Train Names?


P

PMW

Well-Known Member
I am trying to name my trains in JMRI Operations. A name and description is available in the software. I model CSX so use a letter followed by three numbers to mimic CSX train symbols under name but what about description? How are locals named? By the origin? the destination? What about manifests? Yard jobs? etc...

For example, if a local leaves A and switches B and terminates at C is it the "A Local", B Local", "C Local"?

Thanks
Paul
 
I'm had a short line that served the California delta region with a long spur to an aggregate industry. The cars leave the main at a town called Wesley and head up to the cement plant. That train is called The Wesley Crusher. Now I am not a Star Trek fan and did not know until my son in law pointed out the character's name.
 
Sometimes when a local freight starts at one point, reaches another and turns around to return to the point of origin, it is known as the ("so-and-so") turn.
 
Thanks. Does anyone know about a Local that say leaves a yard, switches an industry or two and then terminates in a different location?
What about a long distance mixed freight?
 
Check out Distant Signal on YouTube. Danny Harmon is the host. CSX is the railroad that's close to him. He can give you some insight to their operations. He has plenty of videos so I'm sure he's covered that topic. Just don't remember the exact title to the one you want.
 
It could be anything, depending on the railroad. It could be just a train number, #39 or whatever. It could be the Galesburg - Burlington Local. Pick your locations and name the train that way. Your railroad, your choice.
 
Twinboystrains said:
Check out Distant Signal on YouTube. Danny Harmon is the host. CSX is the railroad that's close to him. He can give you some insight to their operations. He has plenty of videos so I'm sure he's covered that topic. Just don't remember the exact title to the one you want.
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Thanks. I've watched some of his stuff. I remember one on train symbols (Qxxx, etc...) but I haven't seen one on names or nicknames. I'll check.
 
trailrider said:
It could be anything, depending on the railroad. It could be just a train number, #39 or whatever. It could be the Galesburg - Burlington Local. Pick your locations and name the train that way. Your railroad, your choice.
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Thanks but I'm a little unclear on what you meant. Is this how the real railroads do it or are you saying I shouldn't worry about how the real railroads do it..."my layout, my rules"?
 
Each railroad has its own naming convention.

Railroads will have a SYMBOL that they use for lists and scheduling.

Freight trains normally have some sort of name that has the origin and termination point. If a train runs from Houston to Kansas City it might be the HK, HOKC, HOURKCM. They might add a prefix or suffix for the type of train (intermodal-ZHOCK, IHOKC, coal-CHOKC, grain-GHOKC, freight-MHOKC, MofW-WHOKC).

Railroads that use numbers might do something similar only using numbers for regions or divisions.

Locals may start with an L and yard jobs with Y and might have a 3 digit number for the local. It can just be a number or it can be some sort of code for the area it works, for example 1 for western region, 2 for central region, 3 for southern region, then a 2 digit number for the area or trainmaster's territory. L329 would be a local on the southern region on the Houston trainmaster's territory (locals numbered 20-39).

Trains might also have a knickname that is unofficial but everybody knows it.

On the MP Locals L329 and L330 were the locals between Houston and Galveston and that's what all the switchlists were addressed to. However everybody called them the "Salty" because they went to the ocean (gulf). Locals might be called by the origin, the destination or the area they work. The local that ran from Durand to Fredonia was the Fredonia local.
 
I'd have to go dig it up, but I have the idea at least some RR's will apply an origin point designation or pickup point designation, a termination or handover point designation, and, perhaps, an indicator of the type of train too. In the case of the prototype I most closely follow, the D&RGW, this might be something like: DNOGF (or DNOGSPF), as in Denver CO to Ogden UT Forwarder (a through train, passed largely intact from one end to the other). In the case of the D&RGW, incoming traffic at Denver was usually from the Burlington, later BN, while westbound was usually handed over the the SP at Ogden, hence the SF.

Reverse traffic was (I think), something like OGDNF (or OGDNBNF), in which case SP handed over its eastbound train largely--but not always--intact. I mention this last bit because so many photos of eastbound D&RGW trains will sport SP/Cotton Belt cars directly behind the power, as SP often blocked the trains in their yard just before handing them off.

I could well be wrong about all this though, and now you have me looking for my back issues of "Pacific Rail News" (somewhere in a box or stack of magazines). I know there was mention of some designations in there somewhere, and I may have a line to others in a couple of my books.

==========

All that ^^^ said, I do suspect what you are actually asking for are train designations--symbols--rather than train "names," and as others have already alluded to in earlier posts, yes?

Personally, I think of a train "name" as something more like the "California Zephyr," or the "Daylight Limited"...but that might just be me.

Or even the "Wesley Crusher." :D
 
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Thanks, guys great info. I am asking about names. I mentioned in my op I use a letter and 3 numbers for my train symbols to mimic CSX. However, JMRI switch lists have a space for the train name and for a description. I want to put things like Meridian Local or Enterprise Turn in that space but didn't have a clue how the railroads give trains the names.

Thanks again
 
There is really no formal process for naming a train, especially a local, it is not an "official" name in most cases. Premium service such as passenger, intermodal or perishable will have a name designed by the marketing department or some group as a marketing tool. But most freight trains it is purely a nickname and doesn't appear anywhere official on any documents. For example, my description of the L329-L330 being called the 'Salty". Everybody knew which train you meant when you said the Salty, but the name was not used on any official document anywhere on the railroad. It didn't appear on transportation plans, on train lists, on track lists, on schedules, nothing.

As an example of how these names originated, I was asked to submit a suggestion for a name for a new intermodal service (prototype railroad) that ran over three railroads from Georgia to Los Angles and back. Those premium services are normally named after things that are considered "fast". I came up with Los Angeles (LA) to Southeast (SE) rail (R) service or LASER service.

Some names are descriptive, and some are ironic, and some aren't very flattering. There was a train from North Platte to Houston that carried a small block of trailer traffic, the NPHOT. Since it was basically a freight train, it acquired the VERY unofficial nickname of the "Not Particularly Hot" train.

Most trains have a very pedestrian name, usually where the train goes or what it does. A local that runs from Durand, KS to Fredonia would be the Fredonia local. A unit wood chip train to a paper mill might be the chip train. Sometimes that get a cool nickname like the "Termite train", others just stay the boring "Chip Train" for as long as they run. Most of the cool or humorous nicknames are bestowed by the crews and are, once again, not official in any way.
 
Nicknames and other descriptive names (for anything) can linger on for long after their historical usage has long gone.

On CP in the area my club models there was a local that was known as the "Coal Train" because at the far end of its run was a harbour with a large coal dock, so most of the cars on the train would be hoppers of coal. However after the major industrial customer switched from coal to natural gas as a fuel source the coal dock closed. But in the opposite direction there was also an iron ore pellet loader at the harbour, so hoppers still brought iron pellets to the harbour. The train ran for 20 years after it stopped carrying coal, but for a while was still known as the "Coal Train".

In another location, a certain yard track is still referred to as "the water track", because that's where the water stand was for the steam engine house.... 50 years ago.
 
dave1905 said:
There is really no formal process for naming a train, especially a local, it is not an "official" name in most cases. Premium service such as passenger, intermodal or perishable will have a name designed by the marketing department or some group as a marketing tool. But most freight trains it is purely a nickname and doesn't appear anywhere official on any documents. For example, my description of the L329-L330 being called the 'Salty". Everybody knew which train you meant when you said the Salty, but the name was not used on any official document anywhere on the railroad. It didn't appear on transportation plans, on train lists, on track lists, on schedules, nothing.

As an example of how these names originated, I was asked to submit a suggestion for a name for a new intermodal service (prototype railroad) that ran over three railroads from Georgia to Los Angles and back. Those premium services are normally named after things that are considered "fast". I came up with Los Angeles (LA) to Southeast (SE) rail (R) service or LASER service.

Some names are descriptive, and some are ironic, and some aren't very flattering. There was a train from North Platte to Houston that carried a small block of trailer traffic, the NPHOT. Since it was basically a freight train, it acquired the VERY unofficial nickname of the "Not Particularly Hot" train.

Most trains have a very pedestrian name, usually where the train goes or what it does. A local that runs from Durand, KS to Fredonia would be the Fredonia local. A unit wood chip train to a paper mill might be the chip train. Sometimes that get a cool nickname like the "Termite train", others just stay the boring "Chip Train" for as long as they run. Most of the cool or humorous nicknames are bestowed by the crews and are, once again, not official in any way.
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Most famous one in the UK is The Flying Scotsman,which came from the LNER marketing people many years ago, The Flying Scotsman is the actual passenger train or service itself, Flying Scotsman is the locomotive
 
The C.B.&Q. had a mail train called "The Fast Mail". Suburban passenger locals were referred to as "dinkies". Granted, these are not freights, per se, but these were some names beside the passenger Zephyrs. All these were in addition to the train numbers. East or northbound might be #23 and west or southbound might be #24, regardless of what they were called, officially or colloquially. If nothing else, make up your own names.
 
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