Naming Locomotives

[METRO]

I've been inspired by a variety of sources to start naming my road locomotives, and I'm wondering if anyone else either models a line that does, or names their engines of their freelanced line?

If you're thinking the idea sounds a little strange, it's really not all together unheard of. In Britian, it's was considdered bad luck not to name a locomotive for many years. Even into BR's diesel years, many of the engines still were named.

Many american lines have named locomotives too, although more commonly to give them distinction or honor someone. Maine Central, Amtrak, Baltimore & Ohio, Metra and many others have named some of their engines in some form or another.

So, any feedback on this? I'm thinking of naming mine after characters in classic literature or something or some of the short stories that I've written.

~METRO

[twhite]

Hey, sounds great to me. I sort of prototypical 'freelance' (prototype road, though fictional location), and I do have pet names for some of my locos (some of them unprintable), but I always admired the B&O for naming some of their passenger locomotives. I always thought it gave them distinction. After all, great ships had names, why not great locomotives? Go for it!
Tom [bow][bow]

[Fergmiester]

Seriously though many Railroads honoured individuals contributions to society by naming locos after them. Both Canadian National and Canadian Pacific named their passenger cars after places and people.

I'm getting a locomotive and will call it pinky in honour of a friend of mine.

Fergie

[mersenne6]

I guess it depends on the era. In the 19th century most engines built before 1870 had a name - Jupiter, General, Texas, Nashville, Herman Haupt, Oro City, Brekenridge, Tiger, etc. all come to mind. As for a freelance modern road - why not - that's one of the benefits of freelance.

[SpaceMouse]

The SW1 switcher you see below is "Lil Guy."

I have a Proto 2000 S1 that a full power couldn't catch Lil Guy on a dead end spur called "Speedy"

My daughter has a Proto 2000 F2 A/B that some guy here said could pull the paint off the walls called "Old Paint"

And finally, I have a 0-4-0 that had its first tun on our club president's layout. Everytime it crossed a turnout is stalled. My daughter named it "Short Circuit."

[Anonymous]

I have pet names for my locos. I'm glad I'm not the only one. I thought I weas weird.....

My ATSF FP45 is "Big Jack"

My UP SD70M is "Growler" (the motor kind of growls)

My UP FEF-3 4-8-4 is "Feffy"

My SP SD7 "'Ole Reliable"

My UP 0-6-0 is "Squirt"

My UP 4-8-2 is "Annoying Racket" (the thing makes so much noise while it runs it's not funny)

[Anonymous]

CSX named a bunch of their locos. The Spirit of Cumberland, The Spirit of Tampa, and so on. Why not?[^]

[Anonymous]

I named my fleet also,
rs-1 (NP) "LITTLE BEAULAH" (my wife's grandmother) 2 GP-40'S (SP) "HECKEL&JECKEL"
2 SD-40MAC'S (UP)
"BILLY & BO" GP-38 (BN)
"BIG SISSY" DASH-8 (UP) " LUCILLE" (my grandmother) I have five more that I haven't given names to yet, but I will let you know when I do.Go ahead name your loco's
HAPPY TRAINING
TrainsRMe

[Anonymous]

THis is not wierd, mamy Lines still name their Loco's. Spirit of '76 is still out there,The President is another and I've seen more cities and states than i care to. Along with that, I've seen Loco's with the names of people on them, although most i could not fathom who they were, even saw a Bill Clinton awhile back (although who in their right mind would Honor him). Since I model the Great steam era, All mine will have names.

[Anonymous]

I forget which line did it, but they named their locos after great racehorses.

[jrbernier]

That was the Frisco - They named their passenger engines after famous race horses.

[Anonymous]

My AM&LE named all its F7s after the ships and people at the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812, such as the Niagara, Tigress, J.J. Yarnall, and T.C. Almy. According to my constructed history, only the Caledonia, Porcupine, George Senat, Daniel Dobbins, and Scorpion survived into the 1990s. The Caledonia is the only one that remains in a full A-B-B-A set

My budget precludes the actual existence thereof of any of these units, be it HO or otherwise.

[cnw4001]

I think METRA also names some of their locomotives.

[METRO]

Okay, my naming list so far is as follows:

The two French twins, Yvonne and Mannon are PA-1s that in my freelanced timeline were rebuilt by GEC-Alsthom.

I've named an RS-2 Aya, after a character in a story I did back in my college creative writing class.

One FA-1 is named Lyra after the main character in "The Golden Compass"

And finally, one P42 is named Alice from "Alice In Wonderland" because the line it runs on dips through many tunnels and is nicknamed The Rabbit Hole.

~METRO

[Jetrock]

Naming locomotives fell out of favor in the United States in the 1890's as part of the movement towards undecorated, austere, serious black locomotives pioneered by Commodore Vanderbilt and the New York Central. Named locomotives vanished slowly, along with the colorful Victorian paintjobs, flags, antlers and other decorations that festooned American engines through the 1870's.

Trains were often named, but engines less so. A number typically has less emotional impact than a name, but any Southern Pacific fan knows immediately what you're talking about when you say "4294" or "4449".

Observation and business cars, on the other hand, were usually named.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Jetrock

Naming locomotives fell out of favor in the United States in the 1890's as part of the movement towards undecorated, austere, serious black locomotives pioneered by Commodore Vanderbilt and the New York Central. Named locomotives vanished slowly, along with the colorful Victorian paintjobs, flags, antlers and other decorations that festooned American engines through the 1870's.

I have to differ with you Jetrock.

The Boston & Maine named their steam locomotives and select diesels up until the 1970's.

Starting in late 1937, R-1a and R-1b Mountains and P-4a and P-4b Pacifics received names suggested by schoolchildren in a contest. They were applied in white (silver in the Speed Lettering scheme) to a plate mounted below the running board, with the names of the child and school below in smaller letters. New naming contests took place when classes R-1c and R-1d arrived. Some engines lost their nameplates before they were retired, but they were maintained through 1950, at least.

P-4a 3710 Peter Cooper
P-4a 3711 Allagash
P-4a 3712 East Wind
P-4a 3713 The Constitution -click below to see my 1960 Athearn model
http://home.swbell.net/alykka//public_html/Restored%20Athearn%204-6-2%20B&M%203713%20002a.jpg
P-4a 3714 Greylock
P-4b 3715 Kwasind
P-4b 3716 Rogers' Rangers
P-4b 3717 Old North Bridge
P-4b 3718 Ye Salem Witch
P-4b 3719 Camel's Hump
R-1a 4100 Endurance
R-1a 4101 Hannah Dustin
R-1a 4102 Cardigan
R-1a 4103 Oliver Wendell Holmes
R-1a 4104 Bee & Emma
R-1b 4105 Powwow River
R-1b 4106 Little John
R-1b 4107 Intrepid
R-1b 4108 Lilly Pons
R-1b 4109 Bumble Bee
R-1c 4110 Calvin Coolidge
R-1c 4111 Trojan
R-1c 4112 Swallow
R-1d 4113 Black Arrow
R-1d 4114 Invincible
R-1d 4115 Casey Jones
R-1d 4116 American Progress
R-1d 4117 Hercules --click below to see my Olympia brass engine
http://home.swbell.net/alykka//public_html/Mar21_18.jpg

Diesels were GP-38's #202, 205,209 and 210 were named Daniel Webster,
Hannah Duston,-click below to see my model

http://home.swbell.net/alykka//public_html/Hannah%20Duston%20205%20007.jpg

( no relation to Alan Dustin who did not become President
of the B&M until the Fall of 1974 after Paul Cherington's death) Styles
Bridges and Franklin Pierce respectively. These four were named after
prominent New Hampshire historical figures. Interestingly enough the 210
was the second B&M loco to carry the name Franklin Pierce since R-1a
Mountain 4101 was also named after the President. A B&M Bullitin article states
that it was the intent to name the other eight GP-38s after four each of
Massachusetts and Maine historical figures. But this plan
was ever carried out.
However, GP-40's 300 - John W. Barriger
301 - Paul W. Cherington

[Anonymous]

Jetrock, it did somewhat fall out of favor, but in the 1960's you saw more and more named loco's. I belive the WW2 tradition of putting names on planes was carried over as those airmen returned and started working in the industry, slowely over time they begane to name the engines they worked with the most.

And if you hit the rails today, at least half the engines you see rolling by you will have a name on it. I saw the "Spirit of St. Louis" just a few months ago on a shortline here, it was followed by the "Spirit of Springfield" and a few other spirits.

I'm sure the sudden urge to name trains in the late '70's on was partially from the Bicentenial Locomotives that the government requested.

[Jetrock]

Hmm....learn something new every day! I don't see many named locomotives out west, but maybe it's a regional thing. Of the locomotives I deal with, the only ones with names are pre-1900, with the exception of one gas-motor car (the NCB No. 21, the Yerington.) And the lines I'm most familiar with generally didn't name their locomotives in the modern era--but I'm certainly not familiar with the habits of every American line...

The post-WWII thing makes sense, though.

[Anonymous]

Out of all of the railroads, CSX probably has the largest fleet of named locomotives. I see the "Spirit" locomotives all the time. It's too bad they're GEs. [:(]

[randybc2003]

I model older RR, and frequently name my locos for locals, persons, or phenomona, and such. Even to the day the ALASKA RAILROAD names it's locos. I think their SD70MACs cary names such as "Spirit of Alaska" (& Fairbanks, Denali, etc.)
See:

http://www.alaskarails.org/

Look carefully at the nose in front of the cab number.
[^]

[Anonymous]

Latley, Ive been calling some locos "damnit whats wrong with you today"

[CP5415]

I've only named one locomotive.
One of my Athearn SD40-2's # 5415

I named it "ME"

Gordon

[Anonymous]

Hey Metro!

I live in the Portland, Oregon area home to the Portland & Northwestern RR, a branchline belonging to the Genesee & Wyoming system. They name their locomotives (MOSTLY GP 39's) after the cities along their route. They put the name in the black stripe on the cab. The IC used to name some of it's locomotives after famous Illini.
Hope that helps a little!

Larry

[Anonymous]

This thread is interesting.

My favorite loco is my model of N&W J #611, and this thread has inspired me to think of a name for it. I was thinking, O.W.L. Any objections, thoughts etc?

Alvie.