Train City--what's in a name.


SpaceMouse

SpaceMouse

Fun Lover
My son, when he was 7 named Train City. At the time it was DC and each of my daughter, my son, and I had trains to run. Each sat on a different track that could be powered down--in essence parked. With the buildings in place and every track occupied, it sort of looked like a train residential area--so he named it Train City.

Well one thing about autistic kids is that they don't like change. I guess it's hard enough for them to get used to the things the way they are. This weekend, I took him on a tour of the way the new layout was going to look. He was crying. He liked the old Train City. But another trait of autistic kids if you let them know ahead of time what is going to happen, they gradually warm up to the idea. He will be okay with the new layout--especially if he can run his noisy 2-8-0 all the way around the layout without derailing. That was his problem, and mine, with the old layout--ricker-fracking EZ Track turnouts. I'm going FasTracks, every turnout is going to be dead-nuts perfect or this layout will never have scenery.

So anyway, I've been making hints that he needs to come up with a new name, something a little more...subtle. Train City. So last night after one of my hints, he grins ear-to-ear, "Caboose Bay."

Of course, my wife chimes in and tell him how great the name is. So now, either I have to name it Caboose Bay and find a way to get some water on the layout, like an ocean or a lake--the Rock Ridge and Train City are in the semi-arid foothills of the Sierras or Coastals--or the name stays Train City.

Any suggestions?
 
You could always call it 'Trane' City. Then it's more a play on words then an obvious reference. Also remember even small lakes can have bays, so you don't need to have ocean front tracks. Good luck with what ever you decide to use. I personnally like Train City better than Caboose Bay, but that's just me.
 
SpaceMouse said:
Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Sure, a real simple one.. Call it Train City, or Caboose Bay, or whatever he wants to call it. What will it hurt? After all, the layout is called "Space Mouse Rail Systems" right? I don't recall that one in the AAR interchange list.

He'll like it a lot more than it will bug you. If you need to have a more realistic timetable or station name, make up one and do interchangable station signs.
 
modelbob said:
Sure, a real simple one.. Call it Train City, or Caboose Bay, or whatever he wants to call it. What will it hurt? After all, the layout is called "Space Mouse Rail Systems" right? I don't recall that one in the AAR interchange list.

He'll like it a lot more than it will bug you. If you need to have a more realistic timetable or station name, make up one and do interchangable station signs.
Click to expand...

Space Mouse Rail Systems is my website.

The layout is Rock Ridge and Train City. I'm pretty used to it.

I guess it sounds better than Rock Ridge and Caboose Bay.
 
You could have Train City as the layout with Caboose bay as a stop. Just make a lake shaped like a bay and have an industry there.
 
My 2cents with no sense.

Train City is a keeper.

So is Caboose Bay;

A) A small frog pond with a converted caboose into a cabin by the pond scene.

2) A rural RR scrapyard with yep, cabeese in it.

C) A small pond with a derailed /mostly submerged caboose.

7) A campground with cabins made from old cabeese.

B) A small area where hobos gather to do whatever hobos do. Given the railroad nickname "Caboose Bay" .

B) A place where Queens' "Fat-Bottomed Girls" Go for weight therapy.

3) Better forget the last one........

I think your geting some good suggestions in this thread Chip, Mine are just the result of what struck me in reading it.

Happy Modeling!!

Johnny
 
Chip,

I replied to this topic of yours across the street. But it appears you have already made up your mind anyway...
 
Well personaly I like Train City it has a nice roll and sound to it that fits with Rock Ridge, to my ear at least... It always reminds me of Detroit "Motor City", and Train city could be like that a well known nickname...

All that being said I did find that there is a real life Kabosbay family name that had members in America during the time of your layout soooooo what if Old Josiah Kabosbay and Zebaciah Trane founded the site for the city of (Fill in blank here) that is now generally known as Train City to the outside world but a die hard group of older folk in Rock Ridge still refer to it as Caboose Bay? :D


Hows that for an answer? ;)

Peace.

Coyote
 
Train City is a keeper and I like Caboose Bay also . So I would add a nice lake or something to it !!!!
 
I'd rather think of it as CabooseBay (an eBay for cabooses only)...

Though Coyote's idea is nice!
 
I want to thank you all for all your creative endeavors to help me work out a solution. But I think I'm going to stick with Train City. It's gotten me this far and I think it has sort of a ring.

Now Rock Ridge, is the name of the miner Rodney Ridge who got the nickname Rock because of being a miner. Of course, his mine is the Rock Ridge Mine, and it follows that the town that the mine supports would be the town of Rock Ridge.

So the pike is once and for officially, The Rock Ridge and Train City Railroad, a division of Southern Pacific est. 1885.
 
Long live the The Rock Ridge and Train City Railroad may she roll for many years!!

Good decision my friend and I bet it will make the Lil Space mouse happy too. :)

Peace.

Coyote
 
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