- More than 1,300 individual nominations were submitted by the public
- They were whittled down by a panel of judges, including presenter Tim Dunn
- Which name is YOUR favourite? Vote in the MailOnline poll below
- But don’t forget to vote in the official Network Rail poll. Link at the bottom…
- READ MORE: I’m a train expert – here are seven of Europe’s best sleeper services
Members of the public have been submitting nominations to name one of Network Rail’s leaf-busting trains – and now a shortlist of four names has been revealed.
In alphabetical order, they are: Ctrl Alt De-leaf, Leaf-Fall Weapon, Pulp Friction, and The Autumn Avenger.
Which one wins is now being put to a public vote.
More than 1,300 individual nominations were submitted by the public before being whittled down by a panel of judges – railway historian, presenter and author Tim Dunn, Minister of State for Rail, Lord Peter Hendy, and Network Rail’s seasonal delivery director, Lisa Angus.
Network Rail said: ‘An array of fantastic name suggestions, including: “Britney Clears”, “Buster Grimes”, “Don’t Stop De-Leafing”, and “Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Anti-Leaf Machiney” fell just short of making the final shortlist, proving just how tough competition was.’
Members of the public have been submitting nominations to name one of Network Rail’s leaf-busting trains – and now a shortlist of four names has been revealed
Tim Dunn said: ‘Who needs Leafy McLeafFace when we have this shortlist of terrific – and really quite fitting – names to bestow upon one of these legendary leaf-busting behemoths.
‘I knew Britain wouldn’t let us down: entries ranged from the witty, clever and even touching – through to utterly shameless Dad-grade puns.
‘It’s been a joy to be a part of the judging process to name a leaf-buster. My fellow judges and I found it tricky to narrow down all the brilliant entries to just four names.
Network Rail said: ‘Though often seen as a figure of fun, leaves represent a serious threat to the railway across not only Britain, but countries across the world’
‘So, a massive thank you to all those who took the time to submit a name – now it’s over to you, the British public. Head over to Network Rail’s website right now to vote for your preferred name for one of these “mulch”-loved machines.’
Lisa Angus said: ‘Though this competition is just a way of bringing some light-hearted “re-leaf” this autumn, it’s been great to see a growing awareness of the serious problems leaves on the line can pose to the railway.’
Network Rail added: ‘Though often seen as a figure of fun, leaves represent a serious threat to the railway across not only Britain, but countries across the world.
‘When trains pass over leaves – particularly during periods of wet weather – the heat and weight of the trains bake them into a thin, slippery layer on the rail, similar to black ice on the roads.
‘This mulch can also interfere with signalling systems, forming a barrier between the train wheels and the electrical parts of the track that help us to pinpoint where trains are, and cause issues with trains accelerating and braking.
Voting is now open at www.networkrail.co.uk/stories/can-you-help-name-one-of-our-leaf-busting-trains, closing at midnight on Friday, 11th October.
