The Chesapeake & Ohio's Fast Flying Virginian

The Chesapeake & Ohio's Fast Flying Virginian did not begin life as a streamliner but actually dated back to the late 19th century. For many years the F.F.V., as the train was also known by, was the C&O's flagship run between Washington, D.C. and Cincinnati, Ohio. However, as the streamliner era hit in the 1930s the train was eclipsed by the George Washington, which soon became the C&O's most popular among its fleet. As with the George, the Fast Flying Virginian offered guests incredibly scenic views of eastern Virginia and southern West Virginia on its daytime run through the Shenandoah Valley and Appalachian Mountains. In the 1940s the train was streamlined although received no new equipment after that time. The F.F.V. remained in service until the late 1960s when it was finally canceled after the U.S. Postal Service cancelled mail contracts for the entire railroad industry.

At the time of the F.F.V.'s inauguration only a handful of railroads offered very luxurious, named trains which did not become readily common until the streamliner era of the 1930s. Additionally, while the C&O is historically remembered for its classic paint scheme of blue, yellow, and gray the railroad adorned the Fast Flying Virginian in a maroon and orange livery. After heavyweight cars began common after 1910 the railroad updated the train to such and continued to offer it with full Pullman service. It also began assigning either its F Class 4-6-2 Pacifics or J Class 4-8-2 Mountains to power the train. While not streamlined in any way the locomotives were quite handsome nonetheless.

Along with the new cars in the late 1940s the C&O began purchasing new cab units from the Electro-Motive Division including E7As, E8As, and later FP7s in the early 1950s. The new trains came equipped with the latest features such as air-conditioning, spacious seating, and fine dining. Additionally, it was around this time that the railroad debuted its elegant new livery of deep blue, yellow/gold, and grey. Despite the fact that the F.F.V. (as it was known in later years by the railroad, which completely dropped its formal name) had stops between Cincinnati and D.C. at Alexandria (Virginia), Charlottesville, Charleston, (West Virginia), Huntington (West Virginia), and Ashland, Kentucky it could complete its daily run in about 16 hours averaging roughly 35 mph. For timetable and consist information about the Fast Flying Virginian please click here.

Unfortunately, directly after World War II when the C&O was ordering its new passenger equipment patronage for rail travel was waning and continuing to slide through the 1950s. By 1962 the C&O canceled the eastbound F.F.V. and by 1968 all of the railroad's passenger trains from Chicago to the East Coast were combined into just one eastbound and westbound run with connections still offered to other various points (such as Washington, D.C.). Finally, on May 12, 1968 the Chesapeake & Ohio officially discontinued the F.F.V. after almost 80 years of continuous service (by 1971 the George Washington disappeared into Amtrak).

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