The brainchild of C&O executive Robert R. Young, the Chessie would have operated on a daylight schedule between Washington, D.C., and Cincinnati, Ohio.

Although the equipment was delivered, a worsening financial outlook led to the cancellation of the train before it operated in revenue service.

[1]: 52  The Chessie would operate between Washington and Cincinnati in daylight, with feeder routes to Newport News, and Norfolk, Virginia, at Charlottesville, and Louisville, Kentucky, at Ashland.

[2]: iv  Finally, the Chessie would be hauled by a revolutionary new steam turbine locomotive, the M1, which would enable the train to cover the 666 miles (1,072 km) between Washington and Cincinnati in 11 hours 45 minutes.

The C&O scaled back its expansion plans, canceling several outstanding equipment orders and selling off delivered cars.

In addition, the Baltimore and Ohio's competing service on the Cincinnati route, the Cincinnatian, was losing money and cost far less to operate than the upper-scale Chessie.

[2]: 18–25  Twelve coaches of the Chessie were exported to Argentina and replaced their standard-gauge bogies for a broad gauge ones for use on General Roca Railway's premium service El Marplatense that operated from Buenos Aires to Mar del Plata.