A recent thread mentioned that the C&NW comically stood for "Cheap & Nothing Wasted". RR workers and fans have been very inventive and amusing over the years in coming up with these alternate meanings. What ones do you know?
O&W = Old & Weary, e.g.
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A recent thread mentioned that the C&NW comically stood for "Cheap & Nothing Wasted". RR workers and fans have been very inventive and amusing over the years in coming up with these alternate meanings. What ones do you know?
O&W = Old & Weary, e.g.
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Here are a few:
Lancaster, Oxford & Southern = LO&S = Little, Old & Slow
Eastern Tennessee & Western North Carolina = ET&WNC = Eat Taters & Wear No Clothes
Pacific Great Eastern (predecessor of British Columbia Railway) = PGE = Past God's Endurance; Prince George Eventually (pending construction of a bridge)
Minneapolis & St. Louis = M&StL = Tootin' Louie
New York, Susquehanna & Western = NYS&W = Susie-Q (modern boxcars had a female brakeman painted on the side)
Green Bay & Western = GB&W = Grab Baggage & Walk
When they were going through bankruptcy, Erie Lackawanna = Erie Lack-of-wampum.
Denison, Bonham and New Orleans - DB&NO - Dead beat and not operating.
My Grandfather was an officer.
ChipR
DL&W
Delay Linger & Wait.
**** Low Wages.
UP - Usually parked
BNSF - big new santa fe
NS - normally slow
CSX - Can't Ship This
The New York Ontario & Western the Old & Weary
St Johnsbury and Lake Champlain St Jesus and Late Coming
Salina Hutchinson and Indian Territories SPEAKS FOR ITSELF
Lew Schneider
Here are a few:
The best Matt!!
Here are a few:
The best Matt!!
Also BNSF = Better Not Start a Family.
Oh my gosh, guys, those are great! Keep 'em coming.
CSX = Chicken **** Express
Florida East Coast: Fowling Every Crossing (in the 80s and 90s, they used to run a lot at nights and it was common late at night to not be able to get from east to west across some Florida Atlantic beach communities if trains were in the hole or switching)
Bellaire, Zanesville and Cincinnati: Bent, Zigzag and Crooked
which soon became
Ohio River and Western=Old, Rusty and Wobbly (or Weedy.)
That's the inspiration for the fictional Jensen, Baltimore and Sandusky, otherwise the Junk, Busted and Scrap.
Spokane Portland & Seattle
Slow Pokey & Shaky
BNSF: Buy Norfolk Southern Fast
Some of the ones I've heard:
BN: Big Nothing, Big Nowhere
C&NW: Cardboard and No Wheels, Chicago and NoWhere
UP: Unlimited Power
Rusty
These are pretty funny..wow!
BNSF..Been Nothing Since Frisco ! B&O ...Best and Only ! Jamestown, Westfield and NorthWestern.....Jesus wept & no Wonder !
A guy at my LHS that used to work for Santa Fe told me BNSF meant Brand New Santa Fe.
CSX
Crash Spill eXplode
EMD.....Every Model Different / Every Man's Dream ! GE....Great Expectations !
Western Maryland -- Wild Mary
Poppyl
Missouri & North Arkansas (Not to be confused with today's Missouri & NORTHERN Arkansas.)...
May Never Arrive
C&NW -- Cinders and No Weeds
Maryland and Pennsylvania = Ma and Pa
Pittsburgh & Ohio self explanatory PO Choo Choo Kenny
BNSF: Buy Norfolk Southern Fast
I heard it as "Buy Norfolk Southern First."
CGW = Cinder Grass Weeds
Bottoms-UP
DT&I- Dirty Tricks and Insubordination, Done Taking Insults., Dirty Tin & Ingredients. When convertibles were "in", Drop Tops, and Idiots.
Soooooo many auto-loaders.
Ann Arbor - Almost Arrives. Almost achieves reverse reliably
Detroit & Mackinaw - Dirt & Muck, Defeated & Maltreated
"SOO- "$#%*ing on Ojibwas" is what my full blood Great Grandmother might say.
U...U.P.....now wash up
Yellow too
If they have green too..
See a doctor
One I once heard: Lehigh Valley=Leaky Valley. (Right Before Conrail.)
One my wife made up: Penn Central=Route of the Worms.
Curt: I want a model of that Waco, etc. long caboose they had.
Some of these cracked me up.....
Can't take credit for Weak, Weary & Feeble; that came from a friend.
Amazing stuff.....
Happened to think of a couple more regional nicknames:
Fort Smith & Western/FS&W: Foot Sore & Weary
Arkansas Oklahoma & Western/AO&W: All Off & Walk
B&O - Beefsteak & Onions
International-Great Northern - Irishmen Going North
L&N - Long & Narrow
Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo - To H--l & Back
AT&SF - Ate Tamales & Spit Fire also All Tramps Sent Free
RF&P - Rich Folks & Pedigrees
Detroit & Mackinac - Defeated & Maltreated
Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic - D---ed Small Salaries & Abuse
Lake Shore & Michigan Southern - Large Stations & Miserable Salaries also Less Sleep & More Speed
Nevada California Oregon - Narrow, Crooked & Ornery
Deleware & Hudson - Delay & Hesitate
Delaware, Lackawanna & Western - Delay, Linger & Wait
Jamestown, Westfield & Northwestern - Jesus Wept & No Wonder
Lake Erie & Western - Leave Early & Walk
Nevada County Narrow Gauge - Never Come, Never Go
Texas Pacific & Western - Take Parcels & Walk
...and many more from A Treasury of Railroad Folklore - Botkin & Harlow
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