CSX Transportation

CSX Transportation (CSX, CSX Corporation, or CSXT) is a standard-gauge (4ft 8½in or 1,435mm), US Class 1 freight railroad (major freight railroad), which operates throughout the eastern United States.

The CSX "boxcar" logo ; which serves as a modern look or variant for the company's official logo.

The railroad was formed when the Chessie System and Seaboard System railroad corporations merged in 1980, creating what is now known as CSXT, CSX, or CSX Transportation.

They are currently headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida which is often considered to be known as "Seaboard territory" by most locals and enthusiasts in the area.

The official CSX logo, which often varies in size, color, and has different slogans.

"How Tomorrow Moves" is their current slogan.

History

CSX was officially formed in 1986 when the Eastern-based Chessie System and Seaboard System railroad corporations merged the previous year. Both which each individually owned three different railroads which once competed with one another; but after the decline of railroads in the US during the 1960's through the 1980's (though, beginning in 1959), the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O), Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O), Western Maryland (WM); as well as the Seaboard Coast Line (SCL), Clinchfield Route Railroad (CRR), and Louisville and Nashville (L&N) railroads merged to create the Chessie System and Family Lines System corporations to avoid bankrupcy and financial debt like the Rock Island and Penn Central railroads (though, Family Lines System eventually became known as the Seaboard System later on). Both corporations decided to merge. Hence, the birth of CSX Transportation.

The merger was made possible with people like Prime F. Osborn and Hays T. Watkins (railroad entrepreneurs with experience managing and operating on CSX's preceeding ancestors).

Major Merging Railroads:

Chessie: B&O, C&O, and WM

Seaboard/Family Lines: SCL, LN, CRR

Chessie and Seaboard=CSX (Chessie Seaboard X) (The X has no official meaning and was placed into the name to avoid legal disputes)

They also purchased 42% of Conrail (with Norfolk Southern purchasing the remaining 58%), merged the majority owned RF&P (Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad) shortline (entirely) in 1993, and operate over various former, smaller defunct US Class 1 railroad trackage (such as the Monon railroad; which was originally purchased and absorbed by the L&N in the 1960's).

The history of CSX is still being written as of today.

Current

Today, CSX operates more than about 1,000 trains per day, (aside from Union Pacific and other North American Class 1 railroads) and have had many paint schemes which they've experimented with.

Locomotive Paint Schemes

Initially, CSX painted their engines in a gray and dark blue scheme, nicknamed "Stealth" by train crews, due to its low visibility. CSX officials were not satisfied; thus, the YN1, or "Yellow Nose 1", scheme, was introduced, featuring the same basic design as "Stealth", but with a yellow nose and a yellow stripe along the frame.

YN2, or "Bright Future", was introduced during the 1990's. This scheme included a new stripe variation of yellow, blue and gray, with black trucks/fuel tank/pilots. New AC-traction locomotive deliveries had lightning bolts painted just below or on either side of the unit's number on the cab, signifying AC traction. The lightning bolt tradition carries on to the modern day on CSX.

CSX's current scheme is YN3 ("Dark Future"). Since 2011, the YN3 scheme has been updated to include the company's new "boxcar" logo, making for the "YN3b" paint scheme - CSX's most current, official paint scheme to date.

CSX Boxcar ES44AC — CSX ES44AC #958 with the exclusive "boxcar" logo applied to the front and sides of the locomotive.

Official Website

http://csx.com/

Trivia

The name or acronym itself, initially meant "Chessie Seaboard" with the X denoting the combination as much more than the sum of the two railroads, and their planned, (but never released) slogan originally was meant to be: "And together, we're much more!".
The name itself was also originally meant to be arranged as: "CXS", but was disliked due to CSX being considered to be more "catchy" by railroad officials during the time of the early stages of the merger.
CSX's reporting marks had to be changed to "CSXT" due to the "X" referring to the reporting marks of freight cars that are privately owned.
The CSX YN1 paintcheme is actually modified from their "Stealth" schemes, which yellow patches were added to the front and/or rear of the design.
CSX also painted a fleet of their older units into an exclusive orange and black scheme for the "MoW" (Maintenance of Way; often pronounced "maw" or "moe") track repair organization. All of these units have since been retired and repainted.
CSX EMD SD40 #4617 is the only original SD40 left on CSX's roster, which was also the very last C&O painted unit or locomotive as well. (The unit or locomotive was recently repainted in 2009.)
CSX 2667 and 4601 were also some of the last former Seaboard System painted units left on CSX's roster, aside from CSX 9120, 9121, and 9122 being the last Chessie System painted units; including 9124, one of the only units to have C&O reporting marks stenciled underneath the cab numbers.
Both CSX and BNSF are referred to simply by their acronyms or reporting marks, rather than their full names.
"YN" means, "Yellow Nose" (or hood); where the front hood of CSX locomotives are painted yellow.
Their current slogan, is; "How Tomorrow Moves" often seen in televised commercials, and was added with the exclusive "boxcar" logo on their locomotives as of 2011.
The Seaboard Coast Line was originally formed from the merger of the Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line railroads.
CSX SD40-2 #8803 is a former Conrail SD40-2 #6373 which had Junaita Locomotive Facility emblems and livery, and received countless changes before being repainted into CSX's YN3 scheme. This unit was also one of the last Conrail-painted CSX SD40-2's on their roster.
CSX C40-8W #1992 was painted in an exclusive livery which was used to haul or pull a special presidential train for former US President Bill Clinton in 1992 and for then-president George H.W Bush. This unit was eventually repainted and renumbered into "The Spirit of America!" #7812 unit.
Many of their newer locomotives are painted with exclusive "Spirit Of" lettering and slogans on the sides of the cabs, which was originally a Chessie Era tradition from the B&O and C&O.
Most of CSX's AC-traction units are painted with distinguished lightning bolts.
Six AC6000CW units were painted with "Diversity In Motion" exclusive banners, as well as still having lightning bolts painted on the sides of the numbers like the other AC6000CW's.
CSX also owns only 3 GP60's on their roster.
CSX #7764 (formally #5764) is the last remaining GE U36B unit on their roster which was painted in an exclusive Family Lines "heritage" scheme under the nickname "Old Timer". This unit was eventually renumbered and repainted into YN3 paint, as well as received a badge due to being used as a special unit to haul CSX's Police Demonstration trains.
CSX's current intermodal service began with purchase of the CSL Intermodal Corporation, and it eventually became completely absorbed by the early-2000's and was ultimately renamed to "CSX Intermodal".
As of 2012, not a single unit from Chessie, Seaboard, or Conrail heritage exists in their former paintscheme (including the RF&P; which several of CSX's SW1001 switchers originate from the RF&P shortline.)
CSX SD40-2 #8888 "Crazy Eights" (as nicknamed by railfans) was involved in a runaway incident near Willard, Ohio in 2001, and inspired the 2010 film "Unstoppable". The incident was caused due to several incidents originating from the engineer's faults; the locomotive was unmanned due to the engineer being thrown off, and traveled at over 51mph hauling a train of toxic chemicals and was originally switching freight cars in a yard but was accidentally diverted onto a mainline after numerous issues caused by the engineer, who didn't have a crew to assist him and the train. (See Wikipedia article for more info.)
CSX SD40-2 #8077 was dedicated to a former L&N (later CSX) president who was actually one of the first executives of the company.
Since the CSX merger, the company has also operated numerous "Santa Train" excursions, which is a tradition inherited from the Clinchfield Route Railroad (CRR).
CSX #7482; a former Conrail C39-8, was one of the only YN3-painted C39-8 units and received the scheme shortly before retirement. (Besides #7483.)
As of 2012, CSX has sponsored NASCAR race car driver David Reagan of the #34 car.
CSX #5107; an AC4400CW unit, received a special banner dedicated to W. Thomas Rice (co-creator of CSX), and is known as the "W. Thomas Rice Special" unit (a yard in Waycross, Georgia was actually named and dedicated after him as well).