I noticed Pere Marquette steam locos had the company name on the steam dome of some locomotive, I’m not sure if all of them were named also. Did other railways put company names on the locomotive? I think Sant Fe did, I’m not sure. any answers out there?
Most locomotive owners identified themselves with either the company name or the company herald on the sides of the tender (or tank of a tank loco.) Many carried both.
Strangely, the Santa Fe had the number in huge size on the tender, and, “AT&SF,” in smallish letters on the cab side. Later on, they added a big block-lettered, "SANTA FE,’ on the front upper corner of the tender side.
My own prototype had the company name, in 100mm typeface, somewhere on the frame (or on the lower left of the car side of a water bottom tender.) There’s very little need to identify yourself if you’re the only game in town, and the JNR was a government-owned monopoly in 1964.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Well, if you’re asking specifically about putting the railroad name on the steam dome, it wasn’t uncommon to have the RR initials there, but not the railroad name spelled out. Otherwise all locomotives would have the railroad name or initials on them, either under the cab windows or the tender.
100+ years ago it was pretty common to have the RR initials on the cab (or the RR name if it was short enough) and the engine no. in big numbers on the tender.
Casey Jones on the Illinois Central.
In fact, it was so common that in Britain that style of lettering was referred to as the “American style” of lettering. Problem there was if the tender needed work, a temporary tender would have the wrong no. on it!!
Over time it became more common to put the RR name (or herald) on the tender and the number on the cab.
Northern Pacific 328, Minnesota Transportation Museum.
Naming as far as giving a locomotive it’s own name (like “Marathon” on the GN) was very common in the UK, very rare in the US after about 1880 or so.
Tatans:
I know that some Burlignton system locos had the initials of the railroad underneath the numbers on the cab sides, denoting whether the locomotive was CB&Q, or the subsidiaries C&S or FW&D.
I think that Chesapeake and Ohio also had their RR initials on the sandboxes of some of their locos, also.
And I believe (someone correct me if I’m wrong) that the Frisco followed the ATSF pattern of large tender numbers and “FRISCO” spelled out on the cab. At least I think I’ve seen some locomotives of that RR so lettered. Missouri Pacific also had a habit of large tender numbers.
Tom
In an old MR there was an article about Farmrail, I think. They named their engines after Indian tribes. This gave me the idea to name my engines, too.
Wolfgang