hey guys, need some advice plese!!!!

trainsteve2435

trainsteve2435

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Jun 18, 2004
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barboursville, wv
hello everyone, after several months now, i finally am able to get back into my model railroading project. after many months of thinking and researching, i finally decided to go with a shelf style point to point industrial switching layout based on the mid west in 1968 or so. my railroad will service a canning company, a co op grain warehouse, scrap yard, and many other high traffic buisiness's. the layout is 16' x 11' like a big horse shoe shape. the bench is 2' wide which should allow me to have plenty of operations. the big thing im really concentrateing on is the name for my railroad. how does one really go about nameing a free lanced road such as the one im building? im sure there is many ways, but i have never actually figured out how to. is there a way to do it and include your favorite lines, or do you just think of a nifty name. i want myne to be unusual, or original. i know a lot of people name theirs after family members and pets and all kind of things, but i want to name myne after a railroad. any advice or opinions are really appreciated, and its good to be back in the swing of things again! thanks!:wave:
 
Name of the city or region and "belt". Such as East Denver Belt or Indiana Harbor Belt. (Both actual railroads.)

HTH
Alan
 
I recall reading an article in either MR or RMC years ago just about this. Ideas included using:

1. Cites: Iowa City and Madison Ry (I made that up)

2. Geographical features: like rivers...Delaware and Hudson

3. Cities and directions: Durham and Southern (an old favorite model railroad of mine)

4. The _______ Regional Railroad

5. General description of region: The Grain Belt

6. Combinations of the above
I can see how coming up with a name might be challenging but it will be fun too!
Good luck!
Ralph
 
OK, I have the perfect name! I mean this is it! You just can't go wrong at all!
This will make you the top dog like you won't believe! Only a diamond ring would be better! get the hint? Let the little lady name it, and no matter what, tell her it's the best name yet! And be sure to use it!
Randy
 
I used a variation of rcline's great suggestion. My wife's maiden name is the Bovee in Bovee & Defiance Western. She loved it since she felt her dad, rest his soul, would have liked my layout. Defiance is the name of my rail head cow town. (Tombstone was already taken).
Doc
 
A good to place to start is reading up a little on the history of the area you're modelling. I was able (for Minnesota) to find a cheap paperbound book that covered all the RR's in MN history, including a listing of all those that were chartered but never actually built.

I came across the St.Paul and Duluth RR which was bought by the NP in 1900 and using "St.Paul and Duluth" as the first part of the name, in my mind the RR would go north from Duluth up the north shore of Lake Superior to Port Arthur / Ft. William Ontario. I thought about "St.Paul Duluth and Northern" which would work, but then came up with "St.Paul Duluth and Canadian". The Minneapolis and St.Louis was called the "M-and-Saint-L" and when I tried it with my RR it was the "Saint P, D and C" which sounded good.

Using a real RR as a start also gave me a kinda start as far as where the raillines ran, what equipment they might use, and I could kinda extrapolate it forward. The real St.Paul and Duluth ran a train called the "Lake Superior Limited" which I use for my crack passenger train, and I have some cars decalled with the old St.Paul and Duluth slogan "Route of the Famous Lake Superior Limited". My herald for the "St.Paul Route" is also based on the St.P&D herald.
 
Steve,A free lance railroad name is IMHO rather important and something you will live with ..Cutsy pie names sounds good and funny in the beginning but,will it be 6-12 months from now? Choose wisely..
I suggest looking at a Railroad map of the state you are interested in.These maps is usually free from the State Department of Transportation of that state in which you are interested in..Another good source is a road map of the state you are interested in.
Now my Columbus & Hocking Valley is named after the real C&HV before it merged with the Columbus & Toledo and the Gallipolis, McArthur & Columbus to become the Columbus Hocking Valley & Toledo RY or Hocking Valley for short..The HV became part of the C&O.However, in my HO world the C&HV is one of seven short line railroads owned by CDB Industries..I had decals made for my C&HV.The CDBI also owns 2 industrial switching roads..The Beaver Creek Ry and the Detroit Connecting Ry.
As far as your railroad you will need to choose a Midwestern railroad name.Now since its a switching layout the name could end with Belt & Terminal(ie: Kansas City Belt & Terminal) or it could be as simple as using your name.Sound unlikely? Not! R.J.Corman comes to mind..No? Then how about something like
Madison City Connecting Ry? Madison City Ry? Madison City Industrial Ry? These are examples of course.See the possibilities of a real railroad sounding name for your free lanced railroad?
Again I stress to take your time,look over the maps of the state you are interested in and choose your name wisely..After all you may be living with it for years to come.
 
brakie said:
..Cutsy pie names sounds good and funny in the beginning but,will it be 6-12 months from now? Choose wisely...
..After all you may be living with it for years to come.
Click to expand...

I also remember this advice from that old article I read. The author questioned whether a modeler might still be happy having decorated his locos for the "Erie Lackawampum" as the years passed. Reportedly even John Allen grew weary of his model railroad's pun name Gorre & Daphetid.

Tell us what you finally decide on!
Ralph
 
I don't know. I was delighted when I found out how to pronounce John Allen's "Gorre & Daphetid." All these years I thought it was something for real and then I found out he couldn't spell. LOL Or maybe he could spell and did that intentionally.
 
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