Railroad nicknames

The initials used to identify railroad and railway lines have often been used for humorous, disparaging or slanderous names. In a related category, portmanteaus, such as Amtrak, have also been lampooned.

This transport-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Railroad Locale Common abbreviation(s) Nickname(s)
Amtrak United States AMTK Amcrash[1][2][3][4]
Amtrash[2][3][4]
Slamtrak[5]

Ramtrak

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Eastern and Midwestern United States B&O Beefsteak and Onions[2][3]

Best and Only

Beets and Onions

Body Odor

BNSF Railway Western United States BNSF Buy Now, Sell Fast[2]
Bye Now, Santa Fe[3]
Big New Santa Fe[3]
Been Nothing Since Frisco[3]
Buy Norfolk Southern First[3]
Better Not Send Freight[2]
Bigger Name Same Fine Railroad[4]
Boston and Maine Railroad Northeastern United States B&M Busted and Mangled[3][4]
Busted & Mined[4]
Broken & Maimed[4]
Bankrupt & Moribund[4]
Buffalo and South Western Railroad Northeast United States B&SW Brandy and Soda Water[6]
Burlington Northern Railroad Northwestern United States BN Big Nothing[2][3][4]
Canadian National Railway Canada, Midwestern United States CN, CNR, CNRy Certainly No Rush[4]
Crash National[4]
Canadian Pacific Railway Canada, Midwestern United States CP Can't Please[4]
Chinese Pacific[4]
Chicago and North Western Railway Midwest United States C&NW, C&NWRR Cheap and Nothing Wasted[2][3][4]
Cheap & No Wages[4]
Can't and Never Will[2][3][4]
Can't and Never Will Run Right[4]
Cardboard & No Wheels[4]
Carrier to No Where[4]
Chicago & No Where[4]
Chicago & Norweigians[4]
Chicago, Burlington, & Quincy Railroad Midwestern United States CBQ, CB&Q Cheapest, Best & Quickest[4]
Crash, Bang & Quake[4]
Cuss The Boss & Quit[4]
The Q[4]
Chicago Great Western Railroad Midwest United States CGW Great Weedy[2][3][4]
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Midwestern United States, Northwestern United States MILW, CMStP&P, CMSPP The Milwaukee Road[4]
Christ, Mary, St. Paul and St. Peter[4]
C'mon Stop Praying and Push[4]
Cheapest, Meanest & Slowest to Pay[4]
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Midwestern United States CRI&P, RI, ROCK The Rock[4]
Rockin Eye[4]
Pet Rock[4]
Rotten Island[4]
Wreck Island[4]
Cri N Pee[4]
Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad Ohio CH&D Charge High and Damn Rough Ride[7]
Copper River and Northwestern Railway Alaska, United States CR&NW Can't Run and Never Will[3]
CSX Transportation Eastern United States CSX
CSXT		 Chicken Shit eXpress[2]
Conrail's Southern Xtension[4]
Crash Spill eXplode
Chessie's Still Xperimenting[2][4]
Crash Smash eXplode[4]
Crash Smash eXpress
Chemical Spill eXperts[8]
Delaware and Northern Railroad Northeastern United States / New York D&N Damn Nuisance
Delaware and Hudson Railway New York, Pennsylvania D&H Delay and Hesitate[2][3][4]
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Hoboken to Buffalo DL&W Delay, Linger and Wait[3][4]
Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway Midwestern United States EJ&E Egypt, Jerusalem & Elsewhere[2][3][4]
Easy Jobs for Everyone[2][3][4]
Erie Lackawanna Railway Eastern United States EL Erie Lack-o-Money[2]
Gateway Western Railway Missouri and Illinois GWWR Great Wobbly Wobbly[4]
Green Bay and Western Railroad Wisconsin GB&W Grab Bags and Walk[9]
Guilford Rail System Northeastern United States GRS Guilford Fail System[10]
The Big G[11]
Halifax and Southwestern Railway Southern Nova Scotia H&SW Hellish, Slow and Wobbly[12]
Hoosac Tunnel and Wilmington Railroad Northeastern United States HT&W Hoot Toot and Whistle[13]
Illinois Central Railroad Midwestern United States IC, ICRR I Can't Run Railroads[4]
Illinois Central Gulf Railroad Midwestern United States ICG I Can't Go[4]
Kansas City Southern Railroad Midwestern and Southern United States KCS The Haywire[3][4]
Kingston and Pembroke Railway Eastern Ontario K&P Kick and Push[14]
London and Port Stanley Railway Ontario, Canada L&PS Liver and Pork Steak[2]
Louisville and Nashville Railroad Southern United States L&N Long and Narrow[2][3][4]
The Old Reliable[3]
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority New England MBTA Mucho Bad Transit Attitude[15]
Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway Midwest M&StL Misery and Short Life[16]
Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas MKT the Katy[17]
Missouri Pacific Railroad Western United States MP The Mop[2][3][4]
MoPac[3]
Montana Rail Link Western United States MRL Milwaukee Road Lives[4]
Monkeys Running Loose[3][4]
Norfolk Southern Railway Eastern United States NS The Thoroughbred[4]
New Southern[3][4]
Nomore Steam[2][4]
No Service[4]Nazi Southern[2]
New York, Ontario and Western Railway New England, United States O&W Old and Weary[2][3][4]
the Old Woman[2][3][4]
New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York NYS&W Now You Sit and Wait[3][4]
The Susie Q[18]
Pacific Great Eastern Railway British Columbia PGE Prince George Eventually[4]
Please Go Easy[4]
Province's Greatest Expense[4]
Past God's Endurance[4]
Penn Central Eastern US PC Penniless Central[19]
Penn Centless[20]
Pennsylvania Railroad Eastern and Midwestern US PRR Pennsy
Pussie Rail Road[21]
The Big Red Subway[22]
Pennsylvania Northeastern Railroad Bucks and Montgomery County PA PN Peener
Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad Midwestern United States PFW&C Paddy Finnigan's Wife and Children[6]
Pontiac Pacific Junction Railway Quebec, Canada PP&J Push, Pull and Jerk[23]
Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Virginia, United States RF&P Rich Folks and Pedigrees[2][3][4]
Run Fast and Push[2][3][4]
St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Midwestern and Southern United States SLSF The Frisco[3][6]
Seaboard System Railroad Eastern United States SBD Slowly Breaking Down[3][4]
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority Eastern United States SEPTA Society for the Elimination of Public Transit Altogether[2][3][4]
Septic
Inepta
Southern Pacific Railroad Southwest United States SP The Friendly Southern Pacific[24]
Espee[3][4]
Suffering Pathetic[2][3][4]Slow Poke[4]
Soup[4]
Southern Pacific Santa Fe Railroad Southwest United States (proposed) SPSF Shouldn't Paint So Fast[2][3][4]
Staten Island Rapid Transit Eastern United States SIRT Shall I Run Today?[4]
Sumpter Valley Railway Oregon, United States SV Stump Dodger[25][26]

Polygamy Central[25]

Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada TH&B Tramps, Hobos & Bums[3][4]
To Hell & Back[3][4]
Ulster and Delaware Railroad Northeastern United States / New York U&D Up and Down
Union Pacific Railroad Western United States UP Under Powered[3][4]
Unlimited Parking[2][3][4]
Uncle Pete[2][3][4]
Union Pathetic[2][4]
Utterly Pathetic[4]
Onion Pacific[4]
Ewe Pee[27] Unbelievable Pigs
Western Pacific Railroad Western United States WP (The) Wobbly[2][3][4]
White Pass and Yukon Route Alaska, Yukon and British Columbia WP&YR Wait Patiently, and You'll Ride[2][4]
Wisconsin Central Wisconsin WC Whiskey Central[4]
We Could Wreck[4]
Wrecking Central[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Bradley & Gore: Forget the Past; NARAL Test; Bush Scolded as Racist Lout". Media Research Center CyberAlert. 2000-07-14. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 2.26 2.27 2.28 2.29 2.30 2.31 "Other/Nicknames". Retrieved 2008-06-05.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 3.22 3.23 3.24 3.25 3.26 3.27 3.28 3.29 3.30 3.31 3.32 3.33 3.34 3.35 3.36 3.37 3.38 3.39 3.40 "Railroad Nicknames Sorted by Railroad Name". Railway & Locomotive Historical Society. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 4.20 4.21 4.22 4.23 4.24 4.25 4.26 4.27 4.28 4.29 4.30 4.31 4.32 4.33 4.34 4.35 4.36 4.37 4.38 4.39 4.40 4.41 4.42 4.43 4.44 4.45 4.46 4.47 4.48 4.49 4.50 4.51 4.52 4.53 4.54 4.55 4.56 4.57 4.58 4.59 4.60 4.61 4.62 4.63 4.64 4.65 4.66 4.67 4.68 4.69 4.70 4.71 4.72 4.73 4.74 4.75 4.76 4.77 4.78 4.79 4.80 4.81 4.82 4.83 Coleman, Christopher D., compiler (2002-03-01). "Railroad Nicknames". Webville & Hypertext Railroad. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
  5. ↑ "Railroad discussion site run by Amtrak employees".
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Nicknames on the Rail" (PDF). New York Times. 1890-12-21. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
  7. ↑ "Railroads". Ohio History Central. Ohio Historical Society. 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
  8. ↑ http://www.spikesys.com/Trains/nickname.html
  9. ↑ http://www.greenbayroute.com/passes.htm
  10. ↑ "Railroad Photographs of Guilford Rail System / Springfield Terminal". Massroads.com Transportation Images. 2007-05-12. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
  11. ↑ "October on Guilford's West End". Railroad Explorer 2 (3). Fall 2002.
  12. ↑ http://books.google.com/books?id=W1oCp8bKCJAC&lpg=PA71&ots=YOVedeGnuE&dq=Hellish%20Slow%20%26%20Wobbly&pg=PA71#v=onepage&q=Hellish%20Slow%20&%20Wobbly&f=false
  13. ↑ http://www.htandw.com/history.htm
  14. ↑ http://www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains/CPR_Trenton/History_KandP.htm
  15. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20020329103720/http://badtransit.com/
  16. ↑ Charles W Grubb gandy dancer for the M&StL
  17. ↑ Katy Railroad Historical Society
  18. ↑ http://susquehanna.railfan.net/susieq_history.htm
  19. ↑ http://www.spikesys.com/Trains/nickname.html
  20. ↑ http://www.spikesys.com/Trains/nickname.html
  21. ↑ http://kohlin.com/rr/nknmlist.htm
  22. ↑ http://www.rlhs.org/Reference/sort_name.shtml
  23. ↑ http://www.heritagepontiac.ca/qohistory.htm
  24. ↑ http://www.american-rails.com/southern-pacific.html
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Potter, Miles (1976). Oregon's Golden Years. Caxton Press. ISBN 978-0870042546. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help);
  26. ↑ Culp, Edwin (1972). Stations West: The Story of The Oregon Railroads. Caxton Printers. ISBN 978-0870042195. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help);
  27. ↑ http://www.spikesys.com/Trains/nickname.html