Hi everybody! I’m new to Trains so i was wondering if somebody had a list of the abbreviations of name of railroad companies and stuff like that.
Like BNSF, UP, and all that. I know i sound like an idiot but it would be very helpful =) Thanks [:D]
This site will have a lot of them.
Of course, that’s the official names. Many have/had unofficial “translations” of their reporting marks, not all of which are/were complimentary. The same thing continues today.
For example, the New York, Ontario and Western (NYO&W) was sometimes known as the “Old & Weary” or the “Old Woman”.
Hi, Bob ! [#welcome] to the Forum.
Here’s a link to “Railroad reporting marks - A complete directory of railroad reporting marks (commonly found on freight cars), from A to Z” Published: Monday, May 01, 2006:
http://www.trains.com/trn/default.aspx?c=a&id=195
This is found by clicking on “ABC’s of Railroading” under the “Railroad Reference” heading down at the bottom of this page. There are of course many other subjects there which may be of interest to you.
One note: Not all of these abbreviations are always used when referring to a railroad. For example, the Central Railroad of New Jersey was variously abbreviated as CRRNJ, CNJ, and JCL for Jersey Central Lines - and none of them are in that list ! (perhaps because it disappeared into ConRail in 1976). I’m sure you’ll encounter other quirks with your favorite railroads.
Enjoy the Forums !
- Paul North.
Cool! Thanks everyone!![:)]
Bob, just a friendly suggestion to a newbie…don’t refer to the railroad as a “Train Company”. It’s a “railroad” or “railroad company”.
But welcome aboard. Whatever you call the companies, it’s a fascinating interest.
The Nickel Plate Road is another famous one, Larry. [:)] It was really the New York, Chicago, and St. Louis Railroad.
-Crandell
As I recall, the moniker “Nickle Plate” has a story attached to it - something about the rails or equipment being “nickle plated.” The name stuck.
C&NW=Cheap & Nothing Works
D&RGW=Dangerous & Rapidly Growing Worse
You’re right, of course. But why is that ? And does it really makes sense ?
The ‘railroad’ could be viewed as just the tracks - hence a ‘railroad company’ could be viewed as the entity that owns and just maintains/ operates the tracks, signals, and associated infrastructure. Though not common here in the US other than where passenger rail operations are involved such as Amtrak and the various urban/ regional commuter agencies, that’s what the British Rail system was split into when it was ‘privatised’ in the 1980’s, if I recall correctly (we’ll leave the merits [?] and successes/ failures of that endeavor to another thread and day . . .
It was in reference to the value of the stock…it was so high that the railroad “must be nickle plated”. It was sometime in the Van Swerigin era I think.
Toronto Hamilton & Buffalo = To He** and Back
Northwest Coal & Navigation Company = Turkey Track
At one time the only narrow gauge line on the Canadian Prairie, it gained its’ nickname from the appearance of its’ diminutive equipment. The CPR acquired the line just after 1900, and standard gauged it, but the Taber Sub. from Medicine Hat, AB to Lethbridge, AB was known by that name even up to 1985 when my father retired.
Bruce
C&NW = Cheap & Nothing Wasted
UP = Uncle Pete (Union Pacific)
BNSF = Big New Santa Fe or Buffet’s New Super Fleet (Burlington Northern Santa Fe)
CSX = Crash, Stop, eXplode
WSOR = Winding Slow Old Rails (Wisconsin & Southern)
A few of the PC ones I know of…welcome aboard BTW.
Much earlier:
- *from* The Nickel Plate Road, A Short History of the New York, Chicago & St. Louis R.R.*, :* (1954)*:* Numerous legends have grown about when and how the name "Nickel Plate" was first applied. The accepted version is that it appeared first in an article in the Norwalk, Ohio, Chronicle of March 10, 1881. On that date the Chronicle reported the arrival of a party of engineers to make a survey for the "great New York and St. Louis double track, nickel plated railroad."
- Later, while attempting to induce the company to build the line through Norwalk instead of Bellevue, Ohio, the Chronicle again referred to the road as "nickel plated" - a term regarded as indicative of the project's glittering prospects and substantial financial backing.
- In 1882, the Nickel Plate recognized F.R. Loomis, owner and editor of the Norwalk Chronicle, as originator of the term and issued him Complimentary Pass No. 1.
Some others.
UP - Unlimited Parking (not so much since traffic went down and the velocity went up)
C&NW - Can’t & Never Will
M&StL - Maimed & Still Limping, Midnight & Still Later
BN - Big Nothing
AT&SF - Ate Tamales & Spit Fire
BNSF - Buffett Needs Stimulus Funds (This came to my feeble little mind after reading some items about Mr. Buffett from some who don’t view him as highly as most everyone else. Too be fair, most of the criticisms were due to things done by companies that Berhshire Hathaway owns. The writers like most everyone, acts like Mr. Buffett calls the shots at all the companies he’s involved in. While he may have supported some of the practices criticized, I doubt he was consulted since he appears to be a hands off type owner. Still, I wonder if the political climate favoring public/private partnerships, with the prospect of government money funding some infrastructure projects, didn’t influence his/BH buying the rest of BNSF at this time. He may not need the funds, but he may not turn down any sent his way either.)
Jeff
Hope this isn’t too far off the subject–you should see some of the uncomplimentary phrases for airlines.
Ansett (Australia, now vanished): Chance it with Ansett
Trans-Australia Airlines (dto): Take Another Airline
Air France: Air Chance (not to reflect on that vanished flight Rio-Paris, I think)
Sabena (Belgium, vanished): Such A Bad Experience Never Again
BOAC (now BA): Better On A Camel (rode one in Tunisia; I could hardly sit down for a week)
I’m sure there are many more
Wow! Thanks for all this information! I’m learning more every hour about railroad companies, All becouse of you guys! Thanks!!
TF - Tallulah Falls RR From From Cornelia, Ga (SOU connection) through namesake town to Franklin, NC .
= Total Failure
Two other railrods whose common names were different from the corporate names were
Cotton Belt, officially St. Louis Southwestern.
Monon, which until 1956 was Chicago,Indianapolis, and Louiville