European Train Names: a Historic Outline Christian Weyers
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ONOMÀSTICA BIBLIOTECA TÈCNICA DE POLÍTICA LINGÜÍSTICA European Train Names: a Historic Outline* Christian Weyers DOI: 10.2436/15.8040.01.201 Abstract This paper gives a first overview of the onomastic category of train names, searches to classify the corpus and reviews different stages of their productivity. Apart from geographical names (toponyms, choronyms, compass directions) generally indicating points of origin and destination of the trains in question, a considerable number of personal names have entered this category, of classical literary authors, musicians and scientists, but also of many fictional or non-fictional characters taken from literature or legendary traditions. In some cases also certain symbolic attributes of these persons and finally even heraldic figures have given their names to trains. In terms of their functionality, train names originally were an indicator of exclusiveness and high grade of travel quality, but they developed gradually, as they dispersed over the European continent, into a rather unspecific, generalized appellation, also for regional and local trains. After two periods of prosperity after 1950, the privatisation of railway companies starting in the 1990s had again a very positive effect on the category, as the number of named trains initially reached a new record in this decade. ***** The first train names appeared in England in the 1860s in addition to names for steam locomotives, and on two different levels. The Special Scotch Express between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh (inaugurated in 1862) was called by the public The Flying Scotsman from the 1870s, but it succeeded as the official name not before 1924. Also the names of the German diesel trainsets Der Fliegende Hamburger and Der Fliegende Kölner were colloquial name creations, as were the Train Bleu and the Settebello operated from 1922 and 1953 but officially named in 1947 and 1958, respectively. An important step in the development of train names was the foundation of the Compagnie Internationale des Wagon-Lits (CIWL). The trains which the Company operated as from the 1880s circulated over considerably long distances and were all assembled with high-class Pullman or similar cars. They all bore individual names without exception. Nevertheless the creativity of their inventors was rather limited; along with the Orient ∼, Nord ∼ and Sud Express only one formula was used: Calais-Nice-Rome-Express (1883), Paris-Karlsbad- Express (1901) and so forth, combining the names of the corresponding places of origin and destination. This pattern was still in use after 1945, but referred now for the most part to trains composed of regular passenger cars and was thus no longer part of a luxury concept. It has been fading away only gradually: a certain number were still running at least in the early 1980s, but at present just one single example, the Berlin-Warszawa-Express, has survived in Central Europe or rather was reintroduced in 2002. Another important area of the Company’s activities were the so-called “Trains Transatlantiques” or boat trains, a shuttle service to the big passenger liners moored at Cherbourg, Genoa, Le Havre, etc. Some of these trains had rather pretentious names as, for instance, Transatlantique Express and even New York Express, although the first ended at Le Havre and the second at Cherbourg (cf. BEHREND 1962: 198). The Marseille-Bombay-Express which ran from Calais to Marseille connected the P&O (Peninsular & Oriental Co.) steamers to * This article is accompanied by a complete list of European train names of a selected period, based on the 1978/1979 winter timetables or the closest preceding or following schedules available. Els noms en la vida quotidiana. Actes del XXIV Congrés Internacional d’ICOS sobre Ciències Onomàstiques. Annex. Secció 8 2017 ONOMÀSTICA BIBLIOTECA TÈCNICA DE POLÍTICA LINGÜÍSTICA Egypt and India; the Egypt Express (1906), one of the various shuttle trains operated for the Norddeutscher Lloyd, offered a similar feeder service to Naples. In all train names of this first generation, only the English term Express was commonly used as a generic and the typical Germanic sequence of components was universal almost from the beginning. In French, Italian and Spanish, contrary to ordinary syntactic practice, the words Express and Expreso appear regularly behind the specific. The (Train) Express d’Orient became the Orient Express as early as 1891. Ironically both characteristics were introduced by a mainly French-speaking company and have been maintained by France and francophone Switzerland, whereas on the other side of the English Channel names with Express were never as popular and eventually abandoned. Furthermore, this practice was contrary to the general use of French as a vehicular language of the European railway services which rendered, for instance, the name of the Greek capital into Athènes (cf. WEYERS 2003: 284). Only Poland and former Czechoslovakia avoided the English term. In Germany and Switzerland it has eventually been omitted only in certain cases, as in Rheingold-Express (formerly Rheinpfeil), which became Rheingold in 1954 (for the complete history of this train see ERNST 1988). There are several types of name composition: 1. A combination of the names of the termini: Beograd-Basel-Express, Bucureşti-Wien- Express, Hoek-Warszawa-Express etc. As a variant only one terminal is mentioned: Sevilla-Expreso, Istanbul-∼, København-∼, Leningrad-Express, etc. 2. Names of the connected countries, states or regions, including historical names, have been combined with each other (Italien-Holland-Express, Holland-Skandinavien- Express), one of which can be a place name instead (Paris-Côte Vermeille) or a name of a coastal region of important tourism, especially situated on the Mediterranean: Schweiz- Adria-Express, Flandres-Riviera. In a subgroup only one choronym appears. From December 1955 the Balkan-∼, Dalmatia-/Dalmacija-∼, Hellas-∼, Hispania-∼, Italia-∼ and Jugoslavia-/Jugoslavija-Express carried the so-called “Gastarbeiter” to Central Europe and back to their home countries. The railway lines to Southern Europe were also the infrastructure of the incipient mass tourism to the Mediterranean. So some of the names of this group reflected attractive regions of the Alps: Kärnten-∼, Schweiz-∼, Steiermark- Express, Ticino, Tirol-∼, Vorarlberg-Express, Wörthersee (-Express), etc. 3. Apart from these trains especially dedicated to workers and tourists, the 1960s and 1970s were characterized by an increasing use of choronyms with regional references, usually applied to relations between the metropolis and the region or district referred to: Aquitaine (Paris–Bordeaux), Bucovina (Bucharest–Vatra Dornei), Carinthia (Wien– Klagenfurt), Extremadura Expreso (Madrid–Badajoz), Maramureş (Bucharest–Satu Mare), Moldova (Bucharest–Iaşi), Słęza (Warsaw–Wrocław) etc. But also international trains with a considerably long route belong to this group: Tracia/Trakia (Varna/Sofia– Prague–Leipzig), Lombardie-Express (Venice–Milan–Paris). 4. Hydronyms are also an important name source. Railway lines often follow big rivers (in some cases, e.g. on the Middle Rhine, on both banks) and have to cross them, sometimes passing a state border at the same time: Danubius-Express (İstanbul/Moscow–Sofia– Bucharest); Rhein-Express (Hook of Holland–Innsbruck), Rhein-Main, Tissa/Tisza- Express (Moscow–Budapest), Transdanubium (Burgas/Varna–Prague). Rivers can finally also be chosen as representatives of big cities (Rhône-Isar, Lyons–Geneva–Munich). As to the adjacent waters of the European continent, Adria-Express, Atlántico Expreso, Baltyk, Marea Neagră, Nordsee-∼ and Ostsee-Express are not missing; the latter crossed the Baltic Sea from Warnemünde to Gedser on a train ferry. 5. The greatest challenge for railway constructors were mountains, which had to be overcome by masterpieces of steep sections, tunnels, bridges, viaducts, etc. So train Els noms en la vida quotidiana. Actes del XXIV Congrés Internacional d’ICOS sobre Ciències Onomàstiques. Annex. Secció 8 2018 ONOMÀSTICA BIBLIOTECA TÈCNICA DE POLÍTICA LINGÜÍSTICA names including oronyms not only indicate the passage of a certain mountainous region during the route (which often also means one or several state border passages), but also seem to honour the enormous endeavour, sometimes accompanied by a certain number of lost lives, during the construction of the mountain tracks: Alpen-∼, Carpaţi- Express/Karpaty, Dolomiten-∼, Tauern-Express and others correspond to international, Bieszczkady, Schwarzwald-Express, etc. to national relations. A subgroup gathers names of certain massifs (Dachstein, Karwendel, Silvretta) or of single summits or capes (Le Mont Cenis, Großglockner, Loreley, Peloritano). Some of these names refer exclusively to the mountain pass crossed by the train (Arlberg-∼, Bernina-∼, Brenner-∼, Gotthard-∼, Simplon-∼, Simplon-Orient-Express, Puerto de Castilla Expreso) or to narrow passages between mountains or hills (Porta Westfalica). In many of them the oronyms stand for a greater region of destination (Beskidy, Göcsej-∼, Somogy-Expressz, Sudety, Tatry; Pyrénées-Express, Karkonosce, etc.). 6. Ethnic names or ethnonyms are used, and often – in France and England regularly – accompanied by the definite article. The use of the article bestows some kind of a personal character on the train, especially when added by an adjective or a nominal complement (as was typical in the case of British Rail) and calls to mind appellations of military vessels, e.g. of the