Card deck:S.S. Spartan and S.S. Badger | New Twin Queens of C & O's Lake Michigan Car Ferry Fleet

The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from many smaller railroads begun in the 19th century. Tapping the coal reserves of West Virginia, it formed the basis for the City of Newport News and the coal piers on Hampton Roads, and forged a rail link to the midwest, eventually reaching Columbus, Cincinnati, and Toledo in Ohio and Chicago, Illinois. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, in 1972 it became part of the Chessie System, along with the Baltimore and Ohio and Western Maryland Railway. The firm operated several ferries on Lake Michigan during this period, for both automobiles and rail. Sister ships SS Badger and SS Spartan sailed there. The Badger is still an automobile ferry--in fact the last coal-burning ferry in service as of 2010--but the Spartan no longer operates. Playing cards made great souvenirs for Great Lakes ferry passengers.