Truncated Route Names

[ScottC4746]

I was just thinking this morning, how, when, and why do travellers truncate route names. When and why and how did it all start with The Chief, The Sunset, The Eagle, etc etc you get the point?

 

[Trogdor]

Just with many other things in the English language (and, I imagine, other languages as well), shorter names are easier to say/write than longer names are.

Fewer syllables, fewer letters.

It's why we call it a TV instead of a television.

 

[MrFSS]

It's why we call it a TV instead of a television.

and, AU instead of Amtrak Unlimited.

 

[the_traveler]

And highways. When driving on I-87 from new York City to Albany and I-90 from Albany to Buffalo and the Pennsylvania border, do you say that you're on "The New York State Thomas E Dewey Thruway"?

I bet you say you're taking the "Thruway"!

And when flying

, do you say you're flying into "The Baltimore-Washington Thurgood G(?) Marshall International Airport", or do you say that your flight goes to "BWI"

 

[fairviewroad]

Some people say "The Zephyr" and mean the California Zephyr, but there are of course two Zephyr trains in the Amtrak timetable...so you

run the risk of being less than accurate when you shorten a name. For instance, you might say that "The Zephyr has some great mountain

scenery" but someone else might respond "Well, I didn't see any bloody mountains when I rode the Zephyr between Chicago and Quincy!"

But by and large I don't think this is a very complicated issue. We like to shorten names because it's easier and much of the time, just as

clear what we mean (depending on your audience, of course.)

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

And highways. When driving on I-87 from new York City to Albany and I-90 from Albany to Buffalo and the Pennsylvania border, do you say that you're on "The New York State Thomas E Dewey Thruway"?

I bet you say you're taking the "Thruway"!

Or when you are taking NY17, you say you're taking the "Quickway". :wub:

And when flying

, do you say you're flying into "The Baltimore-Washington Thurgood G(?) Marshall International Airport", or do you say that your flight goes to "BWI"

Of when you are flying into the "Lehigh Valley International Airport", or simply "ABE". :giggle:

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

I was just thinking this morning, how, when, and why do travellers truncate route names. When and why and how did it all start with The Chief, The Sunset, The Eagle, etc etc you get the point?

Well, there was actually an ATSF train called the Chief which is different from Amtrak's Southwest Chief, so I don't think somebody should call the SWC as such. The Sunset was the old name of the Sunset Limited and the Eagle was for a short period the name of the Texas Eagle, so all that makes sense.

 

[Tracktwentynine]

And when flying

, do you say you're flying into "The Baltimore-Washington Thurgood G(?) Marshall International Airport", or do you say that your flight goes to "BWI"

It's actually, the "Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport." And the Amtrak station there is the "Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Rail Station".

Note, that "International" is not next to "Airport" as it is in most airports (John F. Kennedy International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, etc). Because the airport is known as "BWI", the Maryland Aviation Administration wanted to keep "Baltimore", "Washington", and "International" as consecutive words, so they inserted "Thurgood Marshall" between "International" and "Airport".

Anyway, I personally like to call the airport "Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Mouthfull Airport".

 

[Tracktwentynine]

Well, there was actually an ATSF train called the Chief which is different from Amtrak's Southwest Chief, so I don't think somebody should call the SWC as such. The Sunset was the old name of the Sunset Limited and the Eagle was for a short period the name of the Texas Eagle, so all that makes sense.

The Southwest Chief is the descendant of the Super Chief, not just the "Chief".

EDIT:

But the Chief was the predessor of the Super Chief. Re-reading your comment, I understand what you mean, but I don't think calling Southwest Chief simply the "Chief" is confusing or insulting to the Chief.

 

[jphjaxfl]

Amtrak's Southwest Chief is a decendent of the Super Chief and El Capitain which were combined except in peak seasons immediately before Amtrak. The Chief was a two day /one night train which was discontinued in 1968. Amtrak did run a summer only train on the Chief 's schedule in the summer of 1971you from Chicago to Los Angeles.

 

[PRR 60]

Amtrak's Southwest Chief is a decendent of the Super Chief and El Capitain which were combined except in peak seasons immediately before Amtrak. The Chief was a two day /one night train which was discontinued in 1968. Amtrak did run a summer only train on the Chief 's schedule in the summer of 1971you from Chicago to Los Angeles.

Originally, ran the "Super Chief", which was the Amtrak version of the El Capitan and the Super Chief. The Santa Fe still held the rights to that name and forced Amtrak to change the name due to what the Santa Fe felt was substandard service. Amtrak then called the train the "Southwest Limited." After several years, a compromise was reached and Amtrak changed the name to "Southwest Chief."

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

In addition to the chiefs already listed there was the San Francisco Chief,the Texas Chief, Kansas City Chief,etc

There were several zephyrs, several eagles, several rockets from the Rock Island Line.

We had to be more careful with such in the past, no bother today.

 

[Big Iron]

Some people say "The Zephyr" and mean the California Zephyr, but there are of course two Zephyr trains in the Amtrak timetable...so you

run the risk of being less than accurate when you shorten a name. For instance, you might say that "The Zephyr has some great mountain

scenery" but someone else might respond "Well, I didn't see any bloody mountains when I rode the Zephyr between Chicago and Quincy!"

But by and large I don't think this is a very complicated issue. We like to shorten names because it's easier and much of the time, just as

clear what we mean (depending on your audience, of course.)

Sure there is mountain scenery on the Illinois Zephyr, they are called slag heaps. Keep a keen eye out around Princeton!! :giggle:

 

[Bill Haithcoat]

Keep in mind these are not really route names, they are train names. It just seems like route names since most LD routes only have one train. In the past there were often several trains on the same route.