Before Amtrak took over the passenger trains, almost every railroad had a slogan. A good slogan would have to be something that would stick in the minds of passengers and shippers. The Pennsylvania called itself “The standard railroad of the world”. Here are several more;
New York Central-The water level route
Western Pacific-The Feather River route
Chicago Great Western-The Corn belt route
St.Louis Southwestern-The Cotton belt route
Columbus and Greenville-The Delta route
Lehigh Valley-Route of the black diamond
Minnesota and St.Louis-The Peoria gateway
Illinois Central-Main line of mid-America
Alton-The only way
Wabash-Follow the flag
Louisville and Nashville-The old reliable
Baltimore and Ohio-Linking 13 great states with the Nation
Spokane Portland and Seattle-The Northwest’s own railway
Northern Pacific-The Yellowstone Park line
Seaboard Air Line-Through the heart of the south
Southern-Southern serves the south
Union Pacific-We can handle it
I guess the best one now is Norfolk Southern’s “The thorougbred of transportation”
Did I miss your favorite, or can you come up with a good one ??
I liked the CB&Q’s “Everywhere West.” Come to think of it, wouldn’t that be a really great name for BNSF?
Southern later had to “A green light for innovation.”
The NP also said “The Main Street of the Northwest.”
Don’t for get: You can sleep like a kitten on the C&O
DL&W: Miss Snow alights, her frock still white; she took the road of anthracite
How about the L&N, if I remember correctly, “The road of courteous service.”
Correction, the Old Reliable remained correct for the L&N, but its connection at the south and the initials may not be accurate NC&StL? Nashville, Cincinnati & St, Louis, was probably the Route of Courteous Service. Someone correct me if I am mistaken.
How can we forget “The Route of the Rockets”?
A T S F route of the chiefs
CNW route of the 400’s or employee owned
just a couple
stay safe
Joe
PRR…“The Standard Railroad of the World.”
Mitch
Two corrections for you, Dave: It was the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis…but the route of courteous service was the Seaboard Air Line!
The Elgin, Joliet & Eastern - “Around Chicago - Not thru”
Dave
-DPD Productions - Featuring the NEW TrainTenna LP Directional RR Radio Monitoring Antenna-
http://eje.railfan.net/dpdp/
Norfolk & Western - Precision Transportation
Central of Georgia - The Right Way---------- Savannah and Atlanta - Dark and Dusty
Let’s not forget “Santa Fe – All the Way” (And I’m still fond of the slogan I was going to use for the Rainbow service in the '70s: “All the Way in Half the Time”…)
Even with the anti-UP sentiment on much of this list, why no mention of “Route of the Streamliners” – with that wonderful art-deco outsize “S” and canted script? Even on switchers it gave you a feeling of speed… and, of course, C&NW is part of it, too:
http://www.cnwhs.org/photos/images/mtown/cnw42.jpg
for the 400 and Streamliners in the same place
Raise yer hand if you remember “the Trolley that Meets All the Trains”
I believe that would be the B&O, If not by name, by reputation. I might be all wet, but I do try.
As a child I read the children’s book about Chessie, the C & O kitten. The C & O has had a warm place in my heart ever since.
Jack
Union Pacific- " Be specific…Ship Union Pacific"!
DT&I- " We Have the connections"
CB&Q- “Way of the Zephyrs”
Another
Cushioned
Load… On ACL Boxcars
“C&O for Progress”
Monon’s “The Hoosier Line”
P&LE- “The Little Giant”
Jimmy
Milwaukee Road-Route of the Hiawathas.
SP-Golden West Service
GN-?, Erie-?, Amtrak-?, B&M-? , MEC-?, KCS-?
Where’s corailfan ?
“Katy–Serves the Southwest Well”…
…at least until some smart-aleck trainman asked then-president Matt Sloan exactly where that southwest well was. Shortly thereafter, the slogan got changed to “Serves the Southwest”.
And of course, that priceless but entirely truthful modification seen on the side of a UP locomotive during the first constipation: “We will deliver [after which some innovative artist had scrawled] Eventually”
[(-D][(-D][:-,]
UP - Building America
CN - www.cn.ca [:-,]
IC - Mainline of Mid-America
DM&IR - the Missabe Road
GT/GTW - the Good Track Road
MEC was always the Pine Tree Route
Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee - Route of the Electroliners
Here’s a neat UP picture I just found on RP.net:
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=107012
Ship and Travel Santa Fe
Through the Rockies, Not around them … (DRGW)
Scenic line of the world / Mainline through the Rockies (DRGW)
Customers Love Courtesy (Cadillac & Lake City RR)
The Swastika Route (St. Louis Rocky Mountain & Pacific)…circa WW1
Erie called itself “the Scenic Route.” They also had an advertising jingle that said, “The service is keen, you arrive fresh and clean…”