Eastern Railroad Discussion > What does CSX stand for?

This may be a dumb question, but my friend at work and I are wondering if it stands for anything, or just three letters that the powers to be liked...Thanks in advance-Steve

Chessie
Seabord
X (much more or something equivalent to that)

I have also heard:
C-Chessie
S-Seaboard
eXpanded

Not very creative. In reality, it probably stands for nothing.

pafan

Trains did a research article on this a couple of months go. According to the research dti407 has it right. That is the way it is listed on the leagal papers at the time nobody could come up with a name and they needed something for the leagal paper work during the merger proceedings.

Not a dumb ?, just an often asked one! Here's the link to the CSX site. Under the "Quick Links" box in the upper right, go to the faq's, it's the first ? answered.

http://www.csx.com/index.cfm


Cheers,
John R

Common Sense Xempt

"CSX was formed in 1980 by the acquisition of the Chessie System Railway and the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad -- thus the 'C' and the 'S.' These two entities brought with them subsidiaries that were not transportation-related, such as resort, video production, and mineral companies. Thus, the 'X' stands for 'and all others.'"

A name that needs that much explaination really doesn't work. But then, the initials are pronounced "sex," so that's kinda cool!

I've always liked "Can't Say eXactly" - their most common answer to questions like "When's my shipment arriving?" or "Why is the yard all plugged up again?"

Manheim

Hays T. Watkins related it this way. In the putting together stages CSX was used as an internal name and on the various forms and legal procedures, (as alluded to in a previous post.) When it came time to pick an actual name a contest was had among employees but nothing that really worked appeared. Someone suggested just sticking to the internal name, and after some discussion it was a done deal. And it does stand for for Chessie Seaboard Expanded, it was never meant to be creative, but it was descriptive for it's original pupose. And eveyone knows the debacle of how to mark equipment since X indicates privately owned stock. Simple solution was to register CSXT as the reporting mark for the new company, which just happened to be the initals of the Transportaion end of the then envisioned multimodal company.

the first 3 letters on a csx train dispatchers paycheck are CSX...Can't Schedule or eXpedite

C hicken
S h**
X press

Crash
Smash
Xplode

OR
Conrail
Still
X-ists

Can
Someone
Xplain

jonnycando Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hays T. Watkins related it this way. In the
> putting together stages CSX was used as an
> internal name and on the various forms and legal
> procedures, (as alluded to in a previous post.)
> When it came time to pick an actual name a contest
> was had among employees but nothing that really
> worked appeared. Someone suggested just sticking
> to the internal name, and after some discussion it
> was a done deal. And it does stand for for Chessie
> Seaboard Expanded, it was never meant to be
> creative, but it was descriptive for it's original
> pupose. And eveyone knows the debacle of how to
> mark equipment since X indicates privately owned
> stock. Simple solution was to register CSXT as the
> reporting mark for the new company, which just
> happened to be the initals of the Transportaion
> end of the then envisioned multimodal company.


I would add that at the time (1981), they did not intend to use the CSX name for an operating company. CSX was going to be the holding company and Chessie and Family Lines (later Seaboard System) were going to be the operating arm. Someone even said words to the effective that "you will never see CSX on the side of a box car".

So much for that.

I figured this query would open up the humor floodgates; not disappointed....

Hard to believe it has survived since 1981. Hopefully the winged shield will cover cover it all up by 2011.

Why? UP is just as bad.

My favorite:

CSXT = Can Someone eXplain This?

Mine is as follows:

C = continuously
S = stupid
X = eXecutives

Chessie Seaboard X'd off the map