Eastern Railroad Discussion > Announcing the Campaign to Restore Chessie 29

ANNOUNCING THE CAMPAIGN TO RESTORE CHESSIE 29:

Donate today and double the impact toward one of the most famous C&O Railway passenger cars!   https://files.constantcontact.com/654d25d0101/c76e51b1-f9b9-457c-88ec-e80b695ec791.jpg   During today's Giving Tuesday 2021, the C&O Historical Society would like to announce the beginning of public fundraising to restore the passenger car Chessie 29, the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway’s 1950-built business car used by the railroad’s president, now in the collection of our non-profit organization. This week we are excited to launch widespread fundraising efforts to restore Chessie 29 to operational condition.
 
Chessie 29 was built in 1950 as “New River Club” and converted for C&O President Walter J. Tuohy’s use in 1951. He used the car as his “rolling office,” traveling throughout the United States and occasionally loaning the car to dignitaries from around the world who were visiting Chesapeake & Ohio territory. Following decades of service, the car was sold by the C&O Railway to private interests in 1971. In 2019, the car was generously donated to the C&O Historical Society and moved to its C&O Railway Heritage Center museum in Clifton Forge, Virginia.
 
Now, for this Giving Tuesday, we ask that you help us make history. With a tax-deductible donation, this Pullman-built passenger car that has been used by notables such as President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Princess Grace of Monaco can return to the rails with new life as a lasting tribute to mid-century transportation aboard the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway.
 
ALSO—your donation will go twice as far! Thanks to an anonymous donor, your contributions toward the restoration of Chessie 29 will be matched, doubling your generosity’s impact toward saving this one-of-a-kind piece of railroad history. Through this double impact, we can forever preserve Chessie 29’s history, heritage, and glamour.
 
To make an online donation today, please visit [b]https://chessieshop.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=52&products_id=2003[/b] and designate your donation toward Chessie 29.
 
Even if you cannot contribute financially at this time, you can still take part in the campaign. Please share our Chessie 29 posts on Facebook to spread the news of the C&O Historical Society’s push to restore one of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway’s most famous passenger cars.
 
If you have any questions, or if you prefer to make your donation separate from the web, please email cohs@cohs.org. Thank you for all your support and enthusiasm for our organization.
 
Mark Totten
President
C&O Historical Society