Older locomotive name acronyms

[Taunton]

there have been some good ones in recent times. Black Douglas ...

Characters from Sir Walter Scott's historical novels have formed a series for several generations of steam, diesel and electric locos, because of their nice appealing sound. Meanwhile the wide interest in his Waverley and other novels has rather dropped away. The North British, based in Edinburgh, started it off with their "Scott" 4-4-0s, and as they got all the best names these have steadily been repeated. The North British didn't use Black Douglas, but they did have Black Duncan.

 

[Rescars]

Characters from Sir Walter Scott's historical novels have formed a series for several generations of steam, diesel and electric locos, because of their nice appealing sound. Meanwhile the wide interest in his Waverley and other novels has rather dropped away. The North British, based in Edinburgh, started it off with their "Scott" 4-4-0s, and as they got all the best names these have steadily been repeated. The North British didn't use Black Douglas, but they did have Black Duncan.

The novels may not be so popular, but we still have Waverley station, even if the eponymous route has yet to complete its comeback!

 

[Ashley Hill]

At least GWR had the sense to stick with tradition and name it’s class 255s after local castles. Unlike its IETs who are named after all sorts of random people.

 

[D6130]

At least GWR had the sense to stick with tradition and name it’s class 255s after local castles. Unlike its IETs who are named after all sorts of random people.

Is there an IET named "Ashley Hill" yet?

 

[D1537]

I have always thought a small plate of explanation would go well under some of the names, for example those after the Soham 1944 loco crew, describing their significance.

The original 47577 Benjamin Gimbert GC and 47579 James Nightall GC did indeed have a plate under the nameplate explaining why they were so honoured.

 

[Ashley Hill]

Is there an IET named "Ashley Hill" yet?

No but I am campaigning for some to be named after GWR locomotive engineers!

 

[norbitonflyer]

Rue the day if we see locos named after politicians:

We've already had three Prime Ministers:
Iron Duke (Wellington) at least three times - GWR Broad Guage, Britannia 70014 and electric 87017
David Lloyd George - diesels 47409 and 37428, and a Ffestiniog double Fairlie.
Winston Churchill - "Battle of Britain" 34051 and diesel 57002

Airey Neave MP, who was assassinated in 1979, had electric loco 86411 named after him in 1983

Of those, only 34051 was named after someone still alive. At the date of its naming in December 1946, Churchill was Leader of the Opposition, having lost the General Election earlier that year, although he would become PM again in 1951.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 26 Jun 2025 ==

Somer regimnental names are more evocative than others: Gordon Highlander, the Green Howards and Royal Scots Grey trip off the tongue the way The Prince of Wales Own Yorkshire Light Infantry doesn't

 

[Rescars]

Rue the day if we see locos named after politicians:
"For our ascent of Lickey, Angela Rayner is on the pull up front and Nigel Farage will shove us up rear".

As the last 4073 class was outshopped in 1950, the timing was such that Swindon never had the opportunity to give us "Barbara Castle"!

 

[Sun Chariot]

As the last 4073 class was outshopped in 1950, the timing was such that Swindon never had the opportunity to give us "Barbara Castle"!

Brilliant!
And imagine, if steam had lasted a decade or so longer, we might've seen a Western loco Stuart Hall.

 

[coppercapped]

Rumour has it that it was intended to name the penultimate and last 'modified Halls' Henry Hall[1] and That's Hall but the order was cut back...


...but, continuing the musical connection, that there was to be a Reading based '1000' to be called Western Elms Avenue.

[1] A bandleader from the 1920s to the 1960s m'lud.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

The original 47577 Benjamin Gimbert GC and 47579 James Nightall GC did indeed have a plate under the nameplate explaining why they were so honoured.

Driver John Axon GC even had a song about him as well as being on a Class 86.

 

[Ashley Hill]

As the last 4073 class was outshopped in 1950, the timing was such that Swindon never had the opportunity to give us "Barbara Castle"!

Although we did get a “Roy Castle” some years later.
GWR Star class 4014 Knight of the Bath I believe was often referred to as Friday Night.

 

[D6130]

No but I am campaigning for some to be named after GWR locomotive engineers!

I suspect that some of them might be turning in their graves if they knew that they were being associated with those units!

 

[Strathclyder]

The novels may not be so popular, but we still have Waverley station, even if the eponymous route has yet to complete its comeback!

And the PS Waverley. So named after the 1899 steamer lost at Dunkirk. It's a common misconception that the current Waverley was built to replace the one lost in action but she wasn't. The 1899 vessel had been withdrawn in 1938 as her owners had intended to downsize their fleet and she wasn't intended to have a replacement. Of course, the war had changed things signifcantly and the current vessel was built to replace another - the Marmion - that had also been sunk in the war and the aging Lucy Ashton, dating from 1888.

Which of course if memory serves me correctly was on a Class 87 too.

Indeed it was, 87030 to be precise.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 26 Jun 2025 ==

At least GWR had the sense to stick with tradition and name it’s class 255s after local castles. Unlike its IETs who are named after all sorts of random people.

This sort of thing would sit with me a quite a lot better if they had cast plates rather than mere vinyls. It would break with tradition yes, but I find a cast plate carries a lot more weight and dignity imho.

The unit named after Rick Rescorla - a honest-to-god Cornwall-born hero and one of the brightest beacons of humanity on 9/11, his story is well worth reading up on - and the RNLB Solomon Browne (802008) at the very least deserved as much.

 

[xotGD]

LNER should bring back the racehorse naming theme. As the Azuma fleet is based in Doncaster, naming them all after past winners of the St Ledger would be appropriate.

Sort of related, there is a street near us called Tulyar Court. Either the developer was a racing fan or a Deltic basher!

 

[Trackman]

Sort of related, there is a street near us called Tulyar Court. Either the developer was a racing fan or a Deltic basher!

I know of a 40 basher who bought a house on Saxonia road in Liverpool. Nearby roads are named after 40's too, ... well you know what I mean!
This could be a start of new thread....

 

[simonw]

We've already had three Prime Ministers:
Iron Duke (Wellington) at least three times - GWR Broad Guage, Britannia 70014 and electric 87017
David Lloyd George - diesels 47409 and 37428, and a Ffestiniog double Fairlie.
Winston Churchill - "Battle of Britain" 34051 and diesel 57002

Airey Neave MP, who was assassinated in 1979, had electric loco 86411 named after him in 1983

Of those, only 34051 was named after someone still alive. At the date of its naming in December 1946, Churchill was Leader of the Opposition, having lost the General Election earlier that year, although he would become PM again in 1951.

A pedant writes, Churchill lost the election in 1945.

 

[Helvellyn]

We've already had three Prime Ministers:
Iron Duke (Wellington) at least three times - GWR Broad Guage, Britannia 70014 and electric 87017
David Lloyd George - diesels 47409 and 37428, and a Ffestiniog double Fairlie.
Winston Churchill - "Battle of Britain" 34051 and diesel 57002

Airey Neave MP, who was assassinated in 1979, had electric loco 86411 named after him in 1983

Of those, only 34051 was named after someone still alive. At the date of its naming in December 1946, Churchill was Leader of the Opposition, having lost the General Election earlier that year, although he would become PM again in 1951.

Winston Churchill was also honoured by 87019.

The Duke of Wellington (aka the Iron Duke) was honoured by his nickname on 87017 but by his actual title on 86230 - both locos being in service on the West Coast at the same time whilst named.

Harold Macmillan was also honoured by a Class 86, 86232.