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.

Railroad

Locale

Common abbreviation

Nickname(s)

Amtrak

United States

AMTK

Amcrash
Amtrash
Damntrash
Amlate

Ashley, Drew and Northern Railway

Southern United States

AD&N

All Day and Night

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

Eastern and midwestern United States

B&O

Beets and Onions

BNSF Railway

Western United States

BNSF

Buy Now, Sell Fast
Bye Now, Santa Fe
Big New Santa Fe
Big Nothing So Far
Better Not [...] (on the) Frisco
Big Nasty Santa Fe

Boston and Maine Railroad

Northeastern United States

B&M

Beaten and Mismanaged
Bruised and Mangled

Burlington Northern Railway

Northern United States

BN

Big Nothing

Canadian National Railway

Canada and Midwest United States

CN

Cooked Noodles
Canned Newbies

Canadian Pacific Railway

Canada

CP

Can't Play

Chicago and North Western Railway

Midwest United States

C&NW

Cheap and Nothing Wasted

Chicago Great Western Railroad

Midwest United States

CGW

Great Weedy

Copper River and Northwestern Railway

Alaska, United States

CR&NW

Can't Run and Never Will

CSX Transportation

Eastern United States

CSX

Chicken [...] Xpress
Crash Spill Xplode
Cash Strapped Xpress
Can't See Xtras

Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad

Western United States

DRGW

Dirty Rag & Greasy Wipe

Detroit, Toledo and Ironton Railroad

Michigan and Ohio

DT&I

Darn Trainees & Idiots

Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway

Midwestern United States

EJ&E

Egypt, Jerusalem & Elsewhere
Easy Jobs for Everyone

Erie Lackawanna Railway

Eastern United States

EL

Erie Lack-o-Money

Gateway Western Railway

Missouri and Illinois

GWWR

Great Wobbly Wobbly
The Wobbly

Guilford Rail System

Northeastern United States

GRS

Guilford Fail System
Guilty Rail System

Kansas City Southern Railroad

Midwestern and Southern United States

KCS

The Haywire

London and Port Stanley Railway

Ontario, Canada

L&PS

Liver and Pork Steak

Long Island Railroad

New York City

LIRR

The Liar's Route

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

New England

MBTA

Mucho Bad Transit Attitude

Missouri Pacific Railroad

Western United States

MP

The Mop
MoPac

Norfolk Southern Railway

Eastern United States

NS

[...] Southern
New Southern

New York, Ontario and Western Railway

New England, United States

O&W

Old and Weary
the Old Woman

Penn Central Railroad

Northeastern United States

PC

Plucked Clean

Peoria and Pekin Union Railroad

Illinois, United States

P&PU

Pee and Poo

Pontiac Pacific Junction Railway

Quebec, Canada

PP&J

Push, Pull and Jerk

St. Louis-San Francisco Railway

Midwestern and Southern United States

SLSF

The Frisco

Seaboard System Railroad

Eastern United States

SBD

Slowly Breaking Down

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority

Eastern United States

SEPTA

Society for the Elimination of Public Transit Altogether

Southern Pacific Railroad

Southwest United States

SP

Sour Pete
Stinky Pete
Espee

Southern Pacific Santa Fe Railroad

Southwest United States (proposed)

SPSF

Shouldn't Paint So Fast

Springfield Terminal Railway

Northeastern United States

ST

Slow Trains
Shitty Trackage
Stupid Trainees

Staten Island Rapid Transit

Eastern United States

SIRT

Shall I Run Today?

Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum

Chattanooga, TN

TVRM

That Volunteer's Really Mad

Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway

Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada

TH&B

Tramps Hobos & Bums
To Hell & Back

Union Pacific Railroad

Western United States

UP

Under Powered
Unlimited Parking
Uncle Pete
Union Pissant
Union Pathetic
Ungodly Pleased
Onion Pacific

Western Pacific Railroad

Western United States

WP

(The) Wobbly
Willing People
Wild Pete

White Pass and Yukon Route

Alaska, Yukon and British Columbia

WP&YR

Wait Patiently, and You'll Ride

See also

  • Rail terminology