LIONEL Locomotive CHESSIE Steam Special Hallmark Train Ornament 2001

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$32.00

Quantity Available: 2

Hallmark Ornament - Dated 2001 ~~ 6th in the LIONEL Locomotive COLLECTOR Series ~~ made of die cast metal~~approx 4" long~~~ mint in mint box, never used.~~~~ All other Hallmark Lionel ornaments are also available.
The Story of the "Chessie" ~~~~
Because a cat is said to have many lives, the Chessie kitten is the perfect emblem for this locomotive! Built by Baldwin in 1923, it was converted in 1945 to a faster, more powerful T-1 by the Reading Railroad. After being relegated to a scrap yard, it was rescued and restored in 1974 - to become one of three locomotives that proudly pulled the American Freedom Train on a 25,000-mile tour celebrating the nation's 1976 bicentennial. In 1977, No. 2101 emerged as the Chessie Steam Special, in honor of the 150th anniversary of the B&O Railroad. Later, after being severely damaged in a roundhouse fire, the locomotive was restored once more. It is now on the exhibit at the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.