The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1903-03-12
THE WORK OF
NAMING TRAINS
1T IS AN IMPORTANT MATTER TO
RAILROADS, AS IT SERVES FOR
AN ADVERTISEMENT

An announcement that the general
passenger agent of a western railroad
had offered a substantial prize for the
best name for a new fast train calls
attention to the value of such a name
to a railroad for advertising purposes
and the trouble to which it's officials
go to secure a terse, catchy designation
of their fastest and most luxurious eX-
presses.
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 addition to the New York Cen
rails fast trains. The Pennsylvania
railroad gives simple names to it's fast
est trains. The Pennsylvania Limited
and the Pennsylvania 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
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 represents
well 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 Pacific's fast train to
the north Pacific coast cities. The
Rock Island has chosen a high-sound-
ing title for it's new train to California,
after which it is called, the Golden
State Limited. The other western roads
have generally called their trains after
their own names, as, for instance, the
Alton Limited of the Chicago and AL
ton 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 Limited is named after the popu-
lar appellation of the cities OF Minnea-
polls and st. Paul. from which it runs
to st. Louis.
With the anthracite coal strike set
tied, the Black Diamond, the fastest
train of the Lehigh Vallev road, will
no longer arouse resentment in the
| traveller. That road, by the way, has
another oddly named fast express call
ed simply the Buffalo train.
over the Baltimore and Ohio and the
Reading runs the Royal Blue to Wash
ington, so called after the color of
royal blue i'm which all these trains
are painted, though this name for an
express to the capital city of the re-
public Is not as well chosen, perhaps,
as is that of the Congressional Limit
ed, 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 Continental
Limited trains, one of them going over
the West Shore to Chicago, The Lack
awanna Limited is a sample of the
Lackawannas style of calling things
| by their names.
Among the querest names given To
\ trains are, perhaps, that of the Ghost
Express, which formerly ran between
New York and Boston, leaving at mid
night, it's cars being painted absolute
ly white, and the f. F. ", which fami-
| liar letters the Chesapeake and Ohio
| explained as meaning the Fast Flying