Over the years, railroaders have come up with some, shall we say, euphemistic meanings for the abbreviations of various railroads. Some that come to mind are:
D&RGWDangerous & Rapidly Growing Worse
My favorite (due to its accuracy):C&NWCheap & Nothing Works
UPY (designation for some UP yard power)UP Yours
You got any good ones you'd like to share?
BC Rail was originally called Pacific Great Eastern, which I have always thought ironic as there was nothing particularly great about it, it barely reached the Pacific, and didn't go very far east.
Others nicknamed it:
Please Go Easy
Prince George Eventually
Province's Greatest Expense
Past God's Endurance
Puff, Grunt, Expire
But my personal favourite is a pioneer shortline that became part of the Northern Alberta Railway, the Edmonton, Dunvegan & British Columbia:
Extremely Dangerous & Badly Constructed
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
NYO&W was, of course, the "Old and Weary" or the "Old Woman."
A small logging line on NY's Tug Hill, the Glenfield and Western, was known as the "Gee Whiz."
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Have an English documentary on disk about the Midland and Great Northern railroad which was called the Muddled and Going Nowhere. It fell a victim to the nationalization and "rationalization" of English railways in the 1960s.
O&W was also known as "Off and Walk".
You should hear some of the ones we have for OTR trucks they can get down right mean. I could right a book on SWIFT and CRST.
GM&O greasy muddy and oily
CRI&P crip
B&O = Best & Only
Somebody from Georgia told of the S&A which was called Slow and Aggravating. I don't remember the actual name, but it might have been something like Savannah and Atlanta or [something] and Atlantic.
_____________
"A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner
Paul, it was the Savannah and Atlanta.
http://www.cofga.org/railway/history/the-savannah-and-atlanta-railway-company/
I have ridden behind the S&A's #750--along with the 4501 from Birmingham to Akron, Ala., and back to Birmingham after 4501 departed for Meridian.
Johnny
The Treasury of Railroad Folklore has a section this. Some from off the top of my head are...
M&StL - Maimed & Still Limping or Midnight & Still Later.
AT&SF - Ate Tamales & Spit Fire.
CGW - Chicago Great Weedy or just Great Weedy.
HE&WT - Hell Either Way you Take.
Jeff
jeffhergert AT&SF - Ate Tamales & Spit Fire.
Spit?
Locals us to call the Staten Island Rapid Transit "The Rancid Transit."
L&N the Long&Nasty and SCL Slowboard Coast Line.
Russell
ATSF = Always Thinking Safety First
BN = Big Nuthin
BNSF = Bigger Nastier Santa Fe
SPSF = Shouldn't Paint So Fast
C&S= Crooked & Slow
CB&Q = Crooks Bums and Quacks
FW&D = Forgotten, Worn & Decrepit
SP = Sufferin' Pathetic
WP = Wing & a Prayer
WUMPS=Sound of flat wheels of the "new" UP over its fallen flags (after CNW got added....)
UP = Uncle Pete
rdamon jeffhergert AT&SF - Ate Tamales & Spit Fire. Spit?
One of Chico's orphans....
mudchicken SPSF = Shouldn't Paint So Fast
That one is great ..
Also liked
SP = Soiled Pacific in reference to the fleet in the early 90's
mudchicken rdamon jeffhergert AT&SF - Ate Tamales & Spit Fire. Spit? Family Forum - Go Wash Your Brain Out w/ Soap! One of Chico's orphans....
Family Forum - Go Wash Your Brain Out w/ Soap!
Then there's RF&P, or Richmond, Frederickburg & Potomac.
Jobs on the RF&P were so sought after and hard to get it was said you had to know someone who worked there already to get hired, so RF&P became known to the locals here as "Relatives, Friends, and Parents."
Nevada County Narrow Gauge was nicknamed Never Come Never Go.
Deggesty mudchicken rdamon jeffhergert AT&SF - Ate Tamales & Spit Fire. Spit? Family Forum - Go Wash Your Brain Out w/ Soap! One of Chico's orphans.... MC, Jeff, the proper word is "spat," wich is the past tense of "spit." Didn't you two go to school?
MC, Jeff, the proper word is "spat," wich is the past tense of "spit." Didn't you two go to school?
The Treasury of Railroad Folklore uses "Spit Fire." Today the general consensus is that if it appears on the internet it has to be true. Well, since books, magazines and newspapers were kind of like the internet of that era, if it appears in print it has to be correct.
It also had for ATSF: All Tramps Sent Free. For those that don't have the book, there's a couple pages of nicknames like these.
The Lackawanna was often called the Lackawampum or the Lack-o-money.
After the Erie merger the name Weary Lackawampum came into use
Kevin
Delaware, Lackawanna & Western - Delay, Linger & Wait
- PDN.
Here are mine;
Union Pacific
The Yellow Borg
Uncle Pete
Uncle Pete's Rabbit Ranch
Union Pathetic
Ugly Power
Unltimate Privy
Un Professional
Unauthorized Packing
Ultimately Profitable
Unlimited Power
Unlimited Parking
Upgraded Parts
Under Paid
Unemployment Pending
Undelivered Perisables
Unlimited Purchasing
Unimaginative Paint
Unstoppable Power
Usually Parked
Useless Prices
Uppity Pacific
Under Pressure
You Can't Spell Stupid Without UP
yoU Pee
Southern Pacific
Espee
Screwing Passengers
Sufferin' Pacific
Smelly Perch
Stand Proud
Slow Packing
Slow Poke
Spare Parts
Soot Princess
Stupid Police
Spendid Pacific
Speed Punks
Squashing Pumpkins
Sorry Pacific
Sloppy Pacific
Slow Pathetic
Southern Pathetic
Superior Preformers
Surrendered Peacefuly
Suffering Painfully
Unprepared for UP, (need I say more?)
The Octopus
Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe
Ate Tamales & Spat Fire
Ashcan Tolietbowl & Santi-Flush
Annoying Tempermential Stupid Fans
All Tramps Sent Free
All Tonnage Slow Freight
After Tonnage Slow Freight
Ancient Tracks Slow Fixing
Ancient Trainman & Senior Fireman
Santa Fe
Specularly Famous
Suffering Fools
Santi Flush
Santa Flush
Scuzzy Fe
Chico
Uncle John
Amtrak
AmTrash
AmCrash
AmCrap
AmCrak
AmSlack
AmWreck
AmQuack
Anthrax
Animaltrak
Animal Krackers
Slamtrak
Spamtrak
Ramtrak
Metrolink
Metrolate
Metroloss
Metrostink
B&O - Best and Only
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
BaltACD B&O - Best and Only
Beefsteak & Onions.
CSX = Crash Spill eXplode
Dude---Ouch! ( be nice!)
Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Rwy, the TH&B, was commonly nicknamed 'To Hell and Back'
SD70Dude CSX = Crash Spill eXplode
I don't usually get a good reaction from that one, either....
tree68 SD70Dude CSX = Crash Spill eXplode I don't usually get a good reaction from that one, either....
Now now, don't shoot the messenger, that one's been floating around online since I was a kid.
I can imagine that might be a touchy one for you Larry, seeing as you actually have to deal with CSX in the real world. Now for a less violent one:
CNR = Certainly No Rush
And a "nursery rhyme" of unknown origin that could very well apply to any railroad:
"Up the hill slow, down the hill fast. Tonnage first, safety last!"
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