August: A Month of Named Trains

Since passenger rail news can slow from a rapid creek to a meandering dribble this time of year, we'll keep you well-hydrated with a new post for every day in August by counting down RAIL Magazine's top 31 named trains throughout North American history. We don't have a precise metric for determining our picks, but will attempt to provide some rationale for each selection. You'll also notice a cumulative list of the previous picks at the bottom of each post.

So, stay tuned starting tomorrow for the list. In the meantime, let's have a quick refresher on named trains. I originally opined on the subject in this post back in 2010, and much of my thoughts on the matter remain the same today. But let's just dig into one element of modern train names that is becoming problematic: overuse of inherently descriptive names like Express, Limited or Special without that train actually serving its namesake role.

For instance, an Express is a train that inherently skips many or all intermediate stops between its terminals in order to provide a more expeditious trip. And yet, many commuter rail systems – Virginia Railway Express, Altamont Commuter Express, Trinity Railway Express, New Mexico Rail Runner Express – use the designation even though hardly any of their trips operate in express mode. Less abused is the Limited marker, indicating that the train only makes limited stops on its route. But still Amtrak's Capitol, Lake Shore and Sunset limiteds skip nary a stop on their various treks. Lastly, a Special indicates an irregular, non-repeating trip arranged for a specific event or period. Fortunately, no scheduled rail services in North America currently promote Special trains as part of their permanent schedules.

So, what then are creative types marketing a new or prospective passenger rail service supposed to use if not for these circumstantial titles? Here's a quick list of iconic, yet generic descriptors that can be paired with a local or regional designation to create a perfect named train:

Arrow

Cannonball

Challenger

City of ____

Clipper

Comet

Dart

Eagle

Flyer

Hawk

Mercury

Meteor

Rocket

Service

Star

Traveler

Wind

Zephyr

Lastly, Wikipedia has a very useful compilation of named trains from around the world for your reference.