I'm curious as to why all of the Disney locomotives are referred to by names as opposed to numbers.

Was it typical to "christen" locomotives like ships at one point? With a few notable exceptions in the early days, that I'm aware of at least, (such as the "John Bull", "The General", and the "C.P. Huntington"), railroad locomotives are known by their numbers, rather than by their names.

If find it odd, therefore, that all of Disney's locomotives are, in fact, named. It's almost as if they were substituting nautical tradition for railroad tradition by doing so.

An old shortline railroad about an hour's drive from where I live has two steam locomotives, one of which is still in operation. The older of the two, No. 14, was dedicated to the line's president after his passing, in the late 1960s. His name, "R. I. Cartwright", was painted on both sides of the locomotive's cab.

The dedication to Cartwright, with the appearance of his name on the cab, didn't change things, however. The locomotive was still only ever referred to as "No. 14" (or as "The 14" by some). It was never considered to be "The R. I. Cartwright" and was never called by the name. The name on the cab is treated in the same way as the name born by a memorial plaque beneath, say, a stained glass window in a church or a synagogue.

Anyone know, then, why Disney favours names over numbers?

I think it's because Disney has their locomotives modeled after a time where locomotives were named (and numbered also). I think most locomotives at that time were given a name unless they were part a of a large roster where it was easier for just numbers. I'm sure someone else can come up with a better answer!

Come on, Sam!! Really?

The Disneyland loco are named in honor of the Sante Fe Rail Raod presidents. Santa Fe originally sponsored the railroad.
Fred Gurley was alive and at the dedication of #3 which bears his name.
Engine 5 is the only one at Disneyland named after an animator, but that particular animator had very close and personal ties to railroading.

Each of the Enignes at WDW is named for Walt himself, his brother Roy, his wife Lillian and Animator Roger Broggie, who like Ward had ties to rail roading in general.

The engines at Paris DL are named William Cody, George Washington, Eureka, and CK Holliday. Each consist is themed to the engine pulling it.

The engines at Tokyo DL are named after major rivers in America, Mississippi, Colorado, Missouri and Rio Grande.

I don't recall the naming of China "engines".

^Of course I know what the engines are named! I think the OP was reffering to was why the engines were named rather than just numbered.

Hong Kong has engines named Walter E. Disney, Roy O. Disney, and Frank G Wells. Why they named two more engines after Walt and Roy boggles me, and it's a slap in the face to have Walt's name on a hideous fake "steam"engine.

SORRY, I feel we must correct the record, Roger Broggie was the head of the Studio machine shop, NOT an animator. He worked very closely with Walt on the Lillie Belle, and some of Walt's miniature animating machines.

Roger is the one who when asked by Walt if he could build a Steam Locomotive answered Sure, and then figured out how after Walt left.

Now as to naming a locomotive, at Promontory Summit one was 119 and the other was Jupiter. I suspect that naming locomotive went out when you had too many loco's to name.

That is correct jazz and ty for correcting me. His team developed the first audio-animatronic, Abe Lincoln.

Sam is correct about why locomotives have names. In fact, JamesRR, most locomtoves back in the mid to late 1800s had names. Some more still exist, that you hadn't thought of: Jupiter, Leviathan, Eureka, Inyo, Sonoma, Tahoe, etc. Even in 1902, the engine that would become the Ward Kimball was of course named "Maud L."

Even the engines at Knott's bore names--which they have kept: No,. 40, Green River, and No. 41, Red Cliff.

I believe the first use of AAs was at the Tiki Room.

When a railroad had a small number of engines they could name them, ie the Virginia and Truckee of various Plantations. Eventually the number of locomotives would overwelm the possible names and have no meaning, but a numbering sceme could indicate locomotive class as well as ID number. On the UP the 800's were 4-8-4 Northerns, the 3700's were oil fired Challengers and the 3900's were coal fired Challengers. As a child we would some times see a "4000" pushing a train up Weber Canyon.

Some locomotives still have names. The majority of the chicago Metra locomotives have numbers and names. Most of them have a name of one of the towns along a Metra line and some have names of people (I'm not sure who the people are though).

For example Metra locomotive #151 is named the Leo J. Cusick and #101 is named City of Joliet. Heres a link to a pics of them. You can see the name right below the Metra logo on the cab.


http://www.drgw.net/~f40c/locos/151.html


http://www.drgw.net/~f40c/locos/101.html