The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-20
RAILROAD MECHANICS.
How Legal Titles of Railroads Are
Abbreviated and Twisted.

I
From the st. Louis Globe-Democrat.
| Washington D. C.-Press dispatches fire.
quently come from the west telling of rail-
road accidents on the 800" or big Four"
roads, and the eastern readers that are
not well posted on railroad nomenclature
are at a loss TO locate the scene of the
catastrophe. Recently an order has been
issued by the Associated Press to the ef-
feet that unless an accident has 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
there are roads, and in many cases the
nickname does not indicate whether it is
| the west, south, east or north.
A fact not generally known is that the
railroads of the country have nicknames
by which the high officials know them
and that railroad employees, those in the
ranks, have entirely different synonyms
A close study of this question reveals the
information that the high officials nick
name the roads for convenience sake
while the trainmen do 1t to express some
phase of personal experience thereon. If
| the latters christening is a good one it
| generally sticks and as their experience
has generally been vivid and sensational
an original and worthy nickname gener-
ally crops out.
Newspaper readers will recall the great
railroad coup in which ex-senator Brice
was interested some fifteen years back, by
| which the New York, Chicago and ST.
| Louis road was built and the New York
! Central parallel from New York city to
! Buffalo. The road was built in a day.
| comparatively speaking, and the buying of
it by William H. Vanderbilt resulted in a
| great profit for the selling syndicate and
| the christening Of the road, the name of
which has stuck to it to this day.
Vanderbilt was grumbling al the price
he had to pay, and remarked:
! ''Why, If the internal road was nickel
plated il couldn't have cost more"
And the road has been known as the
''Nickel Plate" ever since.
A representative of the Globe Demo
crat with an inquiring turn of mind re-
| Gently accosted a prominent railroad off,
cial in this city as to how many railroad
nicknames there were. He replied:
Just as many as you have a mind to
| make. l have heard the Pittsburg, Fort
Wayne and Chicago called Paddy Finni-
gan's Wife and Children" the initials Of
the three cities giving the cue for the
funny title.
Here are a few of the roads," contin-
ued the railroad Official with nicknames
that 1 can now recall without referring
to books The Minneapolis, St. Paul and
Sault Ste. Marie is called the $780, and
is an abbreviation of the pronunciation of
the latter name.
THE Big Four IS taken from the con-
solidation of four big roads, the Cincin-
natl, 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
..Nr HAlrr 49,.
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 1 think the correct origin is the one
/ have given.
THE Chicago, st. Paul and Kansas
City road is called the Maple Leaf. BY
drawing a line around the cities after
which this road is named on a map it
will be found to form a perfect leaf of the
maple tree. The Pittsburg. Cincinnati
and St. Louis road is called the 'Panhan-
die for the same reason-a line drawn
through these cities making good coun-
terfeit of a panhandle.
1.-THE Glover Leaf is given to the To,
ledo, st. Louis and Kansas City road for
the same cause inasmuch as its doesn't
come near resembling a clover leaf under
the same circumstances. Possibly the road
gets its nom de plume on account of sthe
exceedingly fine grass lands through
which 1t passes.
THE euphonious name Queen and Ores.
cent, Is given to the Cincinnati New Or
leans and Texas Pacific road. This nick
name comes from New Orleans, the Cres-
cent City, and Cincinnati, the Queen City.
The Louisville, New Albany and Chi
cago road is called the Monon' from the
fact that the main junction on the road is
so called The unique name 'Nypano' is
] frtKra tn N "A
Ohio road, and is simply an abbreviation
and consolidation Of the first letters OF
each state. This Is the road, I think, that
the late Mr.. Vanderbilt threatened to use
as club against the Pennsylvania road
on account OF n belief that the latter road
was intruding In his territory compro-
mise was effected between the two great
railway magnates Roberts and Wander
lhlt. 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 re-
! gion.
" Blue Grass a pretty name for a rail-
road. Is given to the Kentucky Central on
account OF the exceptionally rich grass
country through which it passes Tom
SCOTS great road, the Southern Pacific. Is
called the Sunset l have never learned
the origin Of this name, but, perhaps its
connection with the Pacific the home of
the setting sun. brought about the chris
tening. The New York, New Haven and
Hartford Is nicknamed the Consolidated. 2
The Missouri Kansas and Texas line sails
under the pretty sobrquet Of Katie.
taken from the initials OF Kansas and
Texas. The road with the elongated name.
Ellzabethtown, Lexington and Big Sandy
has the last words OF It's corporate title.
Big Sandy chopped off and goes by that
name, not a bad plan TO follow IN that
case. For short the New York Central
and Hudson River road ia called Central.
The New York. Lake Erie and Western.
the Erie The Delaware. Lackawanna
ana Western the 'Lackawanna. The
Atchlson, Topeka ana santa Fe the san
IA Fee and the st. Louis and San Erin
cisco the Frisco