West Penn Today - The back Line

[Derrick J Brashear]

On Mon, 10 Jul 2000, Edward H. Lybarger wrote:

> I have a major pet peeve.  It involves the continued use of the highly
> pompous and insulting "THE West Penn," "THE This," "THE That" that railfans
> like to use to assert their familiarity with subjects.  Yes, some of the
> companies promoted themselves like this, West Penn included, in the early
> years.  It was a promotional tactic employed to intimidate the public into
> believing a company was more important and/or more powerful than was
> actually the case. But West Penn had the good taste to cease it at an early
> date and call themselves the West Penn System or the West Penn Railways
> Company, as appropriate, which frankly sound more prosperous that the phony
> appellation.  Besides, the other is bad English.

West Penn Railways but the West Penn system, is my usage. "West Penn
system" doesn't sound right without the preceding "the".

Anyhow, thanks for your summary.

-D