The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 13, Issue 3 (June 1, 1938.)
Romance in a Name
Romance in a Name.
Locomotive and train naming adds greatly to the romance and interest attached to the “Iron Way.” Our pioneer locomotive builders set the ball rolling by selecting names like “The Rocket” and “Sans Pareil” for their products, while one of the earliest named passenger trains was the “Southern Belle,” London-Brighton express of the London, Brighton and South Coast line, now embraced in the Southern Group. The “Flying Scotsman,” the “Cornish Riviera Limited,” and the “Atlantic Coast Express” are other Home railway-named trains whose fame is world-wide. Across the Atlantic, America long ago realised the desirability for train-naming. What better-chosen train names could one have than, say, “The Golden State Limited,” “The Scout,” or “The Twentieth Century Limited”? On the continent of Europe, we have the famous “Blue Train,” linking Paris with the Mediterranean resorts; the “Eidelweiss Express,” serving Swiss mountain centres; the “Orient Express,” of film and novel fame; and a score of other named services. Africa gives us the “Union Limited” in the south, and the “Star of Egypt” in the north. All this business of locomotive and train christening represents excellent publicity, and train naming, in particular, is now the recognised thing in Europe. Visit any of the big London termini at any hour, and there, alongside the platform you are sure to find at least one named train. King's Cross probably has more named trains running in and out than any other metropolitan station, for all the long-distance expresses of the L. & N.E. line to-day carry distinctive titles.
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Handling freight at Southampton Docks, Southern Railway.