge (10 seats) that featured railroading's first on-board aquarium. Its last, too, because the fish did not survive the constant movement. The renamed fishless "illuminated fountain" still served as centerpiece for the car decor that emphasized the sea-to-lakes theme of the streamliner.

         Next came another "Chessie" first: the family coach (32 seats). This unique concept, to be the domain of the hostess, offered every conceivable comfort for the traveling family. From changing rooms and suspended bassinets at the seats, to a glass-enclosed "Junior Club" play area furnished with the latest in children's toys, to a movie theater (11 small seats) featuring cartoons for the scooter set, the family coach, above all the other cars, represented the Chesapeake and Ohio Railways's greatest hope to bring the family back to train travel.

         Finally, following yet two more coach-lounge cars, came the only boat-tail observation cars on the C&O roster. In addition to 20 coach seats, 24 dome seats, and 16 lounge seats, this last car carried the obligatory accommodation demanded by any self-respecting tourist; a souvenir stand (located under the dome).

         However, the "Chessie" never ran. The C&O came to realize in 1948 when the train was delivered that there was little business potential for a daylight run between Washington and Cincinnati. Quietly the equipment was transferred to other runs and/or sold. The Sleeper Domes were operated on the "Sportsman" (see No. 10637) between Detroit and Clifton Forge, Virginia, in 1949, and in 1950 were sold to the Baltimore and Ohio for the "Capitol Limited" (see No. 10138).  The Dome Observation Cars carried the markers for the "Pere Marquettes" in the once lucrative Chicago-Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids-Detroit service. After their Wolverine State service, they were sold to the Rio Grande to be put to good use in the Colorado Rockies. By 1950, all six Domes, and indeed most of "Chessie's" equipment, had disappeared from the railroad's passenger car roster. One of the most spectacular Domeliners of all had gone down in history as "The Train That Never Ran" (in revenue service).

         No. 10582 represents an accurate scale model of C&O's Baldwin-built M-1 steam turbine electric (S-T-E) locomotive, heading up the 5-car Vista-Dome equipped streamlined passenger train "Chessie" as it would have been seen in 1948 on its brief promotional tour. The locomotive is by MTH and the cars custom-made, all crafted in "O" gauge.

         In 1946, the newly ordered C&O "Pere Marquette" streamlined trains (see No. 10150) had gone into service, successfully operating between Detroit and Grand Rapids, Michigan, and then to Chicago.

         With declining ridership, C&O scaled back its streamliner fleet in 1962, and by 1968 all C&O routes had been reduced to one pair of trains daily the "George Washington" (see No. 10243) plus the "Pere Marquette" service.

         The "George Washington" name survived Amtrak's takeover in 1971, but to Chicago from Washington rather than Cincinnati.

         As a footnote, in 1954, after many years of persistence, Texas-reared stock manipulator Robert R. Young succeeded in gaining controlling interest in the New York Central Railroad, selling in the same year his 43% interest in the C&O, purchased in 1934. These were years of decline for the New York Central, and Young's revival efforts mergers with other railroads and real estate development were unsuccessful. Finally, during intense merger talks with rival Pennsylvania Railroad in 1958, New York Central board chairman Young committed suicide. The merger agreement was signed in 1961, and finalized with federal government approval in 1968, resulting in the unsuccessful Penn Central Corporation. The next step was the creation of Amtrak in 1971 to take over the nation's railroad passenger operations (see No. 10207), including those of Penn Central.