The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-03-12
RAILROAD NICKNAMES.
'TERSE NOMENCLATURE OF VARIOUS
BIG RAILWAY LINES.

plicd-The Stove Committee.
A gentleman of an inquiring turn of
mind asked Chauncey NJ. Dcpew some
time ago how many railroad nicknames
there were. The New York Centraps pres
ident blandly replied, "Just as many rs
you have mind to make"
"But how many do you knowi" persisted
the questioner.
well, l have heard the Pittsburg, Fort
Wayne and Chicago road called Paddy
Finnigau's Wife and Children" said Mr..
Depew; "but really, il you want list of
railroad nicknames | should not dare
undertake to make one out"
Other well known railroad men were so
lcited to furnish the desired information,
but in each case inability TO encompass the
subject was pleaded. Il have heard" said
one of these gentlemen, that the nick
name Nickel Plate was given to the New
York, Chicago and st. Louis railroad by
William II. Vanderbilt when he bought it.
He was grumbling at the price he had to
pay, and remarked, Why, il the internal
road was nickel plated it couldn't cost
much more"
EdlllbS W OONtuh tNli bhG
sired from the railroad presidents, the in
quirer turned his attention TO the general
managers In the ranks of those indis-
pensable functionarieS was one man who
actually became interested in the subject.
He said genially, 81 cannot tell you much
on my own authority, but between our
selves and the stove committed l think
we can make up q list"
THE ''sTovE COMMITTEES" LIST.
The ''stove committee" he explained, is
the source of all railroad Interrogation for
which no railroad officer is willing to be
directly responsible. There is a stove
committee" connected with every railroad.
1t keeps watch of things, discusses internal
and external policies, criticiSes the officers
of the road, and passes out to the world
through devious and untraceable ways
tips" of what is going TO happen.
If an unpopular officer or agent Of a rail
road company is about to be removed or
transferred to some post less desirable than
the one he has occupied, he generally
gets his first information about it from the
mysterious "stove committee" A con
spicuous illustration of this fact may be
cited in the case of Charles Francis Adams,
who was deposed from the presidency Of
the Union Pacific. The news of his pros
pective fate, which was waited into the
Office of The Times from the well posted
''stove committee" met with repeated de-
malls from Mr. Adams but he was finally
obliged to admit its correctness.
But to return to the list of railroad nick.
names. The stove committee" conjured
up by the genial general manager evolved
the following list;
Big Four-The Cleveland, Cincinnati,
Chicago and st. Louis railroad.
Nickel Plate-New York, Chicago and
st. Louis.
The Soo-Minneapolis, st. Paul and
Sault Ste. Marie.
Pannhandle-Pittsburg, Cincinnati and
st. Louis.
Queen and Crescent-Cincinnati, New
Orleans and Texas Pacific.
Monon-Louisville, New Albany and
Chicago.
Nypano-New York, Pennsylvania and
Ohio.
Maple Leaf-Chicago, st, Paul and Kan
sas City
Clover Leaf-Toledo, St. Louis and Kan
sas City.
Cotton Belt-st. Louis, Arkansas and
Texas.
Blue Grass-The Kentucky Central road.
The Sunset-SOuthern Pacific railway.
The Consolidated-New York, New
Haven and Hartford.
Katie-Missouri, Kansas and Texas.
Big Sandy-EliZabethto Lexington
ard Biz Sandy.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE NAMES.
The above list includes the nicknames
most in use. In addition to these there is
a very large number of abbreviations of
the names { . railroads which are part Of
the railroad parlance of the day. There is
the Central, for the New York Central and
Hudson River road; West Shore, for the
New York, West Shore and Buffalo; Erie,
for New York, Lake Erie and Western;
l.ackawanna, for Delaware, Lackawanna
aud Western; Santa Fe, for Atchison, To
peka and Santa Fe; the Frisco, for ST.
Louis and San Francisco; r T., for Rich
mond and West Point Terminal; Lake
Shore, for Lake Shore and Michigan South
ern; r. w. O., for Rome Watertown and
OSuGbobuL ~ hLA blAG a AthhO - obSAlL lOl bLlO
Savannah, Florida and Western and the
Charleston and Savannah roads. There
are many others that the stove commit
tee" could not remember at the moment
The Buffalo and Southwestern, which was
at first abbreviated to b. and S. W, is now
known locally as Brandy and Soda Wa
ter" and the Buffalo and jamestown rail.
road is familiarly spoken of as "The jim
town"
Most Of the nicknames are significant Of
some peculiar feature or character -. the
railroad systems to which they are applied
For instance, the big Four" is applied 10
a system formed by the consolidation Of
four roads-viz., the Cincinnati, Indianap
oils, St, Louis and Chicago; the Cleveland,
Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis;
the Indianapolis and St. Louis, and the
Cairo, Vincennes and Chicago line. The
Maple Leaf is appropriate because a line
drawn around the various points to which
the Chicago, St. Paul and Kansas City runs
outlines maple leaf. The Clover Leaf fits
the Toledo, St. Louis and Kansas City for
the same reason.
The Kentucky Central is called the Blue
Grass because it runs through the blue
grass region. The Queen and Crescent
describes the Cincinnati, New Orleans and
Texas Pacific, inasmuch as Cincinnati is
called the Queen City and New Orleans
the Crescent City The Nypano IS simply
a condensed abbreviation of New York,
Pennsylvania AMI Ohio, as N. Y, p, and o.
The 800" takes its name from the Sault
Ste. Marie, and the Monon applies because
it is the main junction on the line Of the
Louisville, New Albany and Chicago
New York Times.
Venus and Mercury.
The planet nearest the sun Is Mercury,