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:
“Though the railroad and the telegraph have been established on the shores of Maine, the Indian still looks out from her interior mountains over all these to the sea.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)