Named Trains: #18 – Alouette

#18 – Alouette

Railroad(s): Boston & Maine 

Operated: ? – 1965

Route(s): Montreal – Boston

Surprisingly, we're nearly halfway through our list and have only had one train named after an animal (the Little Bear) and none named after a bird, in particular. Considering than animals of all kinds – but especially birds (Falcons, Eagles, Cardinals, Larks of various kinds) – were exceedingly common in train names throughout history, this had to change. Well, technically, the Alouette is a lark in french, which serves as nice background for a train serving Montreal since the French folk song of the same name carries special significance in Quebec. The city's Canadian Football League team is even known as the Alouettes. The Boston & Maine aptly captured the cultural relevance of the region while also signifying the graceful nature of the train itself.

NOTE: the Boston & Maine is also the first railroad to appear twice on this list besides Amtrak.

#19 – Coast Starlight
#20 – Broadway Limited
#21 – Scout
#22 – Gulf Coast Rebel
#23 – Acadian
#24 – Azalean
#25 – Mark Twain Zephyr
#26 – Little Bear
#27 – Land O'Corn
#28 – Minute Man
#29 – Fast Mail
#30 – Lake Shore Limited

#31 – Comet

Named Trains: #19 – Coast Starlight

#19 – Coast Starlight

Railroad(s): Amtrak

Operated: 1971 – present

Route(s): Seattle – Los Angeles

While previous train titles included on this list have reinforced concepts such as speed, grandeur and history, the first named train on this list germane to Amtrak highlights a different notion: spectral wonder. Of course, it's not quite accurate to credit Amtrak solely with the Coast Starlight moniker, as the Southern Pacific operated its own Coast Daylight as well as separate Starlight trips – with its iconic red, orange and black color scheme – on most of the same route plied by Amtrak's version from 1937 until the formation of Amtrak in 1971. Regardless of who gets ultimate credit or which temporal period is more distinctive, the name calls to mind the remarkable vistas illuminated either by daylight or twilight along the Pacific shores. Amtrak's 1,300-plus mile trip may not exactly be speedy, but its routinely noted as possessing among the best customer service and scenery in the entire national network. For those reasons, the delightfully-named Coast Starlight seems poised to deliver the same coastal views to travelers between the West Coast's largest metropolitan regions as other similarly-titled trains have done for three quarters of a century.

#20 – Broadway Limited
#21 – Scout
#22 – Gulf Coast Rebel
#23 – Acadian
#24 – Azalean
#25 – Mark Twain Zephyr
#26 – Little Bear
#27 – Land O'Corn
#28 – Minute Man
#29 – Fast Mail
#30 – Lake Shore Limited

#31 – Comet

Named Trains: #20 – Broadway Limited

#20 – Broadway Limited

Railroad(s): Pennsylvania, Amtrak 

Operated: 1912 - 1971; 1971 - 1995

Route(s): New York – Chicago

In the last post, we discussed the lack of true transcontinental routes, and that trains from Chicago to the West Coast were often branded as "transcontinentals" although they never came close to the East Coast. The counterparts of these trains were those traveling from the Eastern Seaboard to Chicago, which fed passengers in both directions to the western "transcontinentals." One of the most notable of these East Coast-to-Chicago runs was the signature train of the Pennsylvania Railroad, The Broadway Limited. As a direct competitor to one of the most famous named trains of all time – the New York Central's 20th Century Limited – the Broadway Limited utilized the Pennsylvania's mainline route through its namesake state's mountains and river valleys, but was not an express trip like the 20th Century, despite their shared Limited titles. This was rather odd since that although the Broadway Limited made a handful of stops, the only non-terminal major cities served at a downtown station were Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, bypassing nearby Cleveland, Columbus and Indianapolis in favor of places like Crestline, Lima and Ft. Wayne. Although the train did pass through the Philadelphia region, it stopped at North Philadelphia rather than the city's iconic 30th Street Station to reduce travel time. Also of note: while the train's name might seem to be an obvious reference to Manhattan's famous entertainment thoroughfare, the railroad actually intended it as a implicit nod to its own "broad way," the four-track mainline through most of Pennsylvania – infrastructure it believed to be superior to the Central's Water Level Route through upstate New York (see #30 on this list, the Lake Shore Limited for more on the Water Level Route). However, the Broadway Limited never beat the 20th Century's top 20-hour trip time, but did match it with the introduction of streamliner equipment in 1938.

After Amtrak assumed operation's of the nation's intercity passenger rail network in 1971, the system continued uninterupted service of the Broadway Limited on the same route until 1990, when Norfolk Southern – which had acquired much of the Pennsylvania's network from Conrail – abandoned portions of the route west of Pittsburg. Amtrak then shifted the train to the former Baltimore & Ohio route between Pittsburg and Chicago, but cut back the line to Pittsburgh in 1995 due to redundancy with the Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited routes – an ultimate insult to the Broadway Limited's legacy as a competitor to both trains. Although Amtrak briefly restored Chicago – Pittsburgh service with the Three Rivers until 2005, when the portion west of Pittsburg was cancelled and Pittsburg – New York trains replaced with the Pennsylvanian, which still connects with the Capitol Limited in Pittsburg today.

#21 – Scout
#22 – Gulf Coast Rebel
#23 – Acadian
#24 – Azalean
#25 – Mark Twain Zephyr
#26 – Little Bear
#27 – Land O'Corn
#28 – Minute Man
#29 – Fast Mail
#30 – Lake Shore Limited
#31 – Comet

Named Trains: #21 – Scout

#21 – Scout

Railroad(s): Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 

Operated: 1916 – 1948

Route(s): Chicago – Los Angeles

As the first quasi-transcontinental route on our list (in actuality, true transcontinental passenger rail trips ever ran from the Atlantic to the Pacific, most only spanning from Chicago to the West Coast), the Scout is also the first in the AT&SF's (more commonly known as the Santa Fe) exceptional legacy in naming their passenger trains. Bearing the designators of trains #1 and #10 in the Santa Fe until the streamliner era, it could be argued the Scout was the railroad's flagship train for the bulk of the first half of the 20th Century. It made the roughly 2200-mile trip in 58 hours, 35 minutes heading eastbound, although Amtrak's Southwest Chief is scheduled to complete the journey on a similar (but not identical route) in under 48 hours when it's on time – a rare instance of a contemporary intercity train besting its historical counterpart on schedule. Nonetheless, the Scout brand is noteworthy – evoking a Southwestern explorer identity (see beautiful artwork above) that was less effacing to Native American peoples through the Southwest, a problem the railroad created with some of its other named trains.

#22 – Gulf Coast Rebel
#23 – Acadian
#24 – Azalean
#25 – Mark Twain Zephyr
#26 – Little Bear
#27 – Land O'Corn
#28 – Minute Man
#29 – Fast Mail
#30 – Lake Shore Limited
#31 – Comet

Named Trains: #22 – Gulf Coast Rebel

#22 – Gulf Coast Rebel

Railroad(s): Gulf, Mobile & Ohio

Operated: 1940 – 1958

Route(s): St. Louis – Mobile

Continuing our track of named trains through the South, the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio's signature streamliner evokes the history of the region without becoming overtly antagonistic to Civil War-era contraversies. Although the railroad operated other routes branded with the Rebel marker, the Gulf Coast version traveled its main route through nearly the railroad's entire territory. Although the train didn't survive the end of the streamliner era, the Gulf Coast Rebel nonetheless deserves a spot on this list for its strong regional identity and flagship status on the GM&O.

#23 – Acadian
#24 – Azalean
#25 – Mark Twain Zephyr
#26 – Little Bear
#27 – Land O'Corn
#28 – Minute Man
#29 – Fast Mail
#30 – Lake Shore Limited
#31 – Comet

Named Trains: #23 – Acadian

#23 – Acadian

Railroad(s): Southern Pacific 

Operated: ?-1956 

Route(s): New Orleans – Houston

Following one A-titled train running glamorously through the Deep South is another. The most interesting thing about the Acadian name is it could have potentially been applied to two different regions: the Atlantic Maritimes and the Louisiana Delta area. The dual regions are the result of the ancestry of French Acadians, who settled first the Maritime region in what's now Eastern Canada and Maine, and another sect who traveled as far as Louisiana and ultimately became Cajuns. This ancestral identity makes for a distinctive, authentic brand for both areas, one that was ultimately incorporated by the Southern Pacific on overnight trains traveling through the Bayou between New Orleans and Houston.

#24 – Azalean
#25 – Mark Twain Zephyr
#26 – Little Bear
#27 – Land O'Corn
#28 – Minute Man
#29 – Fast Mail
#30 – Lake Shore Limited
#31 – Comet

Named Trains: #24 – Azalean

#24 – Azalean 

Railroad(s): Louisville & Nashville

Operated: ?

Route(s): Cincinnati – New Orleans

So far, our discussion of named trains has largely focused on trains with markers denoting a combination of speed, reliability and regional identity. And while the Louisville & Nashville's iconic Azalean was certainly not a slow rolling trip – it completed its 922-mile run in 25 hours and five minutes – its colorful brand points to a different set of attributes: refinement, wonder and charm, an ideal blend of elements for a route primarily traveling through the American South. Passing through a fair number of large cities – including both of its host railroad's namesakes – the Azalean was the L&N's signature north-south train and was billed as the finest way to journey in the deep South, known for outstanding customer service and top-notch amenities.

#25 – Mark Twain Zephyr
#26 – Little Bear
#27 – Land O'Corn
#28 – Minute Man
#29 – Fast Mail
#30 – Lake Shore Limited
#31 – Comet

Named Trains: #25 – Mark Twain Zephyr

#25 – Mark Twain Zephyr

Railroad(s): Chicago, Burlington & Quincy 

Operated: 1935 – 1960

Route(s): St. Louis – Burlington

Like the Comet and Land O'Corn trains previously described in this series, the CB&Q – more commonly known as The Burlington Route, which ultimately became the Burlington Northern, part of today's BNSF – deployed streamlined trainsets on the Mark Twain Zephyr, which offered faster, more reliable service. Named for the route's territory along the banks of the Mississippi River where one of the nation's most famous writers was born and raised, the Zephyr's short, regional service paired well with Twain's iconic characters and settings. The streamlined trainsets cruised through the roughly 215-mile corridor in about 2 1/2 hours, much quicker than local roadways can get you there even today. The Mark Twain Zephyr name faded with the retirement of the streamlined equipment and service was gradually cutback on the route as the railroad discontinued its passenger operations through the 1960s.

#26 – Little Bear
#27 – Land O'Corn
#28 – Minute Man
#29 – Fast Mail
#30 – Lake Shore Limited
#31 – Comet

Named Trains: #26 – Little Bear

#26 – Little Bear

Railroad(s): Ontario Northland

Operated: ? – 2007

Route(s): Cochrane – Moosonee, Ontario

In the 29th selection on this list – Fast Mail – we discussed the relative rarity of mixed passenger and freight trains. And while the not-long-since-departed Little Bear no longer shuttles people and goods on its remote route from Moosonee on the shores of the Hudson Bay to the plains outpost at Cochrane, this mixed train's designation playfully captured its unique dual-use nature and the rugged terrain through which it traveled. Operated by the quasi-public, provincially-owned Ontario Northland, the Little Bear hauled both freight and passengers three times a week during the winter months on the railroad's spur line from Moosonee to its mainline route at Cochrane, where passengers could connect to Northlander trains to points south, including North Bay and Toronto. In 2007, the Little Bear reached adulthood, when it became the Polar Bear Express, operating five days per week in the winter and six times each week during the summer, but no longer carrying freight on the same trips as passengers. Sadly, all passenger rail service on the railroad ended in the fall of 2012, but the Little Bear's legacy remains as perhaps the most ideally-named mixed train of all time.

#27 – Land O'Corn
#28 – Minute Man
#29 – Fast Mail
#30 – Lake Shore Limited
#31 – Comet

Named Trains: #27 – Land O'Corn

#27 – Land O'Corn

Railroad(s): Illinois Central

Operated: 1941 – 1967

Route(s): Chicago – Waterloo, Iowa

The Land O'Corn is a fantastic train name because it precisely describes the service's route while also evoking a strong sense of regional identity. Any causal observer would likely guess such a train would travel through the Midwest, probably through the cornfields of somewhere like Iowa or Nebraska. Such a guess would be correct. The Illinois Central – whose legacy of well-named trains will be documented later in this series – utilized streamlined, self-propelled Metrorailer trainsets on the line during its World War II and post-war tenure and completed the 275-mile trip in 5.5 hours. Amtrak later operated a different train over much of the same route known as the Black Hawk since the service was largely funded by Illinois, not Iowa. Currently, Illinois is working to return intercity passenger rail to the corridor, which is expected to begin in 2015. A name for the restored service has yet to be determined...

#28 – Minute Man
#29 – Fast Mail
#30 – Lake Shore Limited
#31 – Comet

Named Trains: #28 – Minute Man

#28 – Minute Man

Railroad(s): Boston & Maine; Amtrak

Operated: unspecified; 1972 – 1973; 1973 – 1995

Route(s): Boston – Troy (ME); Boston – Philadelphia; Boston – Washington

Another entry from New England, the Minute Man is a perfect reflection of the region's patriotic heritage as well as an embodiment of the train's speed and precision suggested by the moniker. During its Boston & Maine days, the Minute Man operated through the heart of the railroad's territory through Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, and the company's overall slogan was "the Route of the Minute Man." Near the end of the railroad's era, Minute Man Service was provided under contract to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) as a commuter rail operation between Boston and Concord, N.H. Currently, plans are moving forward to re-launch service on the route after the line was curtailed at Lowell, Mass., in the early 1980s.

Amtrak's use of the namesake corresponded with trains operating on its Northeast Corridor during the Metroliner era. Although Minute Man iconography is closely associated with New England in general and Massachusetts, in particular, Amtrak figured the colonial legacy of the Corridor states was enough to adapt the entire region.

#29 – Fast Mail
#30 – Lake Shore Limited
#31 – Comet

Named Trains: #29 – Fast Mail

#29 – Fast Mail

Railroad(s): Chicago & North Western; Great Northern; Milwaukee Road; 

Michigan Central; New York Central

Operated: various

Route(s): Cedar Rapids – Chicago; Seattle – Minneapolis; Chicago – Minneapolis; 

New York – Chicago; Chicago – Toledo; New York – Detroit

Generally, this list will chronicle named trains assigned to moving people. Except for this one. The allure of a named train assigned to move goods was too hard to resist. Moreover, the Community Transportation Association of America – which publishes RAIL Magazine – thinks enough of the Fast Mail moniker to use it as the title for its electronic newsletters that we couldn't help but include it. And, besides, express mail often was treated with the same regard as passengers during the height of the rail industry's national prominence. Five different railroads operated Fast Mail trains delivering express mail between terminals at great speed and reliability. Fast Mail runs were known to nearly always make their scheduled times due to the importance of their largest customer: the United States Postal Service. All of them traveled through the Midwest, with all but one serving Chicago, and some trains occasionally carried passengers. While Amtrak does still carry express mail and package shipments, it has never devoted stand-alone trains to express mail service and is even less likely to these days, with printed mail traffic dropping every year due to electronic communications.

Named Trains: #30 – Lake Shore Limited

#30 – Lake Shore Limited

Railroad(s): New York Central; Amtrak

Operated: 1897 – 1956; 1975 – present

Route(s): New York / Boston – Chicago

As the first named train in our series to be both employed by multiple railroads as well as still operating today, the Lake Shore Limited is a natural choice for our list for its blend of descriptive phraseology and historic import. As readers of this space and RAIL Magazine know, your blogger possesses an admitted bias for the legacy of the New York Central. Growing up in Buffalo, N.Y., remnants of the railroad's grandeur and prominence were omnipresent in Western New York, from the hulking remains of Buffalo Central Terminal (relevant RAIL Coverage: RAIL #21) to numerous overpasses and neighborhood stations still emblazoned with the company's signature ovular logo. As a result, I believe the Central to be the finest railroad that ever was anywhere in the world. No one will ever convince me otherwise. So there.

Accordingly, its first luxury named train must find a spot on this list. The Central designated the Lake Shore Limited as its fastest train along its mainline route between New York City and Chicago and took advantage of its shoreline-hugging rails along the Hudson River, Erie Canal and the Great Lakes – a direct challenge to its chief rival, the Pennsylvania Railroad. And befitting its Limited status, it only made select stops to winnow the schedule down to 18 hours. Today, Amtrak operates its version of the Lake Shore Limited largely along the same route as its predecessor, but has trouble making its longer 20-hour schedule with any regularity thanks to freight congestion along the line. Nonetheless, a trip along the same route as one of the world's first premier passenger trains is an opportunity not to be missed.

Named Trains: #31 – Comet

#31 – Comet

Railroad(s): New York, New Haven & Hartford 

Operated: 1935 – 1942

Route: Boston – Providence 

Yesterday, we introduced our Month of Named Trains throughout August and mentioned the Comet name as a versatile, yet intriguing choice for any passenger rail service. And, indeed, the moniker has served as a descriptor for railroads across North America since the dawn of the industry in the early 1800s. In this case, the New Haven's Comet is the only one that used the term as a stand-alone title for a train. The New Haven's Comet operated largely in commuter-oriented service between Boston and Providence utilizing custom-made, three-car streamlined trainsets that corresponded with their snazzy "44 miles in 44 minutes" marketing campaign. The sleek blue-and-white motif corresponded well with the Comet name, illustrating themes of speed, wonder and brilliance. Although the three-car trainsets ultimately proved too small for traffic demand during the World War II years, the New Haven's Comet is a stylish and welcome point to begin our monthlong tour of named trains.