Railroad Acronyms

[Southern Unionist]

A common pastime for bored railroaders and small town residents has long been coming up with funny alternative acronyms for American railroad name abbreviations. I'll get everyone started with a few examples. I'll list the acronym, the actual name, then the pop culture name. There are literally hundreds of instances, maybe thousands! We'll try to keep it PG-rated!

CSX
Chessie / Seaboard
Crash, Spill, & Explode

B&O
Baltimore & Ohio RR
Body Odor

SBD
Seaboard System
Silent But Deadly (gas)

ET&WNC
East Tennessee & Western North Carolina RR
Eat Taters and Wear No Clothes (to live a long and healthy life)

HPT&D RR
High Point, Thomasville, and Denton Railroad
High Priced Ticket and a D*mn Rough Ride

 

[nitrofd]

A common pastime for bored railroaders and small town residents has long been coming up with funny alternative acronyms for American railroad name abbreviations. I'll get everyone started with a few examples. I'll list the acronym, the actual name, then the pop culture name. There are literally hundreds of instances, maybe thousands! We'll try to keep it PG-rated!

CSX
Chessie / Seaboard
Crash, Spill, & Explode

B&O
Baltimore & Ohio RR
Body Odor

SBD
Seaboard System
Silent But Deadly (gas)

ET&WNC
East Tennessee & Western North Carolina RR
Eat Taters and Wear No Clothes (to live a long and healthy life)

HPT&D RR
High Point, Thomasville, and Denton Railroad
High Priced Ticket and a D*mn Rough Ride

Have you one for FEC.

 

[captaindrew]

Have you one for FEC.

Not G rated

 

[Eleanor Rose]

Have you one for FEC.

For Elderly Citizens - I actually have no idea, but you know I love to play!

 

[nitrofd]

Have you one for FEC.

For this site how about....Failed Ecological Cars.
Not as good as the Tropicana train that leave Bradenton and travels up to Folkston,GA. to be split up to travel with fresh O.J. all over the country.the refer cars are really cool being white with tropicana oj all over them.

 

[Jimklag]

Have you one for FEC.

Florida East Coast
Frantic Election Controversy

 

[USS ALASKA]

YDR
Yazoo Delta Railway
Yellow Dog

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[USS ALASKA]

A M & O
Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad
All Mine and Otelia's

'All three railroads were severely damaged during the American Civil War (1861-1865). After Virginia seceded in April 1861, William Mahone, as its president, used the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad (N&P) to deliver a small force to Norfolk to secure the Gosport Navy Yard, an important resource for the Confederacy. After Union leaders declined a request to surrender possession, he used an N&P train and other deception to bluff them into thinking large numbers of rebel troops were arriving, causing them to abandon the shipyard with no loss of life. He accepted a commission in the Confederate Army and during the remainder of 1861 and until May 1862, also continued as head of the N&P. Mahone was relieved of N&P duties in 1862 as he took on increasing responsibilities with the Confederate Army. He was active in many campaigns and was an able leader during the war, best known as the hero of the Battle of the Crater in 1864 where he rallied troops and foiled an initial Union success during the Siege of Petersburg.'

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic,_Mississippi_and_Ohio_Railroad

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[Hussar Yeomanry]

My favorite is for a railroad that never quite occurred.

Back in the late 70's/early 80's the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe (ATSF) and the Southern Pacific (SP) intended to merge and become the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe (SPSF) though due to the machinations of some of the other companies (mostly UP and BNSF) it was blocked by the FEC (?) at a very late stage. However the two companies had already started repainting some of their engines in the new colors and logo. As a result SPSF was claimed to stand for Shouldn't Paint So Fast.

 

[Southern Unionist]

My favorite is for a railroad that never quite occurred.

Had the Blue Ridge Railroad been completed, its acronym would have spelled out the sound you make when you're extremely cold, such as when you're up on top of the Blue Ridge in winter, walking along a railroad track.

 

[UCVRelics]

My favorite CSX Chemical Spill Xperts

 

[USS ALASKA]

@Southern Unionist

Way off topic sir, but funny...

During the latest round of great consolidation of defense companies, Lockheed and Martin Marietta joined and their nick-name was LockMart

At one point in time there were rumors that they wanted Loral. While a complete buy-out didn't happen, a new-nick name did - Lo Ma Ral - as in Low Morale

Sorry to go...off track.

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[DixieRifles]

Lockheed and Martin Marietta joined and their nick-name was LockMart

When I worked at Bell Helicopter, the owner of lot put the title up for sale. We said it would be bought by Mexico and renamed Taco Bell.

And the old joke at FedEx was metging with UPS and the new company would be named FedUp.

 

[USS ALASKA]

Back on-point before I get swacked again for off topic...

Not a railroad but...

ALCO
American Locomotive Company
Always Leaking Coolant & Oil

Very 70s Harley Davidson-esque...

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[JOHN42768]

Here are one: R.R. / Reading Railroad/ Rough Ride

 

[USS ALASKA]

E T V & G
East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway
Eat Turnips, Vinegar and Greens

Not a big fan of turnips but greens with a sprinkle of vinegar - oh yeah.

'The railroads in East Tennessee provided a major supply route between Virginia and the Deep South, and thus both Confederate and Union forces considered the region of vital importance. On November 8, 1861, East Tennessee Union loyalists destroyed five railroad bridges, forcing the Confederate government to invoke martial law in the region. Throughout the war, both Confederate and Union forces destroyed railroad tracks and facilities to prevent them from falling under the other's control.'

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Tennessee,_Virginia_and_Georgia_Railway

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[rebelatsea]

It's out of out timeline but appropriate, this is a real one entered on incident reports when I was on the railway. The semi automated signalling system capable of setting a route through junctions was and is "Automated Route Setting Equipment". If it went wrong the entry that invariably appeared on the daily log was - I leave you to spell the first bit - use the first letters -
" **** Failure"!

 

[USS ALASKA]

NYC
New York Central
No You Can't

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[nitrofd]

Does anyone have one for the "Toonerville Trolley.".

 

[USS ALASKA]

Ca & NW
Carolina and Northwestern Railway
Can't and Never Will

Cheers,
USS ALASKA