The initials used to identify railroad and railway lines have often been used for humorous, disparaging or slanderous names. In a related category, portmanteaus, such as Amtrak, have also been lampooned.
- This transport-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
| Railroad | Locale | Common abbreviation(s) | Nickname(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amtrak | United States | AMTK | Amcrash Amtrash Slamtrak Ramtrak |
| Baltimore and Ohio Railroad | Eastern and midwestern United States | B&O | Beefsteak and Onions
Best and Only Beets and Onions Body Oder |
| BNSF Railway | Western United States | BNSF | Buy Now, Sell Fast Bye Now, Santa Fe Big New Santa Fe Been Nothing Since Frisco Buy Norfolk Southern First Better Not Send Freight |
| Boston and Maine Railroad | Northeastern United States | B&M | Busted and Mangled |
| Buffalo and South Western Railroad | Northeast United States | B&SW | Brandy and Soda Water |
| Burlington Northern Railroad | Northern United States | BN | Big Nothing |
| Chicago and North Western Railway | Midwest United States | C&NW | Cheap and Nothing Wasted Can't and Never Will |
| Chicago Great Western Railroad | Midwest United States | CGW | Great Weedy |
| Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad | Ohio | CH&D | Charge High and Damn Rough Ride |
| Copper River and Northwestern Railway | Alaska, United States | CR&NW | Can't Run and Never Will |
| CSX Transportation | Eastern United States | CSX CSXT |
Chicken Shit eXpress Conrail's Southern Xtension Crash Spill eXplode Chessie's Still Xperimenting |
| Delaware and Hudson Railway | New York, Pennsylvania | D&H | Delay and Hesitate |
| Delaware, Lackawanna and Western | Hoboken to Buffalo | DL&W | Delay, Linger and Wait |
| Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway | Midwestern United States | EJ&E | Egypt, Jerusalem & Elsewhere Easy Jobs for Everyone |
| Erie Lackawanna Railway | Eastern United States | EL | Erie Lack-o-Money |
| Gateway Western Railway | Missouri and Illinois | GWWR | Great Wobbly Wobbly |
| Green Bay and Western Railroad | Wisconsin | GB&W | Grab Bags and Walk |
| Guilford Rail System | Northeastern United States | GRS | Guilford Fail System The Big G |
| Halifax and Southwestern Railway | Southern Nova Scotia | H&SW | Hellish, Slow and Wobbly |
| Hoosac Tunnel and Wilmington Railroad | Northeastern United States | HT&W | Hoot Toot and Whistle |
| Kansas City Southern Railroad | Midwestern and Southern United States | KCS | The Haywire |
| Kingston and Pembroke Railway | Eastern Ontario | K&P | Kick and Push |
| London and Port Stanley Railway | Ontario, Canada | L&PS | Liver and Pork Steak |
| Louisville and Nashville Railroad | Southern United States | L&N | Long and Narrow The Old Reliable |
| Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority | New England | MBTA | Mucho Bad Transit Attitude |
| Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway | Midwest | M&StL | Misery and Short Life |
| Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad | Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas | MKT | the Katy |
| Missouri Pacific Railroad | Western United States | MP | The Mop MoPac |
| Montana Rail Link | Western United States | MRL | Milwaukee Road Lives Monkeys Running Loose |
| Norfolk Southern Railway | Eastern United States | NS | Nazi Southern New Southern Nomore Steam No Service |
| New York, Ontario and Western Railway | New England, United States | O&W | Old and Weary the Old Woman |
| New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway | Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York | NYS&W | Now You Sit and Wait The Susie Q |
| Pacific Great Eastern Railway | British Columbia | PGE | Prince George Eventually Please Go Easy Province's Greatest Expense Past God's Endurance |
| Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad | Midwestern United States | PFW&C | Paddy Finnigan's Wife and Children |
| Pontiac Pacific Junction Railway | Quebec, Canada | PP&J | Push, Pull and Jerk |
| Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac | Virginia, United States | RF&P | Rich Folks and Pedigrees Run Fast and Push |
| St. Louis-San Francisco Railway | Midwestern and Southern United States | SLSF | The Frisco |
| Seaboard System Railroad | Eastern United States | SBD | Slowly Breaking Down |
| Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority | Eastern United States | SEPTA | Society for the Elimination of Public Transit Altogether |
| Southern Pacific Railroad | Southwest United States | SP | The Friendly Southern Pacific Espee Suffering Pathetic |
| Southern Pacific Santa Fe Railroad | Southwest United States (proposed) | SPSF | Shouldn't Paint So Fast |
| Staten Island Rapid Transit | Eastern United States | SIRT | Shall I Run Today? |
| Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway | Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada | TH&B | Tramps, Hobos & Bums To Hell & Back |
| Union Pacific Railroad | Western United States | UP | Under Powered Unlimited Parking Uncle Pete Union Pathetic Utterly Pathetic Onion Pacific |
| Western Pacific Railroad | Western United States | WP | (The) Wobbly |
| White Pass and Yukon Route | Alaska, Yukon and British Columbia | WP&YR | Wait Patiently, and You'll Ride |
Famous quotes containing the word railroad:
“This I saw when waking late,
Going by at a railroad rate,
Looking through wreaths of engine smoke
Far into the lives of other folk.”
—Robert Frost (1874–1963)