How did certain steam engines get their (nick) names?

[ryeguyisme]

for me to excell in vocabulary, I noticed that all my posting look misspelt i apologize lol

[pdlethbridge]

and this list of northerns from steam locomotive.com
4-8-4                 1921: Santa Fe
Northern           1926: Northern Pacific
Confederation         Canadian National
Dixie                      Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis (and other Southern Roads)
Golden State         Southern Pacific
Greenbrier          Chesapeake & Ohio
Montana                  Great Northern???
Niagara                   New York Central
Niágara                 Nacionales de Mexico
Pocono                  Lackawanna
Potomac                Western Maryland
Wyoming               Lehigh Valley
Generals, Governers  Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac

[ATSF5700BOB]

    Good After noon all. There is some more information on steam locomotives that I need to find out about. I am going to use a quote from several and then ask my question.
     On page 2 of this post, Ebtnut answered my reply. I am not going to requote the whole name and class list, just the 4-6-2 Pacific one.
      Ebtnut:  4-6-2 Pacific - first ordered in quantity by the Missouri Pacific.
     On page 3, Alantic Central (Sheldon) said: The 4-4-2 "Atlantic" got its name from the Atlantic Coast Line, the first rail road to use this wheel arrangement extensively (1895) & demonstrate its high speed capabilities. And it is widely held the "Pacific" got its name because it is a "bigger" loco built on the same design principles as the Atlantic.
        Now I do not wish to start an argument on this board, and I would like to think that I can get along with every one on this board. But I seem to have two different definitions of how the (nick) name "Pacific" came about. I am just asking which definition is the most widely accepted? 
        I also read something about left hand running as used by the C&NW and the Milwaukee Road.
        Page 3, Pdlethbridge: Re: could it have something to do with the Milwaukee running on the wrong side of the tracks?
         Page 3, Guilford Guy: Well, the C&NW ran left hand too.
       I know why the C&NW ran left handed. If I have my information correct, the C&NW ran left handed from the beginning because most of the roads' financing was obtained in Great Britain. And all traffic in Great Britain
whether it be buses, cars, trucks and trolleys (whoops, excuse me Tac, I meant to say trams) or railroads run left handed. But how this originated is a mystery to me. ( And probably better off left for another discussion in (on?) another post some other day). But I was not aware that the Milwaukee Road also ran left handed for most of its longevity. I wonder why this was so?
  That is why I like this Forum. Almost every answer about steam locomotives begs another (or two) questions from me.
   One other question, if I may: This question is directed to Elmore Yard (Tom M):
   Tom M replied that : I was always told the name Clarabelle came from Clarabelle the Clown from the 1950s Howdy Doody TV Show.
   I understand that, but my question was why was the one box cab electric named Clarabelle? Was it because the locomotive looked clownish? Or was it because the crew liked the name, and the name stuck? Or was it because the electric operated in a clownish manner?

   Thanks again to every one who replied. I have enjoyed learning about steam locomotive (nick) names. I hope everyone has a pleasant evening.
                                  Bob

[Elmore Yard]

Who knows at this late date.  I gave you the answer I was told by my father.  He did not know why some employee chose to name an old electric after a TV clown but it happened.  Good enough for me.

Tom M

I was always told the name Clarabelle came from Clarabelle the Clown from the 1950s Howdy Doody TV Show.
   I understand that, but my question was why was the one box cab electric named Clarabelle? Was it because the locomotive looked clownish? Or was it because the crew liked the name, and the name stuck? Or was it because the electric operated in a clownish manner?

[ATSF5700BOB]

 I was just curious. Any way, thank you for taking the time to reply.
                              Bob

[SteamGene]

Bob and Sheldon are both sources of good, accurate information.  In this case, I seem to remember sources that indicate that Bob is correct, "Pacific" came from the name of a railroad that ordered the arrangement in bulk.  While it might be nice to have Union Pacific or Southern Pacific, or Northern Pacific, the road, my memory gives the nod to the smaller MoPac.
Now a really good mystery, which I will try to solve, is why Milwaukee gave "Baltic" to the 4-6-4 arrangement.
Gene

[SteamGene]

According to one source on a Milwaukee Road board, the 4-6-4 arrangement first appeared in northern Europe and got the Baltic name since the Baltic Ocean borders northern Europe.  The Road honored the source but the NYC selected "Hudson."  That would mesh with the English calling the 4-6-4 "Baltic."
Gene

[Virginian]

First, Baltic is a northern European sea, not an ocean.  A lot of the citizenry up in the Milwaukee area is supposedly of Scandanavian and/or Nordic heritage (I do not know, pure hearsay), so maybe that was why they chose Baltic.
In any even, current day students of fine steam locomotives know what a Baltic is.

[SteamGene]

Milwaukee has a large number of descendents from German immigrants.  The Scandinavians went west to Minnesota. 
I'm not sure the difference between an ocean and a sea.
Gene