Cumberland and Eastern Railway and Transportation Company

[kcwright_rm]

10 years after a mixed lashup of locos of D&H, WM, PC, and more...

The year is 1981. The sad year for the C&E as these would be some of the last trains with the NYC inspired units. On this day 2 unknown trains race each other as an ACL lead chessie train slowly navigates the Cumberland sub.




By 1976, the C&E was struggling, but one key component to its success was the TOFC/Auto traffic. Once carried by the B&O, the service was switched to the C&E as C&E had better trackage in Baltimore via the former WM. The main reason the C&E West sub didnt go bottom up when going into chessie was the major traffic on the line from TOFC/auto. While the B&O from Cumberland to Baltimore was hauling around 50 million gross tons as the C&E was hauling 40 million. This meant if the B&O wanted to combine the C&E and WM trains on these lines, it would most likely mean quad tracks between Pittsburgh and Washington/Baltimore. This was not going to happen due to not enough space in many areas. In fact tunnels like indigo near little Orleans, MD became choke holds on the C&E as trains were tied at each end waiting. By 1988, the traffic had lowered just enough to combine services, and by 1989, the only trains running were rail trains ripping up track.

[kcwright_rm]

[kcwright_rm]

Dear CSX,
We wanted a heritage unit and you went and wrecked it, C&E cool, CSX not cool
Former C&E VP, Logan Eaterloop

[kcwright_rm]

[kcwright_rm]

[Thai1On]

Alright, finally some more C&E steam.

Dave

[kcwright_rm]

Yup, C&E OCS/steam program train,

my idea is that the C&E program continued with chessie due to sponsors in the 80s. The program would have continued into early CSX and would end in 1993. About as long as southern, 1966-1993.

[kcwright_rm]

C&E trains pass under the reading railroad on the paintsville branch.

[kcwright_rm]

Between 1966 and 1987, C&E/Chessie/CSX ran TOFC trains over the C&E route. The road owned about 33 TOFC flats and 100 trailers in 1970. "The Baltimorean" named after the famous C&E passenger train, is seen near Big Pool, MD on the mainline in 1978

[kcwright_rm]