I am trying to find out more about B&O locomotive pooling before the Chessie years. I found something on the web that seemed to say that B&O pooled with Reading on the New York/Chicago run in the 60's and maybe before. What B&O and Reading lines would have been involved, and what were the time periods? Also, how early did locomotive pooling develop with B&O, C&O, and Western Maryland? At what point would they have had locomotives on each others lines? Did B&O have any other pooling arrangements in the 60's? thanks for any help
Remember, Chessie was little more than a rebranding of the existing C&O/B&O system. C&O owned the B&O since 1962, and I expect pooling between them developed quickly. I have some recollection of 60s photos with C&O and B&O power in the system scheme. WM, whereas, didn't become part of the system until 1973, IIRC - after the Chessie rebranding.
The B&O and C&O along with the Reading began to pool power in 1964. This resulted in the Reading new GP-30's and GP-35's being renumbered from the 5500 and 6500 series into the 3600's to match the B&O numbering system. The B&O was the major shareholder in the Reading at the time. WM units were part of this arrangement with the Reading as well. B&O Trains and routes were The Chicagoan, Advanced Potomac, Potomac, and St.Louis Trailer Jet. They operated between Park Jct (in Philadelphia) and Jersey City. Symbols were 684, 685, 694, 695, 696, 697, 698. Also, the Reading operated NE-84 and NE-87 between Pot Yard and Allentown with service to New England provided by the D&H. WM service was on the corridor between Hagerstown, MD and Rutherford Yard outside Harrisburg, PA. These were AJ 2, AJ 12 and NE-96 (from Maybrook NY to Hagerstown, MD). Hope this helps.
Not to be overlooked in the 60's power pooling is the CNJ. If I recall correctly...B&O owned a majority share of the Reading and the Reading owned a majority share of the CNJ. During the Washington-New York passenger era, which ended in April 1958, the B&O-Reading-CNJ had agreements to operate the 'Royal Blue Line' from DC to Jersey City and the Ferry/Bus operation that delivered B&O passengers to downtown New York. Part of this agreement was a pooling of ownership in power, equipment and crews; with the B&O having the major share of all aspects of the operation.
There is a Jim Boyd photo of a pair of B&O GP30s in Pine Bluff, Arkansas dated 10/69 in Southern Pacific in color Volume 3. This may be at the beginning of a power pool arrangement between B&O and Cotton Belt. This developed into full fledged pooling of motive power in the early 1970s. I think it was a Cincinnati-Pine Bluff pool. There were also leased B&O/C&O Geeps on Cotton Belt in the very early 1970s. This included GP9s, GP30s and GP35s that were leased to Cotton Belt to ease a power shortage.
I remember as a kid seeing Reading, CNJ and the occasional SP/SSW unit come through on the Toledo Division back in the '60s and '70s. That was in addition to the usual daily Sou/Chessie Toledo/Atlanta run through train.
