The herald., 1897-08-04
|NlCKNAMED RAILROADS
ORIGIN AND MEANING OF THEM
rs EXPLAINED
Some Are Used for Convenience and
Others Are Humorous-Of6cia
Investigation

from the west telling of railroad acci-
dents on the $500 or big Four
roads, and the eastern readers that are
not well posted on railroad nomenclature
are at loss to locate the scene of the
catastrophe. Recently an order was is
sued by the Associated Press to the ef-
feet that unless an accident occurred in
the neighborhood of a large city the road
upon which the wreck has happened
must be given in full in the dispatches.
This order is a good one, because there
are as many nicknames to railroads as
their are roads land in many cases the
nickname does not indicate whether it
is in the west. south, east or north.
A fact not generally known is that
the railroads of the country have nick
names by which the high officials know
them, and that railroad employees, those
in the ranks, have entirely different
synonyms. A close study of the ques-
tion shows that officials nickname the
roads for convenience sake, while the
trainmen do 1t to express some phase
of personal experience thereon. If the
latter's christening is a good one it gen.
orally sticks and as their experience has
generally been vivid and sensational an
original and worthy nickname generally
crops out.
NICKNAMES FOR ALL LINES
A prominent railroad official in Wash
ington was asked as to how many rail-
road nicknames there were. He replied
Just as many as you have mind to
make. I have heard the Pittsburg, Fort
Wayne and Chicago called Paddy Fin
nigan's Wife and Children the initials
of the three giving the cue for the funny
title.
Here are few of the roads," con-
tinued the railroad official, with nick
names that l can now recall without re-
ferring to books: The Minneapolis, st.
Paul and Sault Ste. Marie is called the
$780, and is an abbreviation of the pro-
nunciation of the latter name
''The Big Four is taken from the con-
solidation of four big roads, the Cincin-
nati Indianapolis. st. Louis and Chi
cago, the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincin-
natl and Indianapolis, the Indianapolis
and st. Louis and the Cairo, Vincennes
and Chicago. This consolidation took
place years ago, the nickname was
given, and it has stuck to it ever since
Many railroaders claim that the words
Big Four are taken from the four big
cities touched by the road, viz, Cincin-
natl, Chicago, st. Louis and indianapolis,
but think the correct origin is the one
I have given.
1.-THE Chicago ST. Paul and Kansas
City road is called the Maple Leaf BY
drawing line around the cities after
which this road is named on map it will
be found to form a perfect leaf of the
maple tree. The Pittsburg, Cincinnati
and ST. Louis road is called the Pan
handle for the same reason-a line
drawn through these cities making
good counterfeit of a panhandle.
''The Glover Leaf is given to the Tole-
do, st. Louis and Kansas City road for
the same cause. inasmuch as it doesn't
come near resembling the clover leaf
under the same circumstances. Possibly
the road gets it's nom de plume on ac-
count Of the exceedingly fine grass lands
through which it passes
1.-THE euphonious name Queen and
Crescent is given to the Cincinnati
New Orleans and Texas Pacific road
This nickname comes from New Or
leans, the Crescent City, and Cincinnati,
the Queen City
u
cago road is called the 'Monon' from the
fact that the main Junction on the road
Is so called. The unique name 'Nypano'
Is given to the New York, Pennsylvania
and Ohio road and is simply an abrevia-
tion and consolidation of the first letters
of each state. This is the road, 1 think.
that the late Mr.. Vanderbilt threatened
to use as club against the Pennsylvania
road on account 0f a Of h fba Iat ~,
road was intruding in his territory
compromise was effected between th.
two great railway magnates, Roberts
and Vanderbilt, and the resources of this
road were never properly developed The
st. Louis, Arkansas and Texas road is
called the Cotton Belt and, of course,
derives its name from the great product
of that region.
Blue Grass, a pretty name for a
railroad is given to the Kentucky Central
on account of the exceptionally rich
grass country through which it passes.
Tom Scott's great road, the Southern
Pacific. is called the Sunset have never
learned the origin of this name, but per-
haps, its connection with the Pacific.
the home of the setting sun, brought
about the christening. The New York
the onsolidated.' The Missouri, Kan
sas and Texas line sails under the pretty
soubriquet of Katie taken from the in
itials of Kansas and Texas. The road
with the elongated name Elizabethtown
Lexington and Big Sandy, has the last
words of its cooperative title, Big Sandy
chopped eff and goes by that name, not
bad plan to follow in that case. For
short the New York Central and Hudson
River road is called Central The New
York Lake Erie and Western the Erie.
The Delaware, Lackawanna and West
ern, the 'Lackawanna.' The Atchison.
Topeka and Santa Fe, the Santa Fee
and the St Louis and San Francisco, the
Frisco
1.-TWO humorous nicknames are tha
ones given to the Buffalo and Southwest
ern and the Buffalo and jamestown rail-
roads. The former was first called the
b. and S. w. but of late ii goes under
the name of Brandy and Soda The lat
ter on account of its connection with
jamestown, is known all through the
railroad world as the The Jimtown' road.
To come closer home, the Chesapeake
and Ohio is called the F. F. w., taken
no doubt, from the name given it's fast
est Train. The Baltimore and Potomac