I have non-RR vanity plates that I got years ago to promote my short-lived technical writing business. They are now $80 each year in Mass. and have become rare as a result. My mechanic says my ancient plates won't pass the next inspection, so tack on another fee to have the plates restamped ... it may be the last set for me.
Here is the People’s Republic of Puget (known the rest of the country as Washington State), we have something similar. Specialty plates cost a bundle, even the veteran plates. THAT irritates the heck out of me as I have to pay a lot of extra money if I want an Army plate, even though I served. I don’t expect to get one at a discount or for free, but I don’t think I should have to pay an extra $72.75 for one if I can prove I’ve served. Vanity plates will cost you $84.75. This why, I guess, you don’t see so many of them in this state.
I can’t think of anyone I know with a vanity plate that’s RR related. Maybe that’s because most of the train fans I know are comically cheap?
Growing up, my family would go to civil war re-enactments and competition shoots with my Dad’s M1841 6-pounder field gun (a cannon with spoked wheels, to the public). Another cannon owner had a Florida plate with “6 PDR” as the text. Even as a kid, I always wondered what people thought that meant when they weren’t hauling their own cannon on its trailer around…