By Clint Thomas, HD Media
A 55-year-old, Virginia-based group dedicated to preserving C&O Railway history and maintaining St. Albans “railroad ties” has recently released its yearly fundraising calendars to support its cause.
The nonprofit Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society’s 2025 calendar selection includes the famous Chessie “The Railroad Kitten” calendar, the longest-running, railroad-themed calendar in the United States, according to the COHS. The 2025 edition marks the 91st issued since the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway created the concept in 1934. The calendar features artwork from the 1930s and 1940s and previously unpublished marketing material from the earliest days of the railroad’s “Sleep Like a Kitten” campaign.
“These early advertisements following Chessie’s 1933 introduction to the public perfectly capture the early vision and romance of passenger rail travel when, for the first time, Americans could ride the rails enjoying modern, clean heat and air conditioning,” COHS President Mark Totten said. “With illustrations all taken from vintage Chessie advertisements in the archive of the C&O Historical Society, these selections reflect classic moments from the famous kitten’s long career.”
