I am having one heck of a time naming my layout and I was wondering how you guys come up with the names for yours? Also, if anyone has suggestions for mine, please let me know! I am looking for a name that sounds like it could be any number of small towns in the US, preferably in Colorado or Wyoming since I have both UP and BNSF trains that run on my tracks. Here is a video of my layout thus far: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERx8l8D52Zg It is based off of Model Railroader Magazine's Salt Lake Route, but in track plan only. When completed, the whole thing will be a small town with passenger and freight stations, downtown area, and residential along with a turntable and small roundhouse. When I have come up with a suitable name, I plan on creating a site for it and documenting progress and projects along the way.
Knox Coal Lines. Named after a city in the part of the country I am modeling, Added the main commodity, and tossed in Lines. S&G Railway - coming from Salt Lake & Greelay Railway - as a suggestion, though you dont have to actually use those. Big Freight in Small Town- BFST Railroad And your layout is looking good.
Since it's not based on a Prototype, I would go with something more personal to you, family member, hometown, etc. such as Greeley Central, Sierra Mountain, Sierra Vally, Brain Northern South Fork. It's really whatever makes you smile when you think of what you have built. :thumbs_up: :thumbs_up: :thumbs_up: :thumbs_up:
Brian- The layout article you reference seems vaguely familiar, but at present I do not recall the scenario involved. If you have a track plan for what you built, with appropriate station names noted, that could be helpful. Within those states you mentioned, are there any locations of favorite interest? Boxcab E50
For my Oregon-American and coastal layout endeavors, I am using real prototype location names and mostly real railroad names, e.g., Southern Pacific, SP&S, OA, with one couda-bin connector called the Tillamook and Astoria Terminal Railway. For my proposed On30 couda-bin line I am thinking of names based on different lines of hobo songs. The latest thought is Whiskey Creek RR, which ties together my interest in that era and a favorite adult beverage. I cannot view your video currently (youtube is blocked) but I will take a look at it from a different computer later and see if I can suggest a name or two.
Ok, these are all good suggestions and tips. A few of the names I have been kicking around are: Pine Bluffs RR Battle Creek RR Brandywine Valley RR Silverlode City RR and Hillsdale Sub My favorite is the Brandywine Valley, but I am also leaning towards Hillsdale since its the name of town where my grandparents live and I spent my summers standing on their fence watching trains go by on the Wyoming plains. Maybe another suggestion will catch my attention and stick.
That is a perfect reason to pick such a name for a pike such as yours. If you go with something else, maybe name one of the business Hillsdale... :thumbs_up: :thumbs_up: :thumbs_up: :thumbs_up:
My young son suggested mine. It was such a perfect fit that I had to go for it. Sometimes from the mouths of babes...
"Grey and Grandure" "Grey" refers to my philosophy / perception of absolutes - I don't believe there are very many black and white issues. "Grandure" was an accidental misspelling that I decided to keep. It is a short line running through the "Grandure Valley" granting running rights to numerous roads including the Great Northern and Canadian Pacific.
Remember the "beyond the layout room" concept, for making your empire seem larger. If you go with such as Brandywine Valley, that makes it feel like a limited locale. Enlarge it with something such as Brandywine Valley & Southern RR, or Brandywine Valley & Colorado RR. You'll find many prototype railroads, large and small, with grand names, as they had plans or dreams of being much larger systems. A fair number of companies used "Pacific" as the late 1800's and early 1900's were days of striving to reach the western US seacoast. Boxcab E50
Just like the Mopac. They had visions of going to the Pacific Ocean. Never made it. Now back to the topic, you mentioned the Hillsdale Sub...How about the Powder River & Southern, Hillsdale Subdivision? That allows Wyoming and Colorado, UP & BNSF (trackage rights maybe) and the Hillsdale Subdivision gets your grandparents town name included. Something else to think about.
Personally, I like "Brandywine Valley" and "Hillsdale Sub". Since you are modeling the modern era with coal and TOFC, and you have nice memories of Wyoming, How about "Wyoming Southern, Wyoming and Western (or Eastern). Brandwine Valley brings to mind Eastern RR. If you use that name you might think about scenicking it for that locale. Now a long winded answer that may help you. In naming my RR, I made a list of all the areas that have meaning to me. Then I created a history of my RR using the towns I wanted to incorporate. These 2 things helped me find the locale where I wanted to place my railroad. That in turn helped me choose a name for my layout. My railroad is the Alpine Pacific Railway. Located in the Colorado rockies. It runs from Wyoming's powder River Basin to Vaughn N.M. It is a joint venture from SP and DRGW. I use real town names along the route. Whatever you decide for a name, make sure you are happy with it. Also let us Trainboard members know what you decide. Looking foward to hearing your decision.
I did mine based on initials. JACALAR = Jacquelyn Anne (my wife), Cheryl Anne (older daughter), Laurel Anne (younger daughter), Rick (me). And, it sounds like "jagular", which comes from Winnie the Pooh (where he tells Piglet that "if you look up in the trees, the jagular will pounce on you" and Piglet says "I'm looking down, Pooh" -- one of my girls' favorite parts). Oh, the girls are now 23 and 18.
Yup. Just like the Frisco, the Rock Island, and, and.... Or if you want visions of grandeur- How about the Midland Continental Railroad? Originally dreamed to build from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, it managed about seventy miles in North Dakota and spent the rest of it's life limping along. Or here's one which sounds big- Montana, Wyoming & Southern Railroad. This little chugger never even made it out of southeast Montana. I agree that Brandywine Valley sounds eastern. US. Like it would be in Pennsylvania... Boxcab E50
I had considered LUNO or Luno Pacific or something like that for similar reasons, in this case my almost eight year old girls Lucy and Noor, but I went with TATR (Tillamook and Astoria Terminal Railway).
Everyone knows the story behind T.H.E.R.R. so I wont bore you with that. Someday the name will just come to you like that *snap*. Its funny how some railroad names come about...even in the 1:1 world...LOL. .
While in college, I spent a couple days in the Cache Valley at Logan, Utah. I fell in love with the area. When I started my freelanced RR, I wanted a mountain locale. The Cache Valley & Northern was born. I envisioned a north-south route serving Utah and Idaho. I have a Logan Division and a Bountiful division, though I have made no attempt at trying to duplicate any specific town. Keep playing with names. You will land on the right one for you. Dave G Cache Valley & Northern
Ive never officially named mine, but, in private I call it "The Three Foot Line" for obvious reasons.
You guys have given me more than a little inspiration and I'm begging to like the WyCo Western RWY. What do you guys think? If I go with this, I'm definitely going to name my little town Hillsdale, although my layout is about the same size as the actual town LOL. hillsdale wy - Google Maps My summers were spent off of Coates Ave, on the other side of Main St. watching trains go by as my grandparents did their chores around the house. And when I wasn't watching trains I was getting busted for playing in their HUGE old school satellite dish and interrupting my grampa's fishing shows or his rodeos. Good times... Good times...
How about the WyCo Western Railway's "Hillsdale Line" or "Hillsdale Branch" with service to nearby Brandywine Valley. Don't give up on what you like.
