The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-12-21
SELECTION OF ODD
TITLES FOR TRAINS.
How Railroads Choose Names to
Attract Attention of the
Travelling Public.
IDEAS OF THE OFFICIALS.
J. j. Hill Pays Little Attention to
This Custom, but Many Owners
Offer Prizes for Catchy
Designations.

The recent competition inaugurated by the
general passenger agent of a Western rail-
road, Offering a substantial prize Tor the
best name for a new fast train between
Chicago and st. Paul and Minneapolis. has
Just been decided by the division OF the
prize among fys persons VINO suggested 'he
The adoption of this name may become
the subject Of a case in the courts, another
line between the same cities claiming that
it has used a similar name for some years.
This calls attention TO the value of such
a name to a railroad for advertising pur-
poses and the trouble TO which Its onlcerS
go to secure a terse, catchy designation Of
their fastest and most luxurious expresses.
These efforts result in some some very queer aps
has heard of the Lake Shore Limited. the
Empire State Express and the twentieth
Century Limited, the latest addition to the
New York Central's fast trains, The Penn
sylvania Railroad gives simple names to
its fastest trains.
The Pennsylvania Limited and the Penn
sylvania Special are the titles by which
the Two finest trains On that road. are
known. while all its other trains are simply
named after the city TO which they run.
PICTURESQUE NJ
One of the most picturesque names is
that of the Sunset Limited. which dashes'
daily toward the land of the setting sun.
California, by way of the Southern Pacific
line.
The Overland Limited is a name which
head of the Union Pacific road. while the
North Coast Limited is a sonorous title for
the Northern Pacific fast train to the North
Pacific Coast cities :
The Rock Island has chosen a high-sound-
ing title for its new train to California,
after which it is called, the Golden Gate
The other Western roads have generally
called their trains after their own names.
as. for instance, the Alton Limited of the
Chicago and Alton, while others again are
called after the names of cities or States,
as the Colorado Special, the Denver Ex-
press.
The Twin City Limited is named after
the popular appellation of the cities of Min
neapolis and St. Paul, from which it runs
With the anthracite coal strike settled.
the Black Diamond. the fastest train of
the Lehigh Valley road; will no longer
road, by the way, has another oddly named
fast express. called simply the Buffalo train.
Over the Baltimore and Ohio and the
ton. so called after the color of royal blue,
In which, all these trains are painted.
capital city of a Republic is not as well
chosen perhaps as is that of the Congress
sional Limited. running to the same city
over the Pennsylvania.
Between the capital and Boston runs the
Colonial Express, while between New York
and Boston runs. among others. the Bay
State Limited, There are several Cont
mental Limited trains, one of them going
over the West Shore to Chicago. :
The Lackawanna Limited is a sample of
the Lackawanna's style of calling things
by their names.
THE GHOST EXPRESS. -
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. W.
which familiar letters the Chesapeake and
Ohio explained as meaning the Fast-F1ying
Firginian.
Another picturesque name with a tinge
of romance is the Rip Van Wrinkle Flyer
running over the West Shore in summer to
the CatskillS. Whenever there is an expo
sition anywhere there are sure to be sew
eral Exposition Flyers. e.
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 ]. ]. Hill. Perhaps for
that reason he has never paid much atten-
ton to names for his trains.
His rivals, however. nicknamed his first
through trains from St. Paul to the Pacific
Coast the "High-Grass Limited because
1t ran through so much uninhabited prairie.
To-day the train is a palace on wheels.
and frequently carries thirteen cars, with a
total length Of nearly one-fifth of a mile. :
OF foreign trains probably the most
famous are the Flying Scotchman and the
Orient Express. the latter from Paris to
Constantinople. having even been made the
subject of a play produced by the late Au-
gustiD Daly