Train Nicknames...

[Juniper Driver]

I think a lot of these names were meant affectionally or perhaps not.

I remember when the 442's where nicknamed pigs it didn't go down too well but they had a lot of teething troubles when they were first introduced.

Now where have I heard that before?

The 458's and perhaps a lot of other classes.

Surprisingly I have found the desiro's not too bad.Hopefully they keep it up.

 

[Kneedown]

, bet you see the 43 cab as heaven on rails

Oh it's utter bliss mate! I'm gutted the summer workings are over and that's it till next year. Can honestly say i've not enjoyed being at work as much for a long time, and the other lads say the same.
Maybe they'll let us loose on em down to London now the dispute's been all sorted!

 

[37401]

Oh it's utter bliss mate! I'm gutted the summer workings are over and that's it till next year. Can honestly say i've not enjoyed being at work as much for a long time, and the other lads say the same.
Maybe they'll let us loose on em down to London now the dispute's been all sorted!

I hope so for you pal

 

[Kneedown]

I hope so for you pal

Although it was a pain after Boston, what with the blanket 30mph restriction, plus a couple of 5mph's, it's nice hearing a Vee-Pee/Valenta behind you instead of screaming babies and chav's running riot!

 

[Old Timer]

In the 60s, and 70s most locos were known by their manufacturers names and power classification. Named locomotives generally were nicknamed after the naming series, for example Warships, Westerns, etc

The class 40s were probably unique in not being known other than by their manufacturer/type, although I hear them referred to once or twice as Ocean Liners, but never since then.

It is a shame that modern names are generally very poor in comparison, and mostly stupid.

Here is the list of what I have known them called as. Most of these are from the 60s and 70s

01: Barclay
02: Yorkshire
03: Flower Pot
04: Drewery
05: Hunslett
06:Barclay
07:Ruston
08: Jocko / shunter
13: Master and Slave
14: Teddy Bear
15:BTH Type 1
16: North British Type 1
17: Clayton
20: Type 1 / English Electric Type 1 / Chopper
21: North British Type 2
22: Baby Warship
23: Baby Deltic
24: Type 2 / Bo Bo.
25: Type 2 / Sulzer Type 2 / Bo Bo
26 & 27: Birmingham / Type 2 Birmingham
28: Metro-Vick / Co Bo
29: North British Type 2
31: A1A / Brush 2 [D5500 – D5519 (31001 to 31020) Toffee Apple / Skinhead]
33: Type 3 Birmingham / Crompton
35: Hymek
37: Type 3.
40: English Electric / English Electric Type 4 / Whistler
42: North British
43: Warship
44: Peak
45: Peak / Crompton Parkinson
46: Peak
47: Type 4 / Brush 4 / Four & Half / Sulzer
50: English Electric Type 5 / Hoover
52: D1000 / Western / WR Hydraulic
55: Deltic / Type 5
56: Christmas Tree
76: EM1 / Tommy
77: EM2 / Tommy (although technically only 76s were Tommies)
81-85: Early electrics / Roarers
86: AL6
87: Electric Scot

AC EMUs known originally as AM1 to AM10

SR EMUs known originally by various names such as BEP/BIG/2BIL/CEP/CIG/4COR/EPB/HAL/HAP/SUB/REP/VEP/4TC

DMUs generically known as "Bog Units", individually by their makers names, eg, Cravens, MetCam, Pressed Steel. Some were known by their build type, such as Light Weights, or by their service use, eg, Cross Country / Trans Pennine.

Single sets (Class 121) were known from early on as "Bubble Cars", after the small car of that name.

 

[bluebottle]

Sheds, Freds and Bluebirds I've heard of but I did hear once of Freightliner's 66s being known as Greenhouses. Anyone else heard that?

 

[43050]

yeah bluebottle, ive heard that name just the once but wasnt sure of what class it was refering to.

 

[43021HST]

I call the 450 Desiro Undesirobles for the obvious reason.

 

[MCR247]

Which is?

I quite likie desiros

 

[Juniper Driver]

450's I've heard of another name for desiro's but I can't for the life of me remember what it was.Will get back on that one.

Also heard the 450's called Roberts. (Robert De Niro=Desiro) (by Fratton Drivers)

444's Arkwright's.

I think they may have been called V2's because when they get to London the whining stops.(Desiro's)

 

[Pumbaa]

Desiros - Disasteros.

 

[starrymarkb]

A lot of the modern names are the manufactuers name rather then a nick name. And being pan-euro products names are generally just random meaningless names. Much like cars (ie Vetra, Matiz, Mondeo). Also being pan-euro the names have to be pronoucable (eg Thalys - means nothing but is pronouncable in German, Dutch and French - important if you are operating in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany)

So Desiro is the family name for Siemens regional units, with subfamilies for UK, Classic (Eurodesiro) & Mainline. Similarly Coradia is the family of Alstom units (both in the UK and Europe) and FLIRT (Fast Light Innovative Regional Train) is a family of Stadler units.

 

[krus_aragon]

Desiros - Disasteros.

Why did I read that as domestos? :/

 

[O L Leigh]

450's I've heard of another name for desiro's but I can't for the life of me remember what it was.Will get back on that one.

I think they may have been called V2's because when they get to London the whining stops.(Desiro's)

Along similar lines, I've heard GE's Cl360 Desiros called "Doodlebugs" and "U-Boats" before. The former is because they were built in Germany, were sent to London in large numbers and when you hear the motors cut out you know you're in trouble, while the latter is again due to their German origin and the habit of sinking without trace while in-service.

I've also heard of Desiros being called "Jimmy Saville's" while Cl323's have been called "Frankie Howerd's", both on the basis of the noise the traction equipment makes.

O L Leigh

 

[Daimler]

Along similar lines, I've heard GE's Cl360 Desiros called "Doodlebugs" and "U-Boats" before. The former is because they were built in Germany, were sent to London in large numbers and when you hear the motors cut out you know you're in trouble, while the latter is again due to their German origin and the habit of sinking without trace while in-service.

O L Leigh

I rather like 'doodlebugs' - seems to suit the sound they make!

 

[O L Leigh]

It's certainly my nickname of choice.

O L Leigh

 

[Pumbaa]

As is mine! I reserve the Disasteros though for SWT 450s.

 

[Kneedown]

Thinking back to my secondman days, i seem to remember Derby men referring to 31's as "Mirlees" for some reason.
45's were known as "Cromptons" and 47's as "Four and a half's"
Had a few turns on the departmental class 24 as well (97201 "Experiment") that was known as the fruit machine on account of the fault lights on the desk looking like a one armed bandit.

 

[Juniper Driver]

Along similar lines, I've heard GE's Cl360 Desiros called "Doodlebugs" and "U-Boats" before. The former is because they were built in Germany, were sent to London in large numbers and when you hear the motors cut out you know you're in trouble, while the latter is again due to their German origin and the habit of sinking without trace while in-service.

I've also heard of Desiros being called "Jimmy Saville's" while Cl323's have been called "Frankie Howerd's", both on the basis of the noise the traction equipment makes.

O L Leigh

Doodlebugs that's it.

As is mine! I reserve the Disasteros though for SWT 450s.

That's commonly used but a bit unfair...they aren't bad trains really in just over six years of driving them I have only had a few problems with them.

 

[D6975]

Thinking back to my secondman days, i seem to remember Derby men referring to 31's as "Mirlees" for some reason.
45's were known as "Cromptons" and 47's as "Four and a half's"
Had a few turns on the departmental class 24 as well (97201 "Experiment") that was known as the fruit machine on account of the fault lights on the desk looking like a one armed bandit.

Class 31s, or rather class 30s before they were re-engined had Mirrlees engines. The fitting of an EE plant turned a 30 into a 31.

 

[LE Greys]

A few I've heard

• A1/A3 - Gee-Gee (presumably because they were named after racehorses)
• B1 - Bongo
• K2 - Ragtimer
• L1 - Cement Mixer (rode like one)
• W1 - Hush-Hush/Flying Sausage
• LMS shunters - Jinty
• Stanier Pacifics - Lizzie/Big Lizzie
• Q1 - Flying Dustbin
• 9F - Spaceship
• Deltic - Boat (presumably because Deltic engines were used in MTBs)
• 25 - Fruit Machine :? <EDIT> Kneedown answered that one
• 31 - Toffee Apple :?
• 37 - Syphon :?
• 66 - Clickety-click
• 84 - Dance Hall (lot's of space inside)
• 91 - Electra (from original project name)

And some I've made up

• The Hastings DMU - Thin Lizzie
• 180 - Della (as in Adelante)
• 321 - Slab Cab (obviously)

 

[12CSVT]

Doodlebugs that's it.



That's commonly used but a bit unfair...they aren't bad trains really in just over six years of driving them I have only had a few problems with them.

Surely the most unfair nickname is 'Slugs' for 37/9s. The delay between opening the power handle and the loco taking power is intentional and not a design fault.

 

[Lampshade]

156468 - Dave

 

[Drsatan]

A couple more to add:


159s: Scud Missiles, due to their tendency when new to go wrong (this was during the Gulf War and when Iraq fired Scud missiles at Israel and coalition bases in Saudi Arabia.
442: 'Piggies', apparently due to the noise made when the brake reservoir's being emptied. I've heard that it used to be a disciplinary offense for any SWT to call 442s 'Piggies'!


I've heard of the nicknames 'Lazers' and 'Skodas' but I don't know what classes they apply to.

 

[MCR247]

Skoda's are class 90s

 

[Drsatan]

Skoda's are class 90s

Why's that?

 

[MCR247]

No idea

 

[class156]

59's - Super Sheds
70's - Fugly
170's - Turbomower

 

[LE Greys]

Skoda's are class 90s

Why's that?

Front end looks vaguely like an old Skoda car? :?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I suppose I should say this with regards to some people thinking that all this is a bit silly. I have always preferred giving names to things rather than numbers. There are several reasons why. Firstly, it can get confusing. "Class 143" means a Pacer to us (or Bendybus as I would call it) and an electric locomotive to the Germans. The Southern Railway had two Class E1s (the 'Chatham E1' 4-4-0s and the 'Brighton E1' 0-6-0Ts) both of which were different from the LNER E1 2-4-0s. However, the more important reason it that it adds personality. If a loco or multiple unit is named, however silly, it immediately gains an identity independent of its number and position. Not exactly a personality, but you see what I mean. The same is true of a class. Nicknames may be affectionate or derisory, but they are supposed to sum up something about the class and what it means to people. To me, the Electras will always be Electras and never Class 91s, because I have always liked them, firstly because they were something new and exciting, then because they ran on my line, and then because I had got to know them so well that I could tell the good ones from the bad. Some of the older ones I've dug up, like "Froth Blowers" or "Duck Eights", "Buckjumpers" or "Wath Daises" must have meant something to someone (not quite sure what they relate to).

I suppose it's the same with unit names. The one good thing about the Voyagers (now there's a nickname we can all agree on) is that they had names. I could say, "Oh look, there's Somerset Voyager or Francis Chichester or whatever". Now, they've lost the one redeeming quality they had, and become not just nameless, but faceless. They did the same to the Electras, but at least there I can use the A4-style "Number Eight" or "Number Twenty-Two", which still carries something more than a mere designation.

Perhaps this best sums it up.

"I am not a number!"

 

[4SRKT]

Re-read the first scentance of my initial post, my friend.

It says you have a right to your opinion. Which is true. This isn't a get out of jail free card for not having a sense of humour (at least on this subject anyway). Equally the poster who said you don't have a sense of humour has a right to his opinion on that.

Other people having a bit of a laugh about nicknames, some of which are pretty inventive, seems an odd thing to find annoying. You can just ignore it rather than get irritated.