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Chessie: The Railroad Kitten
A wonderfully nostalgic tribute to the lovable kitten that became one of the best-remembered company symbols of all time. She was featured on the sleek passenger trains that ran from Washington to Cincinatti, and on freight cars in mile-long trains, she helped sell war bonds, and finally was modernized to form the logo for the new Chessie System paint scheme in 1972. Purrr-fect for every train enthusiast!
- GenresAnimalsNonfiction
64 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 9, 2016
From the ages of 0-8 and 11-14, I lived in a tiny railroad town--a town that was born and died before women had the right to vote. To this day, a few dedicated elderly are attempting to turn the old depot and coal tipple into a historic landmark (not gonna happen). So, waiting on the train to pass through town before we could head north east to Brandenburg, or watching it pass by from my grandparent's backyard, were familiar parts of my childhood.
That said, I recall being amused and intrigued by the sight of a high-contrast black & whatevertheboxcarwaspainted image of a cat on the CSX trains. I'm a crazycatgirl. What can I say? I loved to watch the boxcars by, and remember hearing it pass through in my bed late at night.
When I saw this book at Cincinnati Museum Center and Union Terminal (I have taken train trips to Los Angeles and New York City from Cincinnati's Union Terminal via Amtrak), I picked it up thinking, "Oh! A cute story about a kitty on the trains! Awww." ..but instead, as I flipped through, realized that I was holding a book about not just a cat, but about a unsung German artist, the history and evolution of a marketing campaign beginning in the 1930s, the changes of rail road from unstoppable freight and people movers to their declined presence today, & the origin of that image of the side of the boxcars from my childhood.
I love trains. I love the culture of riding trains...I know nothing about the specifics of locomotives or any technical jargon...but when I picked up this book, expecting a true or false tale (or tail..ha) of a kitten on the railroad, I think that I audibly gasped as I examined the iconic image of Chessie, and realised, "Oh my god. THAT'S THE CAT!" It made me miss the trains...and it made me miss my grandparents.
As a Amtrak rider, former graphic design major, cat fancier, and public history graduate student, this book was just perfect.
That said, I recall being amused and intrigued by the sight of a high-contrast black & whatevertheboxcarwaspainted image of a cat on the CSX trains. I'm a crazycatgirl. What can I say? I loved to watch the boxcars by, and remember hearing it pass through in my bed late at night.
When I saw this book at Cincinnati Museum Center and Union Terminal (I have taken train trips to Los Angeles and New York City from Cincinnati's Union Terminal via Amtrak), I picked it up thinking, "Oh! A cute story about a kitty on the trains! Awww." ..but instead, as I flipped through, realized that I was holding a book about not just a cat, but about a unsung German artist, the history and evolution of a marketing campaign beginning in the 1930s, the changes of rail road from unstoppable freight and people movers to their declined presence today, & the origin of that image of the side of the boxcars from my childhood.
I love trains. I love the culture of riding trains...I know nothing about the specifics of locomotives or any technical jargon...but when I picked up this book, expecting a true or false tale (or tail..ha) of a kitten on the railroad, I think that I audibly gasped as I examined the iconic image of Chessie, and realised, "Oh my god. THAT'S THE CAT!" It made me miss the trains...and it made me miss my grandparents.
As a Amtrak rider, former graphic design major, cat fancier, and public history graduate student, this book was just perfect.
August 24, 2025
This book is a celebration of the famed railway kitten, Cheshire, who was the official symbol of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. This kitten first appeared in the Depression year of 1933 and became a huge public relations and marketing phenomenon during the 1930’s, wartime and the 1950’s. In 1972, a modern logo of Cheshire was adopted as the corporate image of the B&O/C&O/Western Maryland system, named the Cheshire System. The Cheshire paint scheme was a sight to behold for railfans in the 1970’s and 1980’s. An amazing book!
March 15, 2022
I've heard of this railroad and I enjoyed learning more about it and the cute kitten logo that was used for it. Very interesting read!
June 18, 2015
The story of the kitten that represented the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. Informative, great trivia, and wonderful reproductions of original advertising art. And as a Louisa County resident, its history is near and dear to my heart.
"Our story most properly begins with a sketch of the railway that Chessie came to represent, the Chesapeake & Ohio. The first predecessor of C&O was the Louisa Railroad. Starting in 1836, it was built in the rich farming land of Louisa County in central Virginia."
pg. 7
I lost my own Chessie last year; still get misty when I look at this book.
"Our story most properly begins with a sketch of the railway that Chessie came to represent, the Chesapeake & Ohio. The first predecessor of C&O was the Louisa Railroad. Starting in 1836, it was built in the rich farming land of Louisa County in central Virginia."
pg. 7
I lost my own Chessie last year; still get misty when I look at this book.
September 2, 2016
My parents bought me this book almost 17 years ago when they took me on a day-trip to Steam Town in Pennsylvania. I didn't read it until today. As a history teacher, I think it's neat to see how one painting can make such a huge impact on one railroad company.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews