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.

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.