NWP SWP Well then my line is the Great Sunset Route so would rep marks SNST work?
Well then my line is the Great Sunset Route so would rep marks SNST work?
According to this article, no:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reporting_mark
If your railroad is Great Sunset Route, it has to start with G. Nowadays. Whether that was always one of those official rules would take some research. But the basic tradition for reporting marks is the first letter of each word of the railroad. So ya still end up with G.
I'll say that "Great Sunset Route" looks more like a slogan than a railroad name. But, hey, what's a "CSX", anyway? So if Mr. Bigbucks, the owner, wants it, I suppose.....
I'll mention that the article is not heavily into the history part. But it looks like good reading for a start.
Wow, there's a title for a best-seller: "Reporting Marks, and their History Through the Ages". I know I'm in for a copy.
Ed
7j43kIf your railroad is Great Sunset Route, it has to start with G. Nowadays.
Clearly not true for the transition era -- and maybe not ever. Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad: reporting mark MILW. There are other examples in the ORER.
Layout Design GalleryLayout Design Special Interest Group
So many opinions! I could do GSRR or GSR, Great Sunset Route/Railroad
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!
cuyama 7j43k If your railroad is Great Sunset Route, it has to start with G. Nowadays. Clearly not true for the transition era -- and maybe not ever. Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad: reporting mark MILW. There are other examples in the ORER.
7j43k If your railroad is Great Sunset Route, it has to start with G. Nowadays.
A good point. I checked a 2015 one (my latest) just to see if it's true currently:
MILW is a reporting mark for Soo Line
ABOX is a reporting mark for TTX
No real need to go on.
7j43k cuyama 7j43k If your railroad is Great Sunset Route, it has to start with G. Nowadays. Clearly not true for the transition era -- and maybe not ever. Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad: reporting mark MILW. There are other examples in the ORER. A good point. I checked a 2015 one (my latest) just to see if it's true currently: MILW is a reporting mark for Soo Line ABOX is a reporting mark for TTX No real need to go on. Ed
Standard Carrier Alpha Codes are issued by the NMFTA.
http://www.nmfta.org/pages/scac?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
"The National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc., (NMFTA) assigns SCACs for all companies except those codes used for identification of freight containers not operating exclusively in North America, intermodal chassis and trailers, non-railroad owned rail cars, and railroads."
Railroad SCACs are a type of reporting mark, but are not necessarily the reporting mark for the railroad.
https://www.railinc.com/rportal/documents/18/260641/MARK_Glossary.pdf
"MARK - A two to four alpha character combination (left justified) representing a transportation company. A MARK may be a SCAC equaling the CARRIER or may be an equipment identifier transferred to the CARRIER upon acquisition of a former railroad’s equipment"
"CARRIER - A two to four alpha character field (left justified) representing a Standard Carrier Alpha Code (SCAC) assigned to a transportation company."
Whether the Wikipedia is accurate, I don't know. But it does say "current practice". I take that to mean if you apply for a new reporting mark today, the intials assigned would likely reflect the company applying for it in some manner.
Soo Line "inherited" MILW when they acquired it in the 1980s. The ABOX, and there were/are other similiar intials, go back to the old RailBox name for that pool of box cars. (The newest TBOX cars still have the old slogan, "Next Load/Any Road" that Railbox used.) I think TrailerTrain always was involved in Railbox, and other equipment pools, but in recent years dropped the Railbox name.
Jeff
NWP SWPSo many opinions! I could do GSRR or GSR
.
I would go with GSR. Not many railroads use "RR" for Railroad.
I am stuck with SGRR for the STRATTON AND GILLETTE, but would prefer "S&GR", "SGR", or "STGR".
Oh well, after 35 years it is not changing.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
BAR - Bangor and Aroostook had a massive fleet of both ice reefers and mechanical reefers. From time to time they leased them to PFE or to other railroads. The BAR owned the cars outright. The reefer fleet disappeared in the 70s.
The Bangor and Aroostook referred to itself as the B&A but that mark was already taken so they made BAR the reporting mark.
Some years back there was a guy making the rounds of train shows offering custom painted freight cars for the imaginary Saint Louis Union Terminal. They were rather popular among collectors.
Dave Nelson
dknelsonSaint Louis Union Terminal
I like humorous ficticious railroads, but making semi-obscenities out of the reporting marks is not my style.
I have a tank car lettered for the NORTHERN UNION TERMINAL (NUT), and that is funny enough for me.
Back in the 50s and 60s there werre some great model railroad names out there. I am fortunate to have been able to collect some of their original decals.
Randy Stahl BAR - Bangor and Aroostook had a massive fleet of both ice reefers and mechanical reefers. From time to time they leased them to PFE or to other railroads. The BAR owned the cars outright. The reefer fleet disappeared in the 70s. The Bangor and Aroostook referred to itself as the B&A but that mark was already taken so they made BAR the reporting mark.
The Official Railway Equipment Register often warns the user to not confuse one railroad's equipment for that of another with a similar (but not exactly the same) name or mark.