What are your Favorite Railroad Nicknames?

[trainfan1221]

So much to read so here goes, pardon if there's any duplicates...

NS=No Service

NYSW(Susie-Q)=Now You Sit and Wait (referring to long discontinued passenger service)

O&W=Old and Weary

Erie=Weary Erie

CSAO(Conrail Shared Assets)=Can't Service Anyone

And of course the ever so clever reference to our national passenger railroads' tendency to derail= Untrak

[AltonFan]

techguy57

QUOTE: Originally posted by AltonFan

There used to be a shortline in what is now the northwest suburbs of Chicago called the Palatine, Lake Zurich and Wauconda. The railroad was built late, poorly capitalized, and suffered so many mishaps that the locals called it "the PLZ and Walkback".

AltonFan- wasn't this the shortline that was originally routed to go through the golf course in Lake Zurich but some of the members claimed exemption by claiming that the part of the course that the track was supposed to run through was the site of three graves or something to that effect. If I remember right, they got the trackage re-routed but no one knows who, if anyone is actually buried in the graves.

Mike

Wow!  I didn't catch this back when it was posted.

According to Whitney's history of the PLZ&W, when the nascent railroad was planning to acquire land from the Lake Zurich Golf Club, some club members who had connections to medical schools acquired four cadavers and buried them on the part of the club that was in the path of the proposed railroad.  The cadavers were buried with a tongue-in-cheek ceremony, and a monument was erected.  Under the laws in force at the time, this made that part of the golf course a cemetery, and prevented the use of eminent domain to take the property.

A photograph of the monument was published in the Chicago Tribune, and reprinted in Whitney's book.  The monument gave names, ethnicities, and religious affiliations for the four cadavers, although given the stereotypical nature of the names of "the dearly departed", I have a feeling that the cadavers were unidentified, and the names made up for public relations purposes.

I doubt the remains have been removed, and I do not know if the monument is still there.  I get the impression that the Lake Zurich Golf Club is very, very private, and might not be forthcoming if asked about the graves.  As near as I can tell, the only part of the club that is visible from public roads is the entrance way, and none of the course is visible from the road.  (A driver might miss the entrance if he wasn't paying attention, and the sign is barely noticeable.  IIRC, it only shows some golf clubs, and the letters "LZGC".)

I hope this is still of interest.

[vsmith]

WOW what a Blast from the Past. When I first posted this there were no such things as the Schmartphone I am replying to this on.How things have changed. Uncle Pete is still Uncle Pete but CSX no longer means Crash Stop & Xplode but still means Can't Stop &Xplain.

[al-in-chgo]

[I love it when an older thread gets revived -- much more sensible, my opinion, than closing one down an opening a new one later on, because it's inefficient and most likely someone will flame or be flamed in the event of a repetition.   I put in a reply or two in 2007 and yes, times have changed!] 

   This one may already exist, but not on this thread:  NS  =  No $#*!   (as in,  "(Blank) My Dad Says."  ...........................................(because they're so business-oriented) 

Here's a well-known one, but it's almost history already:  BNSF  =  Buy Norfolk Southern Fast!  (Since there is no longer any stock for individuals to buy in the wake of Buffet's outright ownership of BNSF.) 

SOOOoooo, here are a few possible alternatives or possibilities, based on the new normal in light of the individual ownership by Warren Buffet of BNSF (and the fact no individual can directly buy shares in BNSF anymore):    

  BNSF  =  Buffet Never Sells Freight .................  OR  ............................

  BNSF  =  Buffet,  (a) N -S*** Financier!  ...................................................

  BNSF  =  Buffet, Norfolk Southern Financier???  (not true AFAIK)

     ...................  and its cousin,  BNSF =  Buffet, Norfolk Southern Follower?   

  BNSF  =  But Never Say Forever!   

  For those of us who still idolize the Warbonnet and Crossbuck  BNSF =   Badge Not Santa Fe (lost cause).  ... 

ALSO... BNSF = But Nevermore Santa Fe?   

   for Diehards..BNSF = Big New Swoosh Fails!  (I think I remember this one but am not sure.)

  a more modern opposite:  BNSF =  Big New Swoosh Flying

BNSF = Big New Stacks Flying ... ... OR ... .... BNSF = Big New Stacks Flashing

THIS LAST ONE IS MY PERSONAL FAVORITE    Praise based on this past summer's Mo. River flooding: 

         BNSF  =  Burlington Never Shirks Floods! 

Thanks for hearing me out;  except for the nickname "Big New Swoosh Fails"  these are all my creation as of today -  al smalling  (al-in-chgo)

[al-in-chgo]

 

PS:  Forgot to mention, vsmith I loved Can't Stop (and) eXplain!   Very topical! 

[SFbrkmn]

Don't also forget about employee nicknames. Almost every rr worker, at some point in time, will be branded a nickname. Some have a meaning, others do not but they can be catchy. Here are some BNSF employee nicknames. Sammy The Bull, George Washington, Edward G. Robinson,  Uncle Fester, Dr. Ralph, Biff, Blink 182, Termite, Radio, Pakset Larry, Stormin Norman, Turkey Neck, Spanky, Daisy, Peppermint Pattie, Mr. Peanuts, Schroeder, Homer Simpson, Spounge Bob, Skelton, Lord Of The Rings, Six Track Ernie, Cans, Morgan Freeman, Charles Bronson, McVey, Postal, Right Turn Clyde, Barney Rubble, Harry Potter, Stick, Scare Crow, Stuart Little, Bush's Baked Beans, Mr. 150%, Hey Bud, USA Today, Boot Form, Deputy Dog, Confused, Blue Light Special, Fred Sanford, Get Stompin On Em, Pluto, Little Pluto, Bobcat, Frankstein, Moon Pie, RCD--Remote Control Dummy

[al-in-chgo]

Great monikers, all.  Exactly the sort of thing we would not choose for ourselves.

Can you say who some of these nicknames belong to without breaking privacy?

(Chris Rock says "Peppermint Pattie" is a ***, but I'm waiting on confirmation on that from Marcie.)

[lone geep]

CPR-Can Perform Reliably/ CanPac

CNR-Can Not Run

London & Port Stanley-Lost & Probably Sunk

[Acela026]

Here's one I don't think has been mentioned

BNSF=Bigger Newer Santa Fe

 

Acela

[AltonFan]

SFbrkmn

Don't also forget about employee nicknames. Almost every rr worker, at some point in time, will be branded a nickname. Some have a meaning, others do not but they can be catchy.

Well, even Casey Jones was originally John Luther Jones, but because there were already a lot of John Joneses on the railroad, he was given the name "Casey" for his hometown (Cayce, Kentucky) to distinguish him from the others.

[CPRcst]

5498cp

To CP employees is CN the wooden axle outfite

I still hear crews ask for the signal across the diamond at the Wooden Axle.