The Naming of Trains

[railiner]

The Amtrak version of the National Limited did not use any of the original B&O National Limited rails.

It also was nothing like the original National Limited route, Amtrak's being a KC-NY train.

Until it was cut back to Washington, the B&O National Limited ran from New York (Jersey City), Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, to St. Louis

Amtrak's National Limited ran from New York, Philadelphia, with a section from Washington and Baltimore; to St. Louis, (and on to Kansas City).

Perhaps Amtrak should more properly have used the PRR "Spirit of St. Louis" name, but instead decided to use the National Limited name since it did extend to Kansas City, and for a while, had the thru Los Angeles sleeper.

 

[jis]

Amtrak did get rid of names for all the Northeast Corridor trains though, and replaced them first with Northeast Direct, then Acela Regional, and finally Northeast Regional.

 

[cpotisch]

Amtrak did get rid of names for all the Northeast Corridor trains though, and replaced them first with Northeast Direct, then Acela Regional, and finally Northeast Regional.

And Acela Commuter.

 

[jis]

AFAIK no train ever ran with the Acela Commuter name. It was a completely still born idea. The intention was to rename the Clockers. Instead they were transferred to NJT and became its outer zone Express to Trenton dropping Philly altogether from their route.

OTOH trains named Acela Regional actually ran, even with some weird Acela-like livery applied to Amfleets for a while.

 

[cpotisch]

AFAIK no train ever ran with the Acela Commuter name. It was a completely still born idea. The intention was to rename the Clockers. Instead they were transferred to NJT and became its outer zone Express to Trenton dropping Philly altogether from their route.

From what I've seen, they very briefly used the Acela Commuter name.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clocker_(train)#Naming

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,872807

...even with some weird Acela-like livery applied to Amfleets for a while.

Yup. That was one horrible color scheme.

 

[daybeers]

...even with some weird Acela-like livery applied to Amfleets for a while.

Yup. That was one horrible color scheme.

~shudders~

 

[railiner]

How about trains that were not officially named anything, other than their number's, until Amtrak took over their operation...

When Amtrak took over operation of the two Chicago-Valparaiso commuter trains from Conrail, they named one pair The Calumet, and the other The Indiana Connection...

 

[jis]

AFAIK no train ever ran with the Acela Commuter name. It was a completely still born idea. The intention was to rename the Clockers. Instead they were transferred to NJT and became its outer zone Express to Trenton dropping Philly altogether from their route.

From what I've seen, they very briefly used the Acela Commuter name.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clocker_(train)#Naming

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?4,8728

The name "Acela Commuter" never appeared in any Amtrak timetable. So no train actually operated with that name.

Yes it was planned, but it never happened. Never appeared in a timetable AFAIK. I would be happy to be corrected if someone can find a published Amtrak timetable that referred to a Clocker as anything but a Clocker.

And by 2004 even the "Acela" moniker was dropped from the Regionals, and they were simply called Regional, as Barb's marketing faded away.

 

[Seaboard92]

The Illinois Zephyr is also an Amtrak derived name. To my best knowledge the Burlington never had an Illinois Zephyr. The train itself runs on the route of the former American Royal Zephyr (Chicago-Kansas City).

 

[DCAKen]

Don't forget the Downeaster

 

[cpotisch]

Don't forget the Downeaster

Yeah, why is it called the Downeaster? I haven't been able to find anything about what "Downeaster" or "downeast" possibly means or gets its root from.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Don't forget the Downeaster

Yeah, why is it called the Downeaster? I haven't been able to find anything about what "Downeaster" or "downeast" possibly means or gets its root from.

Obviously you’re not from Maine. [emoji6]
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_East

 

[cpotisch]

Don't forget the Downeaster

Yeah, why is it called the Downeaster? I haven't been able to find anything about what "Downeaster" or "downeast" possibly means or gets its root from.

Obviously you’re not from Maine. [emoji6]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Down_East

Thanks. I would have sworn I checked Wikipedia and couldn’t find anything. I guess not.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

You would have had to look it up using two words (down east) and not one (downeast). I tried it both ways and added "Wikipedia," and it only came up when the two words were used.

 

[cpotisch]

You would have had to look it up using two words (down east) and not one (downeast). I tried it both ways and added "Wikipedia," and it only came up when the two words were used.

Not from what I'm seeing now. I'm using Google, and if you search for "down east" or "downeast", in both cases that Wikipedia page comes up. So IDK.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

Okay--glad it worked both ways this time!

 

[railiner]

Another name that Amtrak coined, is the Ethan Allen....I don't recall any previous train with that name serving Vermont....

Then there are the Missouri River Runner's, and the former St. Louis Mule or Kansas City Mule....again, I don't recall those names used previously.

There are probably a lot more of those examples....

 

[Steve4031]

Lincoln service is new. Maybe a derivation of the old gm&o Abraham Lincoln train.

 

[Pere Flyer]

Kansas City Mule and Saint Louis Mule…sound like mixed drinks I’d pay too much for at a “local” Applebee’s [emoji57]

 

[Bob Dylan]

Not certain but wasnt " The Three Rivers" and "The Lake Cities" names that were exclusive to Amtrak?

 

[railiner]

The Lake Cities was the last Erie-Lackawanna, Hoboken to Chicago train, that ended a year prior to Amtrak. It did not operate over the Amtrak Toledo-Detroit-Chicago route.

The Three Rivers was unique to Amtrak, AFAIK, although there seems to be a tourist "Three Rivers Rambler"... but I think it came after... http://www.threeriversrambler.com/