New-York tribune., 1901-09-22
RAILROAD TRADEMARKS
SOME CURIOUS DESIGNS AND HOW THEY
CAME TO BE ADOPTED.

names alone and did not bother with striking
trademarks. Then they were not striving
strenuousIy for publicity, and were content TO
carry the business which came their way Press
agents were unknown, and the general passen-
ger agents did not keep scrapbooks.
The trademark came in with the building of
competing lines and now most of the roads
have some design which is used on all printed
matter In the West and South nearly all OF the
smali roads possess trademarks, and generally
The shorter the road the more complicated is
the design. Some roads even have the trade
marks painted on their cars. and their trainmen
rear them their caps.
Some of the designs were selected in hap
hazard fashion. and have no particular sisnil-
cance other roads offered prizes for the best
design for their particular use, and there were
many competitors. Ingenious geometric de-
vices satisfy roads. while interesting
,lories are hidden in the origin and meaning OF
lthers
Railroad men do not agree as to which road
sas the first TO take up the trademark idea The
PENNSYLVANIA Railroad one OF the first, with
a modest keystone design. That it was also the
emblem Of the great State from which the rail
road takes its name did not lessen its value as
= trademark
Many have wondered at the peculiar design
that has been used by the Northern Pachc
Railroad for the last eight years. 1t was
adopted by the company because II was strlh-
ms and il was not until after il had been used
Nar some time that its possible original and
Ancient meaning was learned.
The original symbol. from which the idea is
taken. is Chinese in invention. although the Off
Gals of the road thought that they were getting
a Corean design because they had first seen II
upon Corean flag at the Worlds Fair. 1t seems
that the Coreans had done a little adopting on
their own account The diagram evolved
in the eleventh century 4. II. by a young Chi
nese named Chow Lien HI. According to the
story which comes from China, this Chow was
a romantic youth. and. perhaps. poetic. for he
Nved to wander through the country.
one day he stumbled across wonderful cave
mich tunnelled through hill. having entrances
on each side. The cave was round inside. but
the entrances were crescent shaped This gay,
tim the idea for diagram. which is known as
re Great Monad and he used it to illustrate n
Iystem of philosophy established by Fuh Iii
,ome four thousand years before Chow found
Ne wonderful cave.
The nonad has long exercised Il Wid" inllu-
erce among Oriental peoples Light and dark
hess, force and matter, motion and rest. fire and
water. are of the things which they read
In this mysterious figure. The Northern Pacific
people say with point that all Of these things are
closely related TO the workings of "A great trans
portation company. Freight and passenger
trains through the agency Of fire and water
are now in rapid motion and again at rest
throughout both day and night.
The Canadian Pacific Railroad has a striking
emblem in the Canadian beaver lying on top o
Il shield, which bears the railroads name. IL
IS a pretty little animal this beaver, with bead
like eyes and tail fashioned like paddle He
is typical of Canada and has proved "a good
mascot for the most northern transcuntinenta
line.
1t is fitting that the Southern Pacific should
use the setting its official emblem. foi
the greatest part Of its mileage is in State
which have more than their share of sunshine
The design most used has railroad track run
ming into a dazzling sun, which has almost gone
down The Union Pacific makes good Of 4
red white and blue shield. The Santa Fe Rail
way a development of the cross, which is
popular among the Southern Indians and Mexi-
cans. 1t fits into circle perfectly. and bears
Houston and Texas Central has adopted the
five pointed star that was long ago taken as
the emblem Of the Lone Star State The Colo
RADIO Midland places a pyramid within circle
and allows reproduction of Pixies Peak rear
Its snowclad head in the centre of the pyramid
The Lehigh Valley Railroad has a black dia-
mond trademark which is appropriate, consid-
ering the heavy coal traffic which the road car
ries. 1t is usually seen in the centre of a flag.