Southern Railway was “The Southern Serves the South” Also used the slogan “Look Ahead, Look South”. Another slogan, “Southern Gives a Green Light to Innovation,”
2 Likes
The green shading inside the “O” in SOUTHERN was a nice touch.
SOU#531424 BOXCAR SOUTHERN SERVES THE SOUTH DEFIANCE,OHIO 1-23-09 FRIDAY by penn central 74, on Flickr
1 Like
The merger of Union Pacific and Missouri Pacific in 1982 is frequently referred to as MOP-UP.
1 Like
Alright, here’s what A Treasury of Railroad Folklore has to say. Surprisingly, I don’t think that any of these have already been listed, except for the “Old & Weary” which if I remember correctly somebody already mentioned.
- Baltimore & Ohio (B&O)–Beefsteak & Onions
- Chicago, Bluffton, & Cincinnati (CB&C)–Corned Beef & Cabbage
- Cincinnati, Portsmouth, & Virginia (CP&V)–Coat, Pants, & Vest
- Colorado & Southern (C&S)–Cough & Snort
- Colorado & Wyoming (C&W)–Carpenter & Walrus
- International-Great Northern (I-GN)–Irishman Going North
- Jeffersonville, Madison, & Indianapolis (JM&I)–Jerusalem, Mexico, & Ireland
- Louisville & Nashville (L&N)–Long & Narrow
- Maryland & Pennslyvania–Ma & Pa
- New Orleans & Northeastern (NO&NE)–No Omelettes, No Eggs
- Pennsylvania, Poughkeepsie, & Boston (PP&B)–Pickles, Pork, & Beans
- Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne, & Chicago (PFW&C)–Pigs’ Feet, Whisky, & Cigars
- Toronto, Hamilton, & Buffalo (TH&B)–To H~~~ & Back
- West Virginia Central & Pittsburgh (WVC&P)–Watch Very Carefully & Proceed
- Zanesville & Western (Z&W)–Zealous & Willing
- Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe (ATSF)–Ate Tamales & Spit Fire; also All Tramps Sent Free
- East Tennessee, Virginia, & Georgia (ETV&G)–Eat Turnips, Vinegar, & Greens
- Georgia, Florida, & Alabama (GF&A)–Gophers, Frogs, & Alligators
- Pierre, Rapid City, & Northwestern (PRC&NW)–Plenty Rough Country & No Water
- Richmond, Fredericksburg, & Potomac (RF&P)–Rich Folks & Pedigrees
- Bellaire, Zanesville, & Cincinnati (BZ&C)–Bent, Zigzag, & Crooked
- Boston & Maine (B&M)–Busted & Mined
- Cincinnati, Hamilton, & Dayton (CH&D)–Cold, Hungry, & Dirty
- Detroit & Mackinac (D&M)–Defeated & Maltreated
- Dubuque & Dakota (D&D)–D~~~ed Doubtful
- Duluth, South Shore, & Atlantic (DSS&A)–D~~~ed Small Salaries & Abuse (I’ve also heard this one as D~~~ed Slow, Shabby Affair, but that one wasn’t in this book)
- Georgia & Florida (G&F)–God-Forgotten
- Georgia Southern & Florida (GS&F)–Go Slow & Flag
- Houston & Texas Central (H&TC)–Hoboes & Tin Cans; also H~~~ on Texas Contractors
- Lake Shore & Michigan Southern (LS&MS)–Large Stations & Miserable Salaries; also Less Sleep & More Speed
- Minneapolis & St. Louis (M&St.L)–Midnight & Still Later; also Maimed & Still Limping
- Morris & Essex (M&E)–Methodist & Episcopal
- Nevada-California-Oregon (N-C-O)–Narrow, Crooked, & Ornery
- Buffalo, Rochester, & Pittsburgh (BR&P)–Bumpy, Rocky, & Peculiar
- Carolina & Northwestern (C&NW)–Can’t & Never Will
- Cincinnati, New Orleans, & Texas Pacific (CNO&TP)–Connections No Object, Tickets Please
- Delaware & Hudson (D&H)–Delay & Hesitate
- Delaware, Lackawanna, & Western (DL&W)–Delay, Linger, & Wait
- Hoosac Tunnel & Wilmington (HT&W)–Hoot, Toot, & Whistle; also Hot Tea & Whisky; and also Hog Tied & Weary
- Houston, East & West Texas (HE&WT)–H~~~ Either Way You Take It
- Jamestown, Westfied, & Northwestern (JW&NW)–Jesus Wept & No Wonder
- Lake Erie & Western (LE&W)–Leave Early & Walk
- Leavenworth, Kansas, & Western (LK&W)–Leave Kansas & Walk
- Lehigh & Hudson River (L&HR)–Late & Hungry
- Live Oak, Perry & Gulf (LOP&G)–Lean Over, Push, & Grunt
- Missouri & North Arkansas (M&NA)–May Never Arrive
- Nevada Country Narrow Gauge (NCNG)–Never Come, Never Go
- Newburgh, Dutchess, & Connecticut (ND&C)–Never Did & Couldn’t
- New York, Susquehanna, & Western (NYS&W)–Now You Sit & Wait
- St. Johnsbury & Lake Champlain (St.J&LC)–St. Jesus & Late Comin’
- Stockton Terminal & Eastern (ST&E)–Slow, Tired, & Easy
- Terre Haute & Peoria (TH&P)–Take Hold & Push
- Texas Pacific & Western (TP&W)–Take Your Parcels & Walk
- Waco, Beaumont, Trinity, & Sabine (WBT&S)–Wobblety, Bobblety, Turnover, & Stop
- Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy (CB&Q)–Cheapest, Best, & Quickest (the book suggests that this was potentially created by the Burlington’s publicity department)
A Treasury of Railroad Folklore also includes the nicknames which were applied to RPO routes. Do you want me to list them too? There’s also a few more railroad nicknames, but I needed a break from that.
2 Likes
Which is exactly what they did to the Espee.
So much for the pejoratives. A little goes a long way, IMO.
Back to what people called the railroads. PRR was Pennsylvania, anything else? New York Central ?
In Central Illinois, the TP&W is also known as the “Tip Up”. Not sure of the origin.
1 Like
PRR was the Pennsy. NYC was the Central.
1 Like
PRR was sometimes ‘The P Company’ (to go with the WC&P theme overseas?)
1 Like
Chicago Great Western was the Great Weedy. Before their expansion to the Pacific, the Chicago, Milwaukee and St Paul was known as the St Paul Road or just the St Paul.
Some railfans refer to the UP as the Borg. A reference to aliens in the Star Trek franchise that take over and assimilate others into them. Over the years, some employees have used Utterly Pathetic, or Unlimited Parking for the UP.
Jeff
2 Likes
The Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway, aka EJ&E, was often referred to as “the J”.
Rich
1 Like
“PRR was the Pennsy.” (ns145)
My dad sailed aboard the battleship USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) from 1938 until 1942. He loved that ship and never called her anything but “the Pennsy.”
5 Likes
He must have been at Pearl Harbor. The USS Pennsylvania was one of the few battleships to escape largely unscathed thanks to being in drydock at the time.
2 Likes
I forgot about the Borg. Does anyone out your way on the old C&NW still refer to the Omaha Road - the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway? UP still has covered hoppers with CMO reporting marks.
1 Like
No, I doubt very many know of the old Omaha Road.
At Council Bluffs yard, we often deliver intermodal for the IAIS on either the Rock Island eastbound or westbound. Remnants of the RI connection to the UP and the Missouri River Bridge. We also can set out cars when yarding in the old Pool yard (the name probably goes back to the Iowa Pool of the 1870s) on the old Q or the old Rock.
Marshalltown yard still has the M&StL main. Most probably don’t know that’s the Maimed and Still Limping or Midnight and Still Later. Or Minneapolis and St Louis aka, the Louie.
I was printing off some sight specific instructions for my service unit. I noticed the instructions for Des Moines has the procedure for interchanging with the N&S Railway instead of NS.
The EJ&E used to advertise as being the Outer Belt.
Jeff
1 Like
My Paternal Grandfather sailed on the Pennsy “Between the Wars”, I don’t know specifically what years, but the couple stories he told were about shooting up crocs and gators 
, IIRC in Panama, and another about the ship had a Parrot 
mascot, well, until one day they fired the main battery, and the parrot was perched on a railing, too close to the main battery, it didn’t end well for the bird
Pretty sure the shooting up the crocs and gators was during an excursion shoreside. Grandpa has been gone many years now, I wish that I recorded or at least written down some of his stories, and asked more questions back then
I definitely would Love to be able to listen to him telling stories now, even if they were just recordings
Doug
2 Likes
Oral histories from earlier generations are fascinating and useful.
3 Likes
Ann Arbor was the “Annie”
1 Like
NYO&W was frequently referred to as Old Weary - before it went bankrupt in the late 1950’s
1 Like
Muncie & Western: The Ball Line
Muncie_Mather MWR-1264 by Edmund, on Flickr
The Wellsville Addison and Galeton: The Sole Leather Line
Cheers, Ed
1 Like