NW-Mailing-List Digest, Vol 79, Issue 46

[NW Mailing List]

Harry:

I am sure the N&W and VGN had longer ones or similar sized names as
Charlottesville. I thought Sou just referred to it usually by its'
tower's call sign, "JC". Southern also had Barboursville, Alexandria,
C&O had Gordonsville and the list goes on and on.

Bob Cohen

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>>

>> Message: 1

>> Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:57:41 -0500 (EST)

>> From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>

>> Subject: Re: Whence the Name "KUMIS" ?

>> To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org

>> Message-ID: <17206.5b6f314a.3c77ca05 at aol.com>

>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>>

>> While  making no claim to insights about the name Kumis, I can offer that

>> after forty  years of living in Montgomery County, I have never heard  the

>> "locals"  use the name, have never seen it in the newspaper, and never

>> seen it on maps  or road signs. The community near there is Lafayette. The name

>> Kumis appears a  railroad related name only.

>>

>>

Railroads often identified locations by railroad-related names  e.g.
Page, WV for W.N. Page. Or Adsit for VGN's Traffic Manager ?  Plunkett
for W. C.  Plunkett, a barrister for the VGN ? Don't know that VGN
ever had an officer named  Kumis. Perhaps he was on VGN's Bored  of
Directors. Some railroad locations were identified by local
industries, e.g. Mabrico on the Winston District for MAdison  BRIck
CO.. The "MI" in Kumis may have reference to a mine.

>>

Virginian apparently had the foresight not to name it La Fayette (as
it appeared in early timetables). In repeating train orders, locations
are pronounced then spelled. Kumis was certainly shorter (by four
alphas). On the Southern, think how much time was spent spelling
Charlottesville.


>>  Harry Bundy