Railroad nicknames origins and such

[NW Mailing List]

In my years of living in Richmond, VA (post 1960) the RF&P was known as the “Run Fast & Push.”

 

C. Chamberlayne

 

From: NW-Mailing-List [mailto:nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org] On Behalf Of NW Mailing List
Sent: Sunday, September 02, 2018 9:53 AM
To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Subject: Railroad nicknames origins and such

 

In the FWIW department, I have accumulated maybe 450-500 quasi-official nicknames for various railroads, so penned 'back in the day', not some modern day whimsey of someone's spur of the moment fancy. I am sure the railroads poked at at nothing to do with any of these cuties, or not so cuties, however the case may be.

 

The "rules" for such inclusion in the list are quite simple - it has to be vintage, original and not just the momentary modern whimsy of some fan or wannabe.

 

To admit some of them are quite amusing, some biting, some not mention-able in today's politically correct type climate and some rather ho-hum. Examples - N&W was known as 'Nights & Weekends", RF&P - Rich Folks & Pedigrees", NYC - Not Yet Cornelius and the Waco, Beaumont, Trinity & Sabine was also called Wobblety, Bobblety, Turnover & Stop." A personal favorite is Houston & Texas Central - "Hell on Texas Contractors", but all of these have an older kind of history to them. There are maybe a dozen or more which are definitely not fit for this list so I shall not even attempt to mention those here. See me at shows for some of those yummies. The N&W one I think came from the late Tom Dressler, a long-time N&W man I seem to recall.

 

The Uncle Pete is not a totally new name as has been suggested, but one of longer standing when its CEO/President's first name was Pete.

 

Better yet, see me at the N&W archives sometime. I've gotten some of my cuter ones from former RR employees there, volunteers we regularly see at the Salem Ave. facility.

 

'nuff said.

 

Bob Cob Cohen

 

 

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