Naming Your Model Railroad

[bob]

I think just about any geographic reference is fine, whether it existed or not. You can do a lot with Z & Northern, X & Pacific, Y Western, etc. Those are all fine and reasonable.

My comments are more on the cute "pun" type names. I think those can be fun, and are fine in moderation, but as I said before, I've heard time and time again that they get old, but by then you've spent so much time and effort on it that you don't want to change it.

 

[Cjcrescent]

I never thought about coming up with a "humorous" name. After, as you say Bob, hearing it for years and years, it does start getting old, and the "humor" in it, is no longer funny.

 

[bob]

I never thought about coming up with a "humorous" name. After, as you say Bob, hearing it for years and years, it does start getting old, and the "humor" in it, is no longer funny.

Exactly! They used to be common back in the early days. (Remember the "Model Railroading Is Fun!" slogan Model Railroader had on the cover?)

The best known example is the Gorre and Daphetid. At least it has the advantage of not being quite so immediately obvious. It's pronounced "Gory and Defeated" and was the railroad of the legendary John Allen.

Another one that comes to mind was the "Lackawampum", an obvious play on Lackawanna. For you young'uns, "Wampum" is the name for shells used by certain Native American tribes as currency, and back in the less PC times, it was a nickname for money.

 

[DairyStateDad]

When I was in high school in the early 1970s, I had an idea for a layout that would do urban switching in a seaboard city.

I would name the city Harper Valley.
The line would be called the Harper Valley Port Transfer Authority. (Or maybe Agency). And all the locos would bear the name 'Harper Valley P. T. A.'

Never did build it, though... ...

From the DairyStatePhone

 

[DairyStateDad]

.... There was a railroad that ran from there to the Southern Pacific
main line in Battle Mountain. This was the Nevada Central. It was never a real successful railroad and is long gone, but
it lives on in my family room as a 7x14 ft. ho layout.

I have been toying with renaming my line (which has no custom painted rolling stock as yet) for the Milwaukee, Lakeshore & Western. That ran through northern Wisconsin, where my line is set. The CNW bought it out in the 1920s. If I went that name, I would want to model an alternative history in which it stays independent, at least well into the 1930s, when I would want to set it.

From the DairyStatePhone

 

[Iron Horseman]

Gaining experience with model railroading and more knowledge of real railroads, my interests began to turn away from the glitzy high iron, 4 track mainlines with heavy power, long trains, and racing transcontinental passengers. I found that the smaller class 1s became more and more interesting as well as regionals, branch lines, and short lines. As such I started working on a new freelance to match this theme. By now I wanted to incorporate some other interests as well as some forgotten historical elements into the new area and name. Geology, Paleontology, Colorado, mountaineering, and a few other. I was stumped for a long time with clumsy things like Colorado South Eastern, The Great Mountain Central, Rocky Mountain Pacific, Canon City Oil Creek & Western. Then NASCAR came to the rescue and gave the the answer. They named the new race track Pikes Peak International. So after much thought and consideration I came up with the "Pikes Peak and Fossil Creek". The problem is I didn't really like the PPFC initials as it sounds military. So Fossil Creek and Pikes Peak. Still don't really like FCPP. Just Fossil Creek for short. The logo is an ammonite.

One structure I wanted was a typical Tesla Wardenclyffe radio/power tower. Since Tesla originally had his research facility right here in Colorado Springs I thought it was a perfect fit. So I added the Tesla Wireless Electric Company's industrial railroad (TWEC) to my list.

I've given thought to merging them as the Fossil Creek Pikes Peak and Tesla. FCPT The industrial rail is of-course electrified. Tesla wireless electric locos can run over the entire system.

 

[dave1905]

Cute Names

Picking a "cute" or humorous name may not be the best option. A lot of people who have picked a "cute" name find the joke wears off and they find themselves with 30 custom lettered cars hat aren't "funny" anymore.

John Allen regretted his "Gory and Defeated" name.

Rev. Jerry McGee moved away from the Pyui and Phui.

Pick something geographic that describes your railroad and places it on the map. My first freelance RR was the Lenape RR, based on the railroad running through Lenape, Pa. which was also the name of the Native American tribes in SE Pa. (the Lenni Lenape or Delawares). My next layout of any size was the Cattahocken Branch of the Reading, combining the CATTAsagua and Fogelsville Branch of the RDG and ConshoHOKEN. While having a prototypical basis, I advise not picking a name that sounds like a cat coughing up a furball.

 

[bob]

A lot of people who have picked a "cute" name find the joke wears off and they find themselves with 30 custom lettered cars hat aren't "funny" anymore.

That's correct. I think as the hobby became more serious and prototypically oriented, the cute side was less popular.

As I suggested before, that doesn't mean you can't do it on a limited basis. Just can't resist doing the Fargo, Amarillo, Reno & Texas? Then letter one or two cars for it, and pretend you interchange with it. You can get the laugh without devoting the entire railroad to it.

I advise not picking a name that sounds like a cat coughing up a furball.

LOL!

 

[DairyStateDad]

As I suggested before, that doesn't mean you can't do it on a limited basis. Just can't resist doing the Fargo, Amarillo, Reno & Texas? Then letter one or two cars for it, and pretend you interchange with it. You can get the laugh without devoting the entire railroad to it.

That's a really great idea.


From the DairyStatePhone

 

[Railrunner130]

That's correct. I think as the hobby became more serious and prototypically oriented, the cute side was less popular.

I think there is an interesting balance of serious and light heartedness if a little effort is put forth. Look at all the beer cars. There must be some professional drinkers amongst us. <<This from a guy with the beer fridge in the same room as the trains....

 

[MrWCF]

Picking a "cute" or humorous name may not be the best option. A lot of people who have picked a "cute" name find the joke wears off and they find themselves with 30 custom lettered cars hat aren't "funny" anymore.

That's a great point. I've tried to be descriptive, but do it in a very unserious way, while naming the four railroads operating on my layout: The Peru & Baraboo Railroad (services a circus), the Dozen Bridges Alpine Route, the Three Corners & Lilliput Lake Line, and the South Side Switching Railway.

 

[dinwitty]

My layout is a mix of differrent prototype lines, Steam/electric/Diesel/Narrow 50's....but one running theme goes between them all, Coal. Overall the layout is "named" The Coal Routes, the the lines retain their names. Can you say ..interchange...

 

[photoman475]

Because of my interest in bankrupt railroads, my brother actually named part of my railroad for me. I've modified it a little bit to make it easier to live with. He named it The Bankrupt Lines, since most of my locos and rolling stock are for 1960s and 1970s bankrupts. My specific interest in the anthracite region, thus, I'm modeling the Anthracite Division of the Bankrupt Lines, America's Only True Transcontinental Railroad.

I modeled the Milwaukee for years, but my interests evolved into the Leigh Valley. So, if you take the anthracite roads, add the PC and EL, connect them in Chicago with the Milwaukee and the Rock Island....and in real life you would have had a true bankrupt transcontinental railroad! So, just make the congressional act creating Conrail a couple of years later, add the Milwaukee....and what I'm modeling is perfectly plausible.

I save the "cute" names for railroad positions. The chief mechanical officer of the line is I.M. "Plenty" Cheap, as he's always arguing with suppliers about parts prices. His idea of a loco rebuild is to use more bailing wire....the head of the Dining Car Department is Del Monaco....his chief assistant is known as "Fishy" Waters.....you get the idea.

The main junction for my railroad will use the last name of a now-deceased railroad friend of mine; the tower will have his initials. The school will be named for his wife, a former school teacher. Other friends will get industries or other buildings named for them.

Photoman475

 

[DairyStateDad]

The idea of using towns, industries, etc. as the place to do cute, clever, or personalized names is the route I am taking, too...

 

[Creepy]

As my layout is a city based layout in the USA, I have decided on "Urbania" for the city name.
I seen this name on a water tower in a film about young football kids, the town was in Ohio. (fictitious)
There is a real place in Ohio called "Urbana".
As my city is designed and constructed from my immagination and the internet I decided on a totally fictitious name, that way I can't offend anybody for not being prototypically correct.


All the best
Gary

 

[tootnkumin]

As my layout is a city based layout in the USA, I have decided on "Urbania" for the city name.
I seen this name on a water tower in a film about young football kids, the town was in Ohio. (fictitious)
There is a real place in Ohio called "Urbana".
As my city is designed and constructed from my immagination and the internet I decided on a totally fictitious name, that way I can't offend anybody for not being prototypically correct.


All the best
Gary

Only those that are offended by the use of non-prototypical names

 

[OldGuyHO]

The current working name for ours is the MJA: The Malach and Jacob's Creek Alliance Railroad, on a stretch (fictition) of the gulf coast. Its a short switching layout that allows commerce between second tier manufacturers in the small town of Malachi and the large international in Jacob's Crossing. Named for my grandson and great-grandson. It may change.

 

[southern154]

I am currently working on a shortline/leased mainline called the Knoxville Southern, the main sees 95% NS trains (and a lot of steam excursion trips) and a little CSX. The shortline serves a small town and a small tourist railroad also runs along the KS.

 

[montanan]

Mine is the Logan Valley. The railroad is a short line connecting with the Northern Pacific at Logan, MT, and running south through the Gallatin Valley to Gallatin Gateway, MT (which is where I live). Here it connects with the Milwaukee Road (which did have a spur ending here) and also connecting with another freelance railroad, the Gallatin Canyon & Western. We did start building the GC&W years back. I custom painted a number of Locomotives and freight cars for this railroad. It ran south from Gallatin Gateway, MT to West Yellowstone, MT, where it connected with the Union Pacific which did have rail into West Yellowstone at the time, 1957. Unfortunately, my friend who owned the GC&W passed away. We did a bit of planning for our two railroads, actually using a USGS map to route both railroads.

Probably too much thinking went into it, but I am following through with my railroad, and in my freelance world, the Logan Valley bought out the GC&W and continues the service, but there is no GC&W trackage. Rails leave the Logan Valley into hidden staging simulating connection with the GC&W and Milwaukee Road.

 

[MikeOwnby]

Midland Valley Railroad was a successful railroad that ran from Wichita KS through Oklahoma to Ft. Smith AR. It was headquartered here in my city, and was absorbed into the Missouri Pacific in the 1960's. My current paint and logos have no resemblance whatsoever to the original, and I use Railway instead of Railroad, but in the end it was just a catchy name that has some local history. I had been playing with designing a custom paint scheme for quite some time and really was just searching for a good name to attach to it. Once I thought of Midland Valley and then created what I think is a clever logo for it, that was all she wrote.