Over the years, railroaders have come up with some, shall we say, euphemistic meanings for the abbreviations of various railroads. Some that come to mind are:
D&RGW
Dangerous & Rapidly Growing Worse
My favorite (due to its accuracy):
C&NW
Cheap & Nothing Works
UPY (designation for some UP yard power)
UP Yours
You got any good ones you’d like to share?
BC Rail was originally called Pacific Great Eastern, which I have always thought ironic as there was nothing particularly great about it, it barely reached the Pacific, and didn’t go very far east.
Others nicknamed it:
Please Go Easy
Prince George Eventually
Province’s Greatest Expense
Past God’s Endurance
Puff, Grunt, Expire
But my personal favourite is a pioneer shortline that became part of the Northern Alberta Railway, the Edmonton, Dunvegan & British Columbia:
Extremely Dangerous & Badly Constructed
NYO&W was, of course, the “Old and Weary” or the “Old Woman.”
A small logging line on NY’s Tug Hill, the Glenfield and Western, was known as the “Gee Whiz.”
Have an English documentary on disk about the Midland and Great Northern railroad which was called the Muddled and Going Nowhere. It fell a victim to the nationalization and “rationalization” of English railways in the 1960s.
O&W was also known as “Off and Walk”.
You should hear some of the ones we have for OTR trucks they can get down right mean. I could right a book on SWIFT and CRST.
GM&O greasy muddy and oily
CRI&P crip
B&O = Best & Only
Somebody from Georgia told of the S&A which was called Slow and Aggravating. I don’t remember the actual name, but it might have been something like Savannah and Atlanta or [something] and Atlantic.
Paul, it was the Savannah and Atlanta.
http://www.cofga.org/railway/history/the-savannah-and-atlanta-railway-company/
I have ridden behind the S&A’s #750–along with the 4501 from Birmingham to Akron, Ala., and back to Birmingham after 4501 departed for Meridian.
The Treasury of Railroad Folklore has a section this. Some from off the top of my head are…
M&StL - Maimed & Still Limping or Midnight & Still Later.
AT&SF - Ate Tamales & Spit Fire.
CGW - Chicago Great Weedy or just Great Weedy.
HE&WT - Hell Either Way you Take.
Jeff
Spit? [}:)]
Locals us to call the Staten Island Rapid Transit “The Rancid Transit.”
L&N the Long&Nasty and SCL Slowboard Coast Line.
ATSF = Always Thinking Safety First
BN = Big Nuthin
BNSF = Bigger Nastier Santa Fe
SPSF = Shouldn’t Paint So Fast
C&S= Crooked & Slow
CB&Q = Crooks Bums and Quacks
FW&D = Forgotten, Worn & Decrepit
SP = Sufferin’ Pathetic
WP = Wing & a Prayer
WUMPS=Sound of flat wheels of the “new” UP over its fallen flags (after CNW got added…[:(])
UP = Uncle Pete
Family Forum - Go Wash Your Brain Out w/ Soap!
One of Chico’s orphans…
That one is great …
Also liked
SP = Soiled Pacific in reference to the fleet in the early 90’s
MC, Jeff, the proper word is “spat,” wich is the past tense of “spit.” Didn’t you two go to school?[:)]
Then there’s RF&P, or Richmond, Frederickburg & Potomac.
Jobs on the RF&P were so sought after and hard to get it was said you had to know someone who worked there already to get hired, so RF&P became known to the locals here as “Relatives, Friends, and Parents.”
Nevada County Narrow Gauge was nicknamed Never Come Never Go.