Book excerpt: Formed in 1980 as a holding company for the Chessie and Seaboard Systems and several other eastern railroads, CSX in 1986 merged these several companies into CSX Transportation, staking its claim as one of the nation's dominant merger roads. This illustrated history provides a background of CSX's 25 years on the American railroad scene, describing how the company came to swallow several legendary regional lines and merger roads. The book also examines CSX hardware, facilities, and operations on more than 20,000 miles of trackage throughout the eastern half of the United States, from 1980 through today. Included is an explanation of the 1999 agreement by which CSX and Norfolk Southern purchased and effectively split the operations of their northern rival Conrail. Marvelous color photography, of course, depicts CSX diesel-electric powered freight operations in eastern and Midwestern U.S. urban centers and rural areas.