Unfortunately-named locomotives?

[341o2]

With the A3's odd, Blink Bonny sounds odd, but there is a place of that name in Scotland

60061 Pretty Polly
60067 Ladas. It's namesake on the Snowdon Mountain Railway derailed and was destroyed
60065 Knight of the Thistle aquired new plates without the "the" thus rendering the name useless

Britannia 70030 William Wordsworth, because WW was anti railway. Could be described as a NIMBY, he objected to the coming of the railway to the Lake District, thus making it accessible to the working classes who would be unable to appreciate its beauty and destroy it

 

[Spamcan81]

With the A3's odd, Blink Bonny sounds odd, but there is a place of that name in Scotland

60061 Pretty Polly
60067 Ladas. It's namesake on the Snowdon Mountain Railway derailed and was destroyed
60065 Knight of the Thistle aquired new plates without the "the" thus rendering the name useless

Britannia 70030 William Wordsworth, because WW was anti railway. Could be described as a NIMBY, he objected to the coming of the railway to the Lake District, thus making it accessible to the working classes who would be unable to appreciate its beauty and destroy it

The names refer to different things. Snowdon Mountain no. 1 'Ladas' was named after Laura Alice Duff Assheton-Smith, wife of a major landowner in the area. A3 60067 was named after the winner of the 1894 Epsom Derby.

As for the A3 Blink Bonny, she was a very successful filly and won both the Oaks and the Derby in 1857. So not as odd sounding as it would seem.

 

[Spamcan81]

IMHO some of the most unfortunate names are those honouring individuals or institutions that people might not have heard of. These names therefore sometimes come with long-winded explanations. Or with simply too much information. From a 1961 Ian Allen spotters book I find:

34090 "Sir Eustace Missenden, Southern Railway" [Having to explain his connection is a failure]
60847 "St Peter's School York AD 627" [Date really necessary?]
70048 "The Territorial Army 1908-1958" [Date range necessary?]
46165 "The Ranger (12th London regt.)" [Just "The Ranger" would have been good]
60809 "The Snapper, The East Yorkshire Regiment, The Duke of York's Own" [Just "The Snapper" ditto]
60835 "The Green Howard, Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment" [The name plate must have been the size of a billboard]

A couple more clangers :
62686 "The Fiery Cross" [KKK ?]

60099 "Call Boy" [No girl though]

Call Boy was named after a racehorse that won the 1927 Derby so hardly a clanger IMO.

 

[India Four Two]

I think the last Modified Hall was given an inappropriate name. I read years ago that there was a move afoot at Swindon in 1950 to call the last one out of the works "That's All", but Paddington had a sense of humour failure and 7929 became "Wyke Hall". It may or may not be true, but it's a lovely story.

 

[341o2]

On the subject of the A3's 60100 Spearmint became Norman McKillop's regular locomotive, also known as Toram Beg (Wee Norman), railway writer. It became his pride and joy, arguing that "common user" locomotives were in fact less productive.
I'm trying to confirm a story that crews of shunting engines would chalk "peppermint" on the tank sides when 60100 was due

 

[6026KingJohn]

On the Great Western there was a "Saint" called Lady Macbeth (2905)

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Not quite in the same boat as if a loco had been named after the notorious former TV presenter, but one of Northern's 158s has (or had) the name of Sir Geoffrey Boycott, whose methods for solving marital disputes mean he's considered persona non grata by many... not to mention that such a named unit might be a bit stubborn, and rather than running to time will turn up when it bl**dy well wants to!

Apologies for not sticking to kettles!

 

[Calthrop]

An unfortunate name through no fault of its own - Cavan and Leitram no 8 Queen Victoria. When Southern Ireland gained independence, locally it was decided that the C&L might be as well, so apparently one afternoon the nameplates were hacked off the tank sides. A lengthy and noisy procedure, but no one heard or saw anything. Some months later, they were discovered and their reinstatement ordered. This lasted until no8's next turn to Drumshambo, where the job was done properly.

No9 King Edward retained its plates because removal was more difficult and the engine was not allowed on the tramway

C&L's sole 0-6-4T No.9 King Edward, as above, was the subject of an exchange on these forums some months ago. There appears to have been a strong tendency for local bards to produce truly awful doggerel about various of Ireland's narrow-gauge railways: one concerning the C&L, quoted in the David & Charles history of the railway; is thus, effectively to the point of Alice and the Mad Hatter -- she felt puzzled because the Hatter's words seemed to mean pretty well nothing at all, but they were definitely English. The verse in this ditty, about No.9, seems to me next-door to gibberish. If any meaning can be teased out of it at all, it could be seen as suggesting that if the reader / listener holds anti-British sentiments; he needn't be upset about the loco's name, because

"King Ned's an engine, and was made at Bingen [must rank high among the most horrible bits of rhyming, in all history]
Fair lovely Bingen on the Rhine."

I don't think there is any record of Robert Stephenson & Co. having a subsidiary operation in Germany... so, one supposes, the balladist is pretending for No.9 (which is only a locomotive anyway), a German origin, whereby Irish patriots needn't get bothered. As per @341o2, the loco concerned was not in any case, a big success -- couldn't run on the tramway, and did not see a very great deal of use at all.

 

[Calthrop]

I think the last Modified Hall was given an inappropriate name. I read years ago that there was a move afoot at Swindon in 1950 to call the last one out of the works "That's All", but Paddington had a sense of humour failure and 7929 became "Wyke Hall". It may or may not be true, but it's a lovely story.

I like the tale of the GWR getting short of names for the last "Manors"; and considering desperate wordplay, along the lines of Bedside Manor, Offensive Manor, and Purgative Manor [manna].

 

[pdeaves]

"Fair Rosamund", named after a king's mistress and named, it appears, to work a royal train on the Woodstock branch.

 

[70014IronDuke]

On the subject of the A3's 60100 Spearmint became Norman McKillop's regular locomotive, also known as Toram Beg (Wee Norman), railway writer. It became his pride and joy, arguing that "common user" locomotives were in fact less productive. ...

Who was McKillop, a driver? 60100 was shedded ooop north, IIRC, and used a lot on the Waverley - so Carlisle Canal or Edinburgh St Margarets, I'd assume?

 

[xotGD]

Naming the two royal train 47s after the two princes was a sensible idea. However, naming one "Prince Henry" when he's always referred to as Harry wasn't ideal.

And why name an 86 "City of Milton Keynes" when MK isn't a city?

 

[Merle Haggard]

And why name an 86 "City of Milton Keynes" when MK isn't a city?

There was also one initially named 'City of Preston' when it was still a town - renamed 'Preston Guild'

 

[Mag_seven]

And why name an 86 "City of Milton Keynes" when MK isn't a city?

Milton Keynes seems to like fake things - cows and football teams spring to mind.

 

[341o2]

Who was McKillop, a driver? 60100 was shedded ooop north, IIRC, and used a lot on the Waverley - so Carlisle Canal or Edinburgh St Margarets, I'd assume?

http://www.steamindex.com/library/mckillop.htm

Waverley driver until deafness caused him to retire. He then became a writer and involved in ASLEF

 

[Czesziafan]

Some time in the 80's BR named a class 37 "Jimmy Shand" - I remember its naneplate going for auction at Kidlington many years ago - but who on earth this individual was I have no idea. Never heard of him.

I was also once told that the GWR had planned to build a final batch of 3 additional Hall class 4-6-0's that it was going to name: "Blessham Hall", "Sodham Hall", and "Thats Hall".....

 

[India Four Two]

Some time in the 80's BR named a class 37 "Jimmy Shand" - I remember its naneplate going for auction at Kidlington many years ago - but who on earth this individual was I have no idea. Never heard of him.

I had a Scottish uncle who did Highland dancing. I'm very familiar with "Jimmy Shand and his Band"!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Shand

 

[Western Sunset]

Thankfully we never had D1090 Western Flower.
D1094 Western Legend and D1096 Western Fury would've been great though.

 

[Millisle]

Some time in the 80's BR named a class 37 "Jimmy Shand" - I remember its naneplate going for auction at Kidlington many years ago - but who on earth this individual was I have no idea. Never heard of him.

I was also once told that the GWR had planned to build a final batch of 3 additional Hall class 4-6-0's that it was going to name: "Blessham Hall", "Sodham Hall", and "Thats Hall".....

Sir Jimmy Shand was the doyen of traditional Scottish dance band leaders and accordionists of second half of last century and in his time a household name in Scotland.

 

[Western Sunset]

Just had another thought.

Apart from royalty, is Thomas Hardy the most named individual, having had his name on a Britannia, a Class 92 and a Class 442?

 

[krus_aragon]

Just had another thought.

Apart from royalty, is Thomas Hardy the most named individual, having had his name on a Britannia, a Class 92 and a Class 442?

"Stephenson" has been on GWR, LNWR, LBSCR, SR, and BR (Class 87) locomotive at the very least, though it's just the surname used (to cover both father and son).

 

[edwin_m]

"Stephenson" has been on GWR, LNWR, LBSCR, SR, and BR (Class 87) locomotive at the very least, though it's just the surname used (to cover both father and son).

Two class 87s in fact - originally applied to 87001, transferred to 87101 when the main sub-class received BR standard nameplates. When 87101 was scrapped, the plate was transferred back to 87001 on one side only, now in the NRM. On checking this in Wikipedia I discovered Stephenson was also carried by a LMS Patriot class.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

During their first spell on the South Western, one of the 442s was named "Doreen Scanlon: Mum in a Million" which, without wishing to disparage Ms. Scanlon or her offspring, always struck me as a bit naff.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

Sir Jimmy Shand was the doyen of traditional Scottish dance band leaders and accordionists of second half of last century and in his time a household name in Scotland.

... and signed to Parlophone where his records were produced for many years by one George Martin.

 

[Dr_Paul]

Some time in the 80's BR named a class 37 "Jimmy Shand" - I remember its naneplate going for auction at Kidlington many years ago - but who on earth this individual was I have no idea. Never heard of him.

I too wondered who he was when Richard Thompson wrote a song called 'Don't Sit On My Jimmy Shands': I wondered if it was some obscure bit of rhyming slang, but eventually read somewhere that he was singing about old 78rpm gramophone records by the Scottish singer of that name. Like most cultural phenomena, the reference was baffling to a person not of a certain age.

 

[India Four Two]

Dr_Paul,

Not just any 78s either - they were Beltona.

Call me precious, I don't mind, 78's are hard to find
You just can't get the shellac since the war
This one's the Beltona brand, finest label in the land
They don't make 'em like that anymore

 

[341o2]

I was also once told that the GWR had planned to build a final batch of 3 additional Hall class 4-6-0's that it was going to name: "Blessham Hall", "Sodham Hall", and "Thats Hall".....

Sounds like a wind up

 

[Western Sunset]

Sounds like a wind up

That'd be a good name for a clockwork engine.....

 

[341o2]

The Glasgow underground has been nicknamed the Clockwork Orange

 

[Western Sunset]

If they had an underground system in York, they could call it the Chocolate Orange........

I'll try to behave now.