Longest time a loco or unit has carried a name

61653 HTAFC · 10 Oct 2019

I'd be more intrigued to hear the shortest-lived name in history... I trust there were no plans to name anything after a notorious deceased Leodsian celebrity enthusiast, but had there been I'm pretty sure that name wouldn't be in use now!

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Spartacus · 10 Oct 2019

61653 HTAFC said:
I'd be more intrigued to hear the shortest-lived name in history... I trust there were no plans to name anything after a notorious deceased Leodsian celebrity enthusiast, but had there been I'm pretty sure that name wouldn't be in use now!

Some A4s had remarkably short lived names, Great Snipe and Woodcock were both renamed just a month after entering traffic.

Going a step further W1 10000 had plates cast to become British Enterprise, but they were never fitted.

TheEdge · 10 Oct 2019

A slight aside.

When did sponsored/corporate names start coming into use? I mean things like how one of the GA 90s is named "Eastern Daily Press"

Were these solely after privatisation or did BR do it? Did anyone Big 4 or older do it?

Cowley · 10 Oct 2019

TheEdge said:
A slight aside.

When did sponsored/corporate names start coming into use? I mean things like how one of the GA 90s is named "Eastern Daily Press"

Were these solely after privatisation or did BR do it? Did anyone Big 4 or older do it?

There were definitely locos named in similar fashion in BR days.
Just flicking through a 1990 Platform 5 book we had:

31201 Fina Energy
37358 P & O Containers
47231 Silcock Express
47283 Johnnie Walker
47573 The London Standard
73101 Brighton Evening Argus
86250 The Glasgow Herald
86251 The Birmingham Post
etc etc.
I remember there being a fair degree of complaining about some of these names back then too come to think of it.

xotGD · 10 Oct 2019

Cowley said:
There were definitely locos named in similar fashion in BR days.
Just flicking through a 1990 Platform 5 book we had:

31201 Fina Energy
37358 P & O Containers
47231 Silcock Express
47283 Johnnie Walker
47573 The London Standard
73101 Brighton Evening Argus
86250 The Glasgow Herald
86251 The Birmingham Post
etc etc.
I remember there being a fair degree of complaining about some of these names back then too come to think of it.

I never realised that 47379 "Total Energy" was named after the oil company, rather than just meaning all of the energy added together.

Cowley · 10 Oct 2019

xotGD said:
I never realised that 47379 "Total Energy" was named after the oil company, rather than just meaning all of the energy added together.

Maybe it was.
They wouldn’t have had to name any others after oil companies then. Job done!
They could have named 86201 “Newspapers”...

Willr2094 · 11 Oct 2019

TheEdge said:
Steam locos must have kept their names for a fairly long time compared to modern stuff, just a few preserved examples.

Lode Star: 44 years (1907 - 1951)
Flying Scotsman: 40 years (1923 - 1963)
Pendennis Castle: 40 years (1924 - 1964)

These all seem to be a fairly normal length of time.

Flying Scotsman only carried its name in normal service for 39 years, as no name was allocated during its build in 1922/23 and it ran for its first year in service simply as 1472 - it only received the Flying Scotsman name when it was selected for display at the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley in 1924.

Though generally most steam locomotive names were allocated to locomotives at build, which were carried through to the end of the locomotive's working life.

Nick Ashwell · 11 Oct 2019

Ianigsy said:
I never quite understood why the WCML electrics had an 86 named Duke of Wellington and an 87 named Iron Duke as well.

The Royal Navy have used both, they previously had HMS Wellington (now HQS (the HQ of a Livery Company these days IIRC) and HMS Iron Duke. I'd assume (dangerous I know) that being different names it's seen as two different lineages for the locos/ships

AlistairCowell · 11 Oct 2019

43100 is named Craigentinny between 1984 and 1991 and again in 2006 when it became 43300.

keith1879 · 11 Oct 2019

keith1879 said:
I suggest "Glenfinnan" (North British Railway D34 class) may take some beating....I think it lasted in service from 1913 to 1960. The former NB locos always kept their names as far as I know.....unusually they were painted on rather than having plates.

I've found one to beat this. "Ben Alder" was built by the Highland Railway in 1898 and withdrawn by British Railways in 1953....it managed about 54 and a half years in service on the main line railway (albeit confined to a fairly limited geographical area) while carrying the same name. (Sadly it missed preservation even though it was stored until well into the 60s). If anyone can find a steam (or any) loco to beat this I will be very impressed.

Taunton · 11 Oct 2019

ExRes said:
City of Truro was another one with a big gap carrying three other names between 10/88 and 4/16

The REAL City of Truro ran from 1903 to 1961, 58 years.

Bovverboy · 11 Oct 2019

Taunton said:
The REAL City of Truro ran from 1903 to 1961, 58 years.

Sorry to disappoint you, but the GWR 4-4-0 'City of Truro' was preserved from 1931 to 1957, mainly at York. Only then was it returned to service, being available for specials, but also doing a daily run Didcot to Southampton and back.

Rob F · 11 Oct 2019

TheEdge said:
A slight aside.

When did sponsored/corporate names start coming into use? I mean things like how one of the GA 90s is named "Eastern Daily Press"

Were these solely after privatisation or did BR do it? Did anyone Big 4 or older do it?

SR Merchant Navy class?

Bovverboy · 11 Oct 2019

This is what the OP said.

The Prisoner said:
Was there a steam loco that went longer with the same name?

I think the parameter here needs to be operational time on the network, so discounting steam which may have carried the same name for 70-80 years.

He specifically mentioned steam, then for a reason I don't quite follow, he wanted to discount it.

Anyway, LSWR B4 No. 89, built 1891/2 and named 'Trouville', ultimately became BR 30089 and lasted until 1963. I don't know at what point the name was added, though, I suspect it wasn't from new.

TheEdge · 11 Oct 2019

Rob F said:
SR Merchant Navy class?

Wasn't that more part of Bulleid's PR campaign to prove these quite obviously express passenger locomotives were most definitely mixed traffic locos and good for the war effort?

pdeaves · 11 Oct 2019

Bovverboy said:
He specifically mentioned steam, then for a reason I don't quite follow, he wanted to discount it.

I suspect the original post meant "so discounting locos in preservation".

Taunton · 11 Oct 2019

TheEdge said:
A slight aside.

When did sponsored/corporate names start coming into use? I mean things like how one of the GA 90s is named "Eastern Daily Press"

Were these solely after privatisation or did BR do it? Did anyone Big 4 or older do it?

The GWR in the 1930s named a Castle "Lloyds" and renumbered it 100A1, an expression from Lloyds Insurance in London, which means best risk for insurance. The chairman of Lloyds unveiled it. The loco number (onetime 4009) was changed to the oddball 100A1, and machined parts for it, which the GWR stamped with the loco numbers, were done as 100A1 as well.

https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/gwr/gwrls154.htm

Neptune · 12 Oct 2019

61653 HTAFC said:
I'd be more intrigued to hear the shortest-lived name in history... I trust there were no plans to name anything after a notorious deceased Leodsian celebrity enthusiast, but had there been I'm pretty sure that name wouldn't be in use now!

43108 ‘BBC Television Railwatch’ in 1989. Was supposed to only have the name for a week during the programme but I think it lasted another week or so after that. Still very short and fortunately saw it at Leeds after its first trip on the day of its naming.

The Prisoner · 13 Oct 2019

Bovverboy said:
This is what the OP said.

He specifically mentioned steam, then for a reason I don't quite follow, he wanted to discount it.

Anyway, LSWR B4 No. 89, built 1891/2 and named 'Trouville', ultimately became BR 30089 and lasted until 1963. I don't know at what point the name was added, though, I suspect it wasn't from new.

It was, as another poster suggested, to make sure the time the loco carried the name in preservation wasn't counted.

berwicksfinest · 13 Oct 2019

Got to be a contender for shortest name 58010 was named Audrey Newton (Newton Replicas) for 24 hours !!

43096 · 13 Oct 2019

berwicksfinest said:
Got to be a contender for shortest name 58010 was named Audrey Newton (Newton Replicas) for 24 hours !!

43064 “125 Group” and 43081 “Midland Valenta” only carried their names for just over 24 hours - and operated in service during that time.

keith1879 · 4 Dec 2019

The Prisoner said:
Longest class 47 I can find is D1661/47077/47613/47840 which carried North Star from 1965 until preservation in 2007 (42 years). Still carries it.

Answering the Thor/City of Truro point above the op does state the same loco has to carry - so transferring around doesn't count. Class47.co.uk is good for tracking what names were carried when and by which loco.

Answering the names moved around point the likes of City of London/Glasgow/Manchester etc must all have been carried by three + units/locos (LMS, Class 86/87, Pendolino) - must be a few examples?

Benbow, Vanguard, Hercules and Monarch were carried by class 42 Warships and Class 50s, Ramillies, Royal Oak, Temeraire, Tiger, Triumph were carried by class 43 Warships and 50s, whilst Superb was carried by class 43 warship D849, 50002 and now 68025.

Class 68s and 50s share the names Fearless, Achilles and Courageous.

Titan has been carried by D1665/47080/47612, 68009, an Irish Railways Midland Great Western Rlwy 0-6-0 No.133 Later Gt Sthn Rlwy No.587, LNWR 4-4-0 'Precursor' class No.7 Renumbered LMS No.5276, LNWR 2-2-2-0 Webb Dreadnought No.508 & GWR 4-4-0 Bulldog class No. 3336 (info from the Class 47 site linked above!)

"City of London" has been carried by 7 locos/MUs at least; an LNWR Experiment 4-6-0, a GCR 4-6-0(LNER B2), an LNER B17, an LMS Coronation pacific, a GWR 4-4-0 (similar to City of Truro) a class 87 and a Pendolino. I have to concede that Titan beats this by 1....but on the other hand Titan has shifted around between engines of the same class which feels like a bit of a cheat

d9009alycidon · 4 Dec 2019

Spartacus said:
Some A4s had remarkably short lived names, Great Snipe and Woodcock were both renamed just a month after entering traffic.

Going a step further W1 10000 had plates cast to become British Enterprise, but they were never fitted.

How about D6703 which was named 1st East Anglian Regiment and the nameplates were fitted but never unveiled

Longest time a loco or unit has carried a name

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