Chessie the Railroad Kitten

Not only am I an Amtrak guy, I'm also a cat guy. I love cats, and trains. What better way to combine the two than talk about the Chesapeake & Ohio/Chessie System? The C&O skyrocketed into popularity with the introduction of their little kitten mascot in 1933. Derived from an Austrian etching by cat and animal artist, Guido Grunewald, the C&O acquired the rights to use the image and made the kitty their mascot. But how popular was Chessie the Railroad Kitten and her family? How long did Chessie act as a mascot? Find out in this video!

Music Used:
Jazz Spastiks - Vinyl Instrumental
Freesound Music - Happy Journeys
Royalty Free Music by Giorgio Di Campo for @FreeSound Music
The U.S. Army Band - The Army Goes Rolling Along Band Only
Nat Keefe with The Bow Ties - Dome Sweet Dome
Emily A. Sprague - Fairy Meeting
Aakash Gandhi - Dancing Star

Links:

[OuijTube]

Every so often I’ll still see a Chessie System rolling stock. Even faded and neglected, it’s a nicer livery than CSX.

[chatanugadotorg]

I named my first cat Chessie after the railroad. If I'd adopted his sister instead of him, she would have been named after the kitten in the advertising. Not only was he named after the railroad, he was also a "railfan". When I first adopted him, I had my Lionel train going around the perimeter of my living room. He never attacked it but would follow it around the living room. When it went behind the couch, he would even run around the couch to wait for it and follow it around again. In the basement, he loved to curl up on the stairs to watch me and the trains on my layout.

[deewesthill]

"Sleep like a kitten. Arrive fresh as a daisy.". What a cute slogan. I sure wish one could do that on a Greyhound! Only once did i get to sleep on a train, it was the early 80s, i slept like Chessie in an AmTrak sleeping compartment and did wake up fresh as a daisy. In the late 80s, touring the southwest including the Grand Canyon, i also slept like a kitten on a "Green Tortoise" bus that provided very comfy mattresses for all-night traveling.

[cavalierliberty]

Chessie stays very popular with the railroad. She's used for a lot of csx posters inside their yard offices.

[traintraveler]

If you want more people to love your RR: Make a cat your logo.

[fernandomarques]

Now I understand why everybody says "CSX bad". Completely understandable. #BringBackChessie

[braysfinds]

Not only was the kitten on railroad equipment. She was on the C&O's railroad ferries, and tugboat smokestacks.

[ryanchannel]

We love chessie the cat bc she was given a great railroad and a cute little symbol of her

[thatdladlarry]

Never thought a kitten would have such an impact on a railroad

[JawTooth]

I have a dog named Chessie. She is a railfan dog and I take her to see local trains. I lived next to the Chessie System in the early 80s to mid 80s. I could watch the trains from my bedroom. I also rode the Chessie Steam Special that you show in this video. This video is awesome!

[whistlinturbosrailfanprodu]

That’s great! It’s kinda sad to see that sleeping kitten losing popularity for some reason, but made me feeling better knowing there still are pictures, locomotives, and rolling stock with the logo of the kitten on it.

[SoutheastPARailfan]

Chessie was a icon for the C & O and Chessie System of 67 years. Chessie did her job and she deserves a good retirement. Don't forget Chessie!

[Triplex]

When I was a 8yo kid in 2003 my dad got me a electric train set from Mehano, the locomotive was a Chessie System EMD SD40-2, I liked that paint scheme. As a kid I didn't know anything about trains but as I grew up I discovered EMD and I was amazed by the 2-stroke diesel rumble.
As a kid I just loved trains and cats are my favorite animals.
Today I'm a train engineer!
Thank you little kitten! ❤️
Greetings from Croatia!

[KCSRailstudios]

Can we just take a moment to appreciate how GOOD this is?? Like, everything about it is just amazing. The audio, pictures, videos, editing, it all goes so well together and makes a really incredible video. I can’t wait to see more of these! Keep up the great work my guy.

[thatguyy]

if you look up the song “Driver-8” by R.E.M, they feature many clips from the Chessie System in the 80’s. Great song with great clips of the Chessie.

[tommythomason]

Lots of people mention missing the Chessie System paint on locomotives and rolling stock. It was one of the finest contemporary paint schemes in railroading. Others would be Conrail, new Florida East Coast, and Kansas City Southern, IMHO.
It was a fine railroad, at that - efficiently run, not burdened with passenger service, and its trains ran on a pristine roadbed.

[izumishion]

CSX should consider changing their normal C into the Chessie C

[vitissubrailfan]

I’m wearing a chessie shirt while watching this.

*yes I like chessie*

[MasonFowlkesKenneth]

This was the most wholesome thing I've seen all day.

I'm not crying, you are!

[StevenAlpert]

I didn't think I'd cry on an AmtrakGuy365 video...