That wasn’t a slogan, it was a nickname…similar to how the Minneapolis, St.Paul & Sault Ste. Marie RR was nicknamed “The Soo Line” (“Sault” is pronounced like the name “Sue”) or the Missouri-Kansas-Texas was called “The Katy” or “Miss Katy” (for it’s “M-K-T” freight car markings).
IIRC, the New York Chicago and St.Louis RR was nicknamed “The Nickel Plate” based on articles and promises to potential investors about how well it would be built. In the 19th century, saying something was “nickel plated” was a way of saying something was the best, the ‘top of the line’. Kinda like saying something is “the gold standard” of whatever.
I’m sure many people seeing freight cars on my layout with my freelance St Paul Route’s “Route of the Famous Lake Superior Limited” slogan think it is adapted it from Northern Pacific’s “Route of the Vista-Dome North Coast Limited” slogan of the 1950’s-60’s…but it isn’t.
My free-lance railroad is based on two real railroads that merged out of existence in 1900. (In my world they merged with each other instead of being taken over by two larger railroads, NP and CN.) The one that was taken over by NP, the St Paul & Duluth, had as it’s flagship passenger train the Lake Superior Limited, and used the “Route of the Famous Lake Superior Limited” slogan on stationary and advertising in the 1890’s.
As it happens, NP didn’t introduce the North Coast Limited until a few months after buying the St.P & D. Who knows, maybe in reality NP’s later slogan was inspired by the old St.Paul & Duluth slogan? [;)]
Ed,That is one sharp looking caboose. Atlas did D&TSL GP7s and I almost bought two but,decided not to.[banghead] As late as 2010 I seen D&TSL 2 bay coveed hoppers on the NS always running in threes… I notice they came through Bucyrus on Saturdays heading East. These was the same three cars so,I suspect it was a short haul with a quick turn around.
Does anyone know what railroad used the slogan on some boxcars
“The Capital Line” ?
I got a quick glimpse of one on a you tube video about a restored Southern Mike #4105. The Video is called “And then there was one”
It is shown at about 9 minutes 40 seconds following an A-B-A lashup of Southern Cab diesels. I have never seen this slogan / logo before. Please help with a response if you know.
Well the Baltimore and Ohio used the image of the US capitol in it’s logo/herald. It was designed by Otto Kuhler. They also used a version of it for one of their trains, the Capitol Limited.
The slogan for my freelanced anthracite hauler, The Grey Mountain & Dalton RR, is “the Stone Coal Line” - intended to imply a sense of longevity. Disgruntled employees call it “the Stone-Cold Line.”
The Pittsburg, Shawmut & Northern was known as the “Pretty Slow and Noisy.”
The Pittsburg & Shawmut was known as the “Push and Shove”. They hostled hundreds of 100 ton hoppers every evening and the bang, bang, bang,bang…of them taking up the slack could be heard all over town.
mine is “as long as there’s a U.S.A, Espee will haul the freight”
Don’t know if it’s an official slogan or not, I guess it’s just a line from the “roll on” song
sad it didn’t age well tho
i visited Eugene station back in 2016, saw a cascades train and some UP freight trains, but i should really have paid a visit to the Oregon Rail Heritage Center to see the 4449 Daylight. I’m also from Corvallis, OR, near Albany, so it just feels right to root for a railroad that goes (went) through your neighboring county.
I have several favorites, among them are: “The trip that bankrupts the English language” from the long gone Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek District Railway, AKA, The Short Line, “The Pikes Peak Route” from the Colorado Midland Railway, “Cripple Creek Scenic Line” and Ute Indian Trail Route" from the Midland Terminal Railway, and “America’s Scenic Line” from my layout, the Colorado Midland, Midland Terminal, and Short Line, (CM, MT, & SL) my fictional merger of all three of these roads.
