The C&O Historical Society has undertaken an exciting publications project called Chesapeake & Ohio History Series Books.
This series will consist of a book issued every quarter. Each book will treat an aspect of C&O history, equipment, structures, etc., more extensively than we could provide in our C&O magazine. Topics for these books may be continuations or expansions of magazine articles, or entirely new subjects not covered before.
FOUR VOLUME SERIES $70.00! 64-126 pages, softbound.
2023 History Series Books - Descriptions
1st Quarter:
Chesapeake & Ohio’s THE CHESSIE, the Train that Was but Never Was
By T. W. Dixon, Jr.
96 pages, softbound, 100 + illustrations
The complete story of the fabulous train C&O’s Chairman Robert R. Young designed and had built for fast ultra-luxury coach service Washington-Cincinnati. It incorporated most of Young’s forward-looking ideas about how railroads could recapture passengers by giving them everything they wanted and much more than they could get in other modes of transportation/ It had dome, family cars, children’s theaters and playrooms, almost as much lounge and non-revenue space as revenue seats, new design observation cars, twin-unit diners, and luxury lounges one of which had a rather famous tropical fish aquarium. – The train was, however, cancelled just before it was to be inaugurated because of financial problems and the cars sold to several different railroads.
BK-23-501 $24.95
2nd Quarter:
Chesapeake & Ohio – Virginia Air Line Subdivision by Dave Ostrander & Charles McIntyre
64 pages, softbound, Many photos, maps, and other illustrations. The VAL was a 28-mile short line connector between C&O’s Rivanna Subdivision (James River Line) and the near Bremo, Va. and the Piedmont Subdivision near Gordonsville. It was used for trains headed to/from Washington to avoid steep Mountain Subdivision grades, also for high-and-wide loads. Abandoned in 1975, it largely has been forgotten since. - This book gives the complete story of this little-known C&O line that was important in the full picture of its freight service.
BK-23-502 $24.95
3rd Quarter
Chesapeake & Ohio – James River Line Bridges by Al Kresse
96 pages, softbound, 120+ illustrations
Author Al Kresse who a veteran at bridge history covers all the bridges on the 229-mile James River Line (James River and Rivanna Subdivisions) between Richmond and Clifton Forge in good detail, both old and new. Original engineering drawings as well as many photos illustrate the evolution of bridge design on the old Richmond & Alleghany RR (before 1889) and C&O after 1889. This was always an important C&O line for shipment of coal to Newport News avoiding the grades of the Mountain Subdivision east of Clifton Forge.
BK-22-503 $24.95
4th Quarter
Chesapeake & Ohio Mountain Subdivision – by Bill Harouff
80 pages, softbound, with 150 illustrations
This is a general, largely pictorial outline history of this important C&O line. It ran between Charlottesville and Clifton Forge, Va. and handled most of C& O’s passenger traffic as well as good amount of manifest freight. It is now operated by The Buckingham Branch Railroad. The book concentrates on the post-WWII late steam and early diesel era, leaving thehistory of the line dating back to antebellum days for a later work. Excellent illustrations, both steam and diesel. Good illustrative materials for modeling.
BK-23-504 $24.95
