The mountain's name was proposed in 1978 by mountaineer Karl Ricker of the Alpine Club of Canada, in association with Railroad Pass, Railroad Creek, and other railroad-related names of the immediate vicinity.

[4] The toponym was officially adopted January 23, 1979, by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.

[5] Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel east toward the Coast Mountains where they are forced upward by the range (Orographic lift), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall.

As a result, the Coast Mountains experience high precipitation, especially during the winter months in the form of snowfall.

The months July through September offer the most favorable weather for climbing Locomotive Mountain.