# Railroad title...



## Bighurt (Sep 15, 2009)

I've come to an impass as to what I should actually name my Railroad. Moreover not just the railroad but the line, I'd really like to give my pike some history. Not only will it help make purchases but a railroad with a history will add that much more to the prototypical feel.

I also feel that asking some elses opinion on a name is sorta ridiculus, in that the varied names won't really help matters.

So I'd rather hear advice on how you came up with your name or how real railroads came up with their names for divisions etc. I've seen many of you with rather unique names...

Appriciate any input.


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## Schlosser (Jan 2, 2008)

Waaaay back when my brothers and I had a HO railroad, I liked the sound of a file we had to keep on the railroad I was working for: the Over, Short, and Damaged. This was for less than carload loads (LCL) of course, and seldom did we end with any overs for any shipment, but the short and damaged items were quite numerous. 

The file was called OS&D of course, and boy did that sound like a railroad name. We all liked the UP and sure enough there was a town between Omaha and Denver called Sterling. So we named it 'The Omaha Sterling and Denver'. 

Another phrase often used on freight bills was 'Shippers Load & Count' which yielded Sterling Lariat & Chugwater; a natural for a branch line off the main. 

Some use the initials of the kids or family members. 

Perhaps you've a pet phrase or a vacation spot that could be the source for your railroad's name. 

Art 

But hand lettering in those days was not easy. A shorter name would have been less frustrating.


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## Dave F (Jan 2, 2008)

Log on to my railroads website and read my "Fictional History" page.. Basicaly I took parts of actual histories of a few railroads in this region: The Uintah Railrway, The Rio Grande Southern, D&RG, and a few other small mining & logging lines. Add to that a hefty dose of imagination, and my family history with the Illinois Central. Just do a good bit of research on similar lines and let your imagination run wild for a bit. I wrote the history of my line five or six times. The basic story line did not change, but the detail bits I "massaged" until I was happy... 

Look here: www.lonepeakandwestern.bravehost.com


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

You kindof have to wait till something strikes your fancy. It helps to construct some sort of story or history. 

My Asylum Valley N&D came about when I had my office in my apartment and was away from the raging wife, not my my choice. I called my office/apartment my Asylum (A safe place). Asylum Valley sounded like someplace in the Appalachians, and my first rolling stock was labeled Pennsylvania, so the story went along: 

"The Asylum Valley N&D (nickel & dime is how I got my trains) is a short line serving the Asylum Valley. It must connect to the Pennsylvania 'cause there is lots of old Pennsy equipment around." 








Ralph Brades thought it was a hoot and designed this cool coat-of-arms for it. 

When I moved, I thought I wanted a more optimistic name. Since I listen to Focus on the Family's "Adventured in Odyssey" almost every day, I hit on "Odyssey Westward." Odyssey is "A place so purdy folks oddy see it." Of course, north of Chicago, it's "Westward" 'cause this is about as far east as you can go. However, I liked the old name better with Ralph's drawing.


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## Richard Smith (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Bighurt on 22 Sep 2009 06:51 PM 
I've come to an impass as to what I should actually name my Railroad. Moreover not just the railroad but the line, I'd really like to give my pike some history. Not only will it help make purchases but a railroad with a history will add that much more to the prototypical feel.

I also feel that asking some elses opinion on a name is sorta ridiculus, in that the varied names won't really help matters.

So I'd rather hear advice on how you came up with your name or how real railroads came up with their names for divisions etc. I've seen many of you with rather unique names...

Appriciate any input.


From your comments I assume you plan on a hypothetical railroad that you make up on your own. If you were planning on copying a prototype everything would already be done for you including the name

That's what I did.
1) Place your RR in a real location whether or not you use real area names.
2) Limit your freight and/or passenger service to what would be logical in that geographical area. Any real RR has such limitations.
3) Limit the theoretical size of the railroad to make it more doable and believeable.

I live in Port Orford on the southern Oregon coast so I named the RR *Port Orford Coast R.R.*
Next I checked the most logical location for a RR out of Port Orford (this town never actually had rail service).
A 52 mile shortline through Bandon to Coos Bay where an SP branch served was the most logical.
Decide on a rough period to model. I chose around 1940. Compromise is necessary because it is difficult to find only equipment and fittings 1940 and prior.
What would be hauled on such a railroad? Lumber and logging without a doubt. Secondarily livestock, farming and fishing with cranberries a bit later.
Who would build such a railroad? Most probably a lumber company eager to get its product to a larger world market. The Old Mill Lumber Co. was created as the parent company of the POC R.R. It was named for the street I live on.

My practice is to use actual geographic and town names and fictional names (of friends, etc.) for the business names.

With the above criteria:
Passenger service would be minimal, mostly just a mixed train unless the mail contract could be secured from the stage line that previously held it. Then a Morning Mail Train would be appropriate with a coach on its rear for passengers. I still retained the mixed train in addition.

Most freight would be to accomodate the parent lumber company. This can be log cars to the mill (in Port Orford naturally), boxcars and flatcars to haul lumber to Coos Bay, occasional supplies for the mill in mostly boxcars and machinery on flats. This one company would account for about 60% of the RR's freight.

The other 40% would consist of boxcars, flats, gondolas, stock cars, reefers, tankcars.

Industries:
Team tracks and freight forwarders (various car types), fish cannery (reefers for product and boxcars for supplies, boxes), stockpens mostly for seasonal movements to and from pasture, fuel cars for the RR (tankcars), and gondolas or hoppers for ballast and gravel (the Humbug Mining and Gravel Co. has a couple of gondolas lettered for it. Humbug is a local mountain that sits right at the oceanside closeby here). Additionally any number of small industries such as farm or logging machinery, feed & grain, etc. can be used. The important thing is for them to be logical for the area served.

No coal drags here but of course if your RR is in West Virginia that would possibly be different .
My engines all are outfitted with oil bunkers since that was the most common out here unless you model the woodburner era. In the east you would probably use coal.

By putting restrictions on yourself you make everything more logical and associate the RR with the area in which it runs. Best not to model a desert railroad outdoors if you live in the forest or vice versa. Of course that's all up to you but you'll find it much more doable not to try and do everything.

Hope this gives insight on how one RR was conceived. Best of luck with yours.


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## Bighurt (Sep 15, 2009)

Appriciate all the replies, they certainly help.

I think my problem is asking to much of my railroad while maintaining the illusion that this vast country has no more room for another Class I bridge route. Although I don't need a Class I pike in my back yard my dreams don't exactly say otherwise.

I love big Diesels which are probably on a Class II and II lines but not always...

I also love unit coal trains and Intermodal traffic again probably but unlikly...

I also love the Western Colorado lines of days long gone...

Lastly living in the Northern plains makes it difficult to simulate the Rockies, although not impossible...

Currently I have no name in mind althogth T.S.P & W.R.R is a possiblity...but not probably location. My other idea was similar to Eric Brooman's Utah Belt a North South Bridge line, mine being between Grand Junction and Santa Fe via the old Silverton line, and idea but a difficult mainline.

My main desire is not so much operation as being a railfan in my own back yard...

We'll see what I can come up with....


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Tri-Sodium-Phosphate and Western? 

Clean..... 


Once when ln a silly mood I used East and West Urn as destinations..... with The Golden Urn Mine inbetween... 

John


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## Bighurt (Sep 15, 2009)

Kids initials and Western Railroad


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## harrhalb (Jan 27, 2008)

Don't rule out funny names. My buddies Jack, and Barbara, named their railroad "The Neva Dun" (Never finished) railroad. My wife embroidered shirts for them with the logo, and a steam locomotive. My railroad is the "All-ya-All Southern Railroad", which is the plural of "Ya-All". That is in honor of the twenty years I lived in Atlanta prior to moving to Florida.

Harry


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Well, then you don't need the name of a railroad, but of a place the railroad passes.


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## Pete Chimney (Jan 12, 2008)

I named my garden railroad the Bear Mountain & Pacific. My wife has an extensive collection of teddy bears and we lived in CA at the time, near the Pacific.

It was not until the wife saw a flat car decaled with the initials and mentioned it to me, then and only then did I realize what I had done; BM & P. I certainly did not intend to be scatological in my naming but there it is.

My indoor 0n30 pike is called the Alcova and Kaycee Northern. This was named for two towns in central Wyoming, Alcova and Kaycee, neither of which ever had a railroad come to within 25 miles but I like the towns and their names. Iin the case of the 0n30 the acronym AK & N is rather mild in comparison.


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## post oak and otter lake (Dec 27, 2007)

I came up with the reporting marks first POOL. This was chosen because the RR is located in a filled in swimming pool. Then I had to think of word for the PO & OL. Post Oak is a native tree to Texas [later I found out there are several communities named that in Texas]. My wife is from Minnesota. Near where she grew up is Otter Lake. So the Post Oak & Otter Lake came about. I have 3 towns on the layout Post Oak, Otter Lake and Oso Blanco [White Bear where my wife grew up]. I've been a Santa Fe Nut for 45 years so anything with ATSF or GCSF can run on it. Most of the DRGW rolling stock is in the process of being relettered to POOL.
My On30 Layout uses my wife's initail and mine. Coyote Ridge RR. My former N scale was the Santa Fe Southwestern RR.
I create a fictional history that you can read at my MR group North Central Texas All Scale. http://www.nctxas.org/

Roger
POOL
CR


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## Bighurt (Sep 15, 2009)

Alright so after thinking and researching I think I'm going actually go with a Prototype road.

Mainly because I have no imagination and creating a unique history for a Class I railraod set in 2009, is simple beyond my ability. If only I was building a Fn3 line from the 40's...

So I've decieded to model the Dakota Minnisota & Eastern, in 1/29th.

My main reason for Class I was, unit trains in Coal, ISO, and Grain. Next to impossible to imagine... a new Class I dealing in all three on one line. However the DME currently huals tons of grain, and with the Powder River Basin addition in the near future unit coal maybe a possibility. As for Intermodal, its not impossible to imagine a run through from the BNSF main in Wyoming to Chicago.

Aside from the operational stand point the railroad operates motive power easily available in Large Scale with some moderate kitbashing and custom paint. Moreover my favorite Loco the EMD SD40-2 is a mainstay for the DME. As well as the GP38-2 and a stragler of others.

In addition ex CP equipment and a whole host of rolling stock grace its rails. 

So its feasable for me to set up and be running in a short time, without tons of cash dumped in to custom Motive power and rolling stock.

As a plus if I buy a few smaller GP38's in CP colors I can bash and run them on my R3 during the winter. Lttle bit 'O' motivation to get the outdoor stuff up and running when you have active work cards to fill...


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