What was the origin of the Chessie kitten logo ?

[Kozzie]

I have wondered for some time the story behind the kitten in the Chessie logo.

I reckon someone in the East Coast regions will know [;)]

Cheers

Kozzie

[Modelcar]

....Chessie info I pulled up:
During the depresion era....C&O vice president, Mr. Probert started looking for a new advertising slogan to show how smooth and relaxing a railroad ride could be. Mr. Probert noticed this picture of the "cat" in the NY Herald Tribune and decided that could become the logo and slogan for his R R. Chessie Cat was created by Guido Gruenwald of Vienna, Austria...and to make the story short was eventually adopted for the job....The first "Chessie" add appeared in 1933.

[Anonymous]

and he notes -

"Chessie" originated as an etching in a newapaper back in 1933. The kitten was shown sleeping under a blanket and C&O's Public Relations office picked up on it with the idea of promoting their new air conditioned sleeping cars. They touted the service with "Sleep like a kitten and wake up fresh as a Daisy."

Over the next few years, the kitten appeared in all their ads and gained the name "Chessie" from the railroad's name. It was featured in their 1934 calendar and gained nationwide recognition and is still considered to be the most successful railroad ad campaign symbol of all time.

I believe CSX retired "Chessie" a few years ago, but there's still plenty of memorabilia around.

[Kozzie]

[:)]Thanks Modelcar, an interesting story. I didn't expect the origins to be back in the 1930s. [:D]

Kozzie

[heavyd]

Bring back the cat!!! I think it is a crying shame to ignore the "C" and retire it! So much for heritage and history. One of the most successful trademarks in history and CSX couldn't care less. With that kind of attitude I never feel sorry for them when they start crying out lost revenue or lost market share to trucking!

[locomutt]

Kozzie,and the rest
Modelcar came up with the best on how Chessie got started.
To get the best history on her;check out:CHESSIE The Railroad Kitten
By Thomas W. Dixon Jr. This is a pretty complete history on Chessie.
I think Carl S. would agree.

[CShaveRR]

Oh, yes, Carl S. definitely would agree!

The book has been a bestseller for C&OHS. They also publish an annual Chessie calendar.

[Modelcar]

...Item: On our subject of Chessie...I have a black and white "throw" on my La z Boy chair here in my home office....It was purchased at a railroad specialty store in a Mall in Orlando....It is very fitting for the rail nut...which I suppose I must have some of whatever makes one of those.....

[tree68]

Let us not forget Chessie's "old man," 'Peake.'

Not kidding here, folks... Check the history.

[Modelcar]

....The 1940 calender showed a contented mom [Chessie], and her two small kittens snuggled up and asleep in Chessie's No. 9 upper berth. Peake, laying above them in a hammock, is quietly keeping guard over his little family....Later Peake "enlisted" in the military to serve his country.........and the story goes on.

[JoeKoh]

Chessie was a good kitty.look hard enough in some of the yards and shes still on some of the cars.
stay safe
Joe

[Modelcar]

Kozzie: Does Australia still operate the long east / west stretch of track with the super long tangent....and if so do passenger trains travel on that route...?

[Kozzie]

Modelcar, the Indian Pacific still runs on a regualr basis between Sydney (east coast) and Perth (west coast) with part of the run using the longest section of straight track in the world.

Pete M636C - do you have the actual length of this? I did know but can't recall.

Now it's privately owned, as is the new north south service between Adelaide and Darwin that was recently completed after a very long time.

Did that get any coverage in the States?

Kozzie

[M636C]

Kozzie,

My recollection of the actual straight was 297 miles long, but I'd have to check that. (I just checked it - it is on the GE Rail site under Railfan Trivia! - I hope they are right.)

I think that is part of the interstate main line system operated by the Australian Rail Track Corporation, which is still a government owned organisation. The remainder of that system (the former Australian National) is operated by the Australian Railroad Group, part of Genessee and Wyoming. ARG operate the line from the junction at Tarcoola to Darwin, the section to Alice Springs being transferred to ARG in exchange for building the extension to Darwin.

The passenger trains run two days per week in each direction, but the Westbound trains cover the straight in daylight. There are not many curves on other parts of the line, but when the train reaches the first curve at the end of the long straight, and the first trees come into view, people take it as a sign that they have returned to civilisation (or Kalgoorlie, if that was where they were going). I've done the trip twice, and it is a long trip, but a railfan can entertain him/herself for the 62 hours, and it does cover the whole country coast to coast.

The second (or maybe third) longest straight track (more than 100 miles) is between Kalgoorlie and Perth, and this section is owned by ARG.

The passenger trains are operated by Great Southern Railways and are hauled by locomotives hired from Pacific National, usually 4000HP GE units. (Maybe that's why its on the GE Rail site)

The first train to Darwin got coverage on the BBC World cable TV service, but I don't get CNN or FOX, so I can't say about US coverage.

Peter

[Kozzie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by M636C

Kozzie,

My recollection of the actual straight was 297 miles long, but I'd have to check that. (I just checked it - it is on the GE Rail site under Railfan Trivia! - I hope they are right.)

I think that is part of the interstate main line system operated by the Australian Rail Track Corporation, which is still a government owned organisation. The remainder of that system (the former Australian National) is operated by the Australian Railroad Group, part of Genessee and Wyoming. ARG operate the line from the junction at Tarcoola to Darwin, the section to Alice Springs being transferred to ARG in exchange for building the extension to Darwin.

The passenger trains run two days per week in each direction, but the Westbound trains cover the straight in daylight. There are not many curves on other parts of the line, but when the train reaches the first curve at the end of the long straight, and the first trees come into view, people take it as a sign that they have returned to civilisation (or Kalgoorlie, if that was where they were going). I've done the trip twice, and it is a long trip, but a railfan can entertain him/herself for the 62 hours, and it does cover the whole country coast to coast.

The second (or maybe third) longest straight track (more than 100 miles) is between Kalgoorlie and Perth, and this section is owned by ARG.

The passenger trains are operated by Great Southern Railways and are hauled by locomotives hired from Pacific National, usually 4000HP GE units. (Maybe that's why its on the GE Rail site)

The first train to Darwin got coverage on the BBC World cable TV service, but I don't get CNN or FOX, so I can't say about US coverage.

Peter

[:)] Thanks Pete - that info is very interesting. I hope Modelcar checks back on this thread.

Good to see other Aussies in the Forum [:D] Are you on the west coast? I'm in Brisbane, and still hope to ride the Indian Pacific one day...[sigh] I did see someone off at Sydney Central station once. They had a seat right at the back and it seemed just stretch forever at platform 1.

Dave
(Kozzie)

[Modelcar]

...Kozzie and M363c...yes, I'm here and thanks to both of you for the info on the Austrailian rail systems...and yes, I believe there was some info in TRAINS several years ago on your rail system and I read someplace of the new line you mentioned, possibly in TRAINS magazine.
The 300 mile length for that long straight is the figure that was in my mind and we in the USA even have a pretty long straight down in either north or south Carolina which is on our east coast. It tracks about due west from there for I believe it is about 79 miles.
It is interesting to hear from you fellows about your country and it's railroading. Enjoy reading it....

[M636C]

Dave,

I'd better stop off -topic comments before I get thrown off the forum! No, sadly I work in Canberra right now, but I spent most of 1975 to 1978 in the Pilbara. I like Perth too!

I'm planning a holiday to the West again as we speak!

But to justify a comment on this topic, it was a long time before I realised that the "C" in the yellow Chessie System units had the outline of a kitten in bed inside them!

And the scheme was brighter than all over dark blue!

Peter

[Kozzie]

Pete - is your next trip to Pertht on the indian Pacific?

Modelcar, we appreciate your comments. Good to see some "up over" folk interested in Aussie Rail

Kozzie

[M636C]

Dave,

I thought that I might try driving across - I've never done that, and it gives me the excuse to check out Port Lincoln and Kalgoorlie on the way.

But it will take a lot longer! I've driven to Cairns twice, so it should work! It's the big gaps between places that will be the problem.

Peter

[Anonymous]

That Aussie Railroad can use one of the new 300 mile an hour train. It will cut that 62 hour trip into somthing like 15 hours.

In large areas of the USA the potential is there for long straight track probably best for regional high speed rail.

[fuzzybroken]

QUOTE: Originally posted by heavyd

Bring back the cat!!! I think it is a crying shame to ignore the "C" and retire it! So much for heritage and history. One of the most successful trademarks in history and CSX couldn't care less. With that kind of attitude I never feel sorry for them when they start crying out lost revenue or lost market share to trucking!

Definitely, bring back Chessie... I think I read someplace recently that when CSX Corp. was formed in 1978 or 79 (??), they said that the name was "just temporary"... I think it's well overdue to bring back the cat, or at LEAST come up with a better name!!!

-Mark
http://www.geocities.com/fuzzybroken

[Anonymous]

IF I had a cat I'd name it Chessie

DOGGY

[Kozzie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by fuzzybroken

QUOTE: Originally posted by heavyd

Bring back the cat!!! I think it is a crying shame to ignore the "C" and retire it! So much for heritage and history. One of the most successful trademarks in history and CSX couldn't care less. With that kind of attitude I never feel sorry for them when they start crying out lost revenue or lost market share to trucking!

Definitely, bring back Chessie... I think I read someplace recently that when CSX Corp. was formed in 1978 or 79 (??), they said that the name was "just temporary"... I think it's well overdue to bring back the cat, or at LEAST come up with a better name!!!

-Mark
http://www.geocities.com/fuzzybroken

I agree heavyd and fuzzybroken. There is a need to preserve our heritage in all aspects.

Trains Mag had a fascinating article some time ago about where the name CSX came from.

The letters C and S were the initals of the merging RR companies (but I can't remember what the S stood for - I know somene will help us out here) .

The article explained that the lawyers from both sides (while they were going through all the legal stuff for merging) agreed to use the letter 'x ' as a fill in till a third part of the name was agreed to.

But the 'x' ended up staying! good grief! Not much imagination!

Does anyone else rememebr that article? I found it very informative.

Kozzie

[M636C]

Dave

The other system merging was Seaboard System, previously known as the "Family Lines -SCL/L&N".

Peter

[Kozzie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by M636C

Dave

The other system merging was Seaboard System, previously known as the "Family Lines -SCL/L&N".

Peter

Thanks Pete [:)] I just can't believe no-one could come with anything to replace the 'X'

If you read the artilce I mentioned, what did you think of it? I found it very informative, particularly the backgound story to CSX - all those fallen flags

Dave.

[M636C]

Dave,

It is a while since I read the article, and I had some idea of the background of the merging companies anyway. Perhaps I should dig it out again.

However, using "X" as the last letter of the company abbreviations on freight cars is very common in the USA, with GATX and TTX as examples.

So there was a sort of precedent to having "X" as the last letter of a Railroad company name, and it may have been originally suggested in this regard.

Except, of course CSX freight cars are lettered "CSXT"(for CSX Transportation).

Peter

[tree68]

QUOTE: Originally posted by M636C

Dave,

It is a while since I read the article, and I had some idea of the background of the merging companies anyway. Perhaps I should dig it out again.

However, using "X" as the last letter of the company abbreviations on freight cars is very common in the USA, with GATX and TTX as examples.

So there was a sort of precedent to having "X" as the last letter of a Railroad company name, and it may have been originally suggested in this regard.

Except, of course CSX freight cars are lettered "CSXT"(for CSX Transportation).

Peter

As mentioned in the article, an "X" denotes a non-railroad owned car (we won't get into trusts). Since the same rules that dictate the "X" for said cars also say that RR equipment CAN'T end with an "X", CSX had to add a "T" (or something other than an X), yielding "CSXT". Of course, they are also using "NYC" on the cars they got in the Conrail split-up.

Back when Esso (Standard Oil) wanted to bring all of their various lines under one umbrella, they spent considerable time and money coming up with "Exxon". And CSX did it by accident. If you look at the corporate world in general, though, you'll see a lot of that going on. Either they use the initials of all of their merger partners, or invent a completely new word (verizon isn't in my dictionary - what's it mean?)

You can't really say that the initials we are used to seeing on railroads are the same thing. AT&SF, CB&Q, even NKP all stood for something else, they weren't the company name in and of themselves.

But, yeah, we need a name more colorful than CSX. Any ideas? It's not like we're going to get them to actually make the change, or repaint the rolling stock, but a little dreaming can be entertaining. What would be a good, representative name, and perhaps some ideas for paint. We all like the fallen flags, but let's be forward looking and create something new, just as though it was a completely new railroad, putting down it's first track.

[Modelcar]

...I found a picture of "Chessie" imbedded in a terrazzo floor in a depot in Prince, W V but have not the knowledge to put it on here but if anyone would like to see it I can send it via e-mail.

[Anonymous]

Chessie cat comes from the Chesapeake and ohio Sleep like a kitten slogan right?

[locomutt]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Vista Dome Passenger 1

Chessie cat comes from the Chesapeake and ohio Sleep like a kitten slogan right?

Correct you are. You can also read "Chessie, the Railroad Kitten" by Tom
Dixon, Jr. It should be available at most hobby shops; it's been a few
years, so I'm not exactly sure where you can find it. Try some of the
railroad books sources on the internet. (Go to the C&O Historical
Society.)