Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-31
WORK OF NAMING TRAINS.
It is Important to Railroads, as It
Serves for an Advertisement.

1t 1S 1mpOCLAuL 20 nd1nOnuc, an ~
Serves for an Advertisement.
From the Philadelphia Ledger.
An announcement: that the general pas
senger agent of western railroad had OF
fered substantial prize for the best name
for a new fast train calls attention to the
value Of such a name to a railroad for ad-
vertising purposes and the trouble to which
It's officials go to secure terse, catchy des-
ignaHon of their fastest and most luxurious
expresses.
These efforts result in some very queer
names and some very good ones. Every
one has heard Of the Lake Shore Limited.
the Empire State Express and Of the
Twentieth Century Limited, the latest ad-
dition to the New York Centrafs fast
trains. The Pennsylvania railroad gives
Pennsylvania Limited and the Pennsyl-
yania Special are the titles by which the
two finest trains on that road are known.
while all the other trains are simply named
after the city to which they run.
One OF the most picturesque names IL
that Of the Sunset Limited, which dashes
daily toward the land of the setting sun,
California BY way, OF the Southern n Pa.
which represents we'll the ideas Of the men
at the head of the Union Pacific road. while
the North Coast Limited is a sonorous title
for the Northern Pacife's fast train to
the north Pacific coast cities The Rock
Island has chosen a high-sounding title
for its new train to California, after which
1t Is called the Golden State Limited. The
other western roads have generally called
their trains after ..Ieir own names, as, for
instance, the Alton Limited Of the Chicago
and Alton and the Northwestern Limited
of the Chicago and Northwestern, while
others again are called after the name Of
cities or states, the Colorado Special, the
Denver Express. etc. The Twin City Linn
tied is named after the popular appellation
or hn n jnno oil ovid
from which IT runs to St. Louis.
With the anthracite coal strike settled,
the Black Diamond, the fastest train Of
the Lehigh Valley road. will no longer
arouse resentment In the traveller. That
road, by the way. has another oddly named
fast express called simply the Buffalo train.
Over the Baltimore and Ohio and tho
Reading runs the Royal Blue to Washing
ton, SO called after the color of royal blue
in which all these trains are painted,
though this name for an express to the
capital city Of the republic is not as well
chosen. perhaps. as Ii that OF the Con-
gresstonaf Limited; running to the same
city. over tho Pennsylvania. Between the
capital and Boston runs the Colonial Ex-
ton runs. among others. the Bay State
Limited. There are several Continental
Limited trains. one of them going over
the West Shore 70 Chicago The Lacka-
wanna's style Of calling things by their
names. 81 e
Among the Queerest names given to trains
are. perhaps, that OF the Ghost Express,
which formerly ran between New York and
Boston, leaving at midnight, its cars being
painted absolutely white, and the F. F. ",
which familiar letters the Chesapeake and
Ohio explained as meaning the Fast Flying
Virginian. - -
Another picturesque name with a tinge
Of romance is the Rip Van Wrinkle Flyer,
running over the West Shore in summer to
the Catsk1lls. Whenever there Is an expo
sitton anywhere there are sure to be sew
eral exposition fers. The latest of these
Is on the Big Four, running from Cincinnati
to ST. Louis.
There is, perhaps, no railroad man In
whose composition sentiment enters as lit.
tie as into that of j. J. HILL Perhaps for
that reason he has never paid much atten-
ton to names for his trains His rivals.
however. mcknamed his first through train
from st. Paul to the Pacific coast the
High Grass Limited" because # ran
through 80 much uninhabited prairie. To-
day that train is a magnificent palace on
wheels, and frequently carries thirteen cars
with total length of nearly one-fifth of a
mile. 4 VI q
or foreign trains probably the most IA
NOUS are the Flying Scotchman and the
orient Express, the latter from Paris to
Constantinople, having even been made the
subject OF play produced by the late All
gustin Daily.