The Chesapeake & Ohio Railway at Mid-Century

The Chesapeake & Ohio Railway entered the 20th Century as a small but growing line in the region of Virginia-West Virginia-Kentucky. By the middle of the century it was the world's largest carrier of bituminous coal, a major play in passenger service (though its own fleet was small), and was important in automotive industry transportation. Its stock was blue chip, its cash reserves seemingly limitless, its public relations and advertising the best in the country. It had a reputation as one of the best managed and most profitable lines in the nation.