# Naming Your Railroad



## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

Just curious, how many of you have named your railroad?
I've been building mine for nearly six years, but have yet to attach an "official" name to the layout. Several ideas have come to mind, nothing permanent so far, but I'm about to take the plunge.


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## time warp (Apr 28, 2016)

How about "Dave". :laugh:


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## Spence (Oct 15, 2015)

I've never come up with a name.


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## time warp (Apr 28, 2016)

My first "empire" was the"Spare Time Lines", a subsidiary of the NYC with STL reporting marks on my equipment.
A few years later, was born the "Central and Eastern", A generic eastern road that was light freight and commuter service. That railroad ran for about 15 years using the same equipment for the duration.
I'm easing back into NYC again now, with general eastern influence. Were mostly playing so it's the "Basement Central" with a branch line called the "Coal Dump Line".
I've always let my equipment preference steer my RR choices, and having a prototypical name for your railroad adds tremendous interest, even down to structure types and grade crossing equipment.


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## Chip (Feb 11, 2016)

I kinda "poo-pooed" the whole "name it" thing at first but after I DID name it I had a different attitude towards it, and now If people ask about my layout I tell em to google the name and it brings em here to see the pics!


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

Chip said:


> I kinda "poo-pooed" the whole "name it" thing at first but after I DID name it I had a different attitude towards it, and now If people ask about my layout I tell em to google the name and it brings em here to see the pics!


OK, so what is the name of your railroad?


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## Chip (Feb 11, 2016)

raleets said:


> OK, so what is the name of your railroad?


LOL! My bad, it's the "Michigan Central UNLIMITED"!

I'm located in Central Michigan, and there is NO LIMIT to what I will run so it was an obvious choice for me.


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## Mark VerMurlen (Aug 15, 2015)

I've been building my railroad for about a year now. Haven't named it yet, but it's track plan is very close to the MRR layout titled "Peace River". I don't want to use that name because it wasn't my intention to copy it in full. I'll have to give it some more thought.

Mark


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

My beloved's and my initials, the digits of the car numbers are my age and her's at the time the cars were finished. Depending on the company present, B&MC can stand for the "Basic and Mostly Credible" or, for the really uptight rivet counters, the "Baltimore and Mount Claire". Tony Koester would need an ambulance after he visits...


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

I named mine after towns and geographic features in the area of the country I was born in and love. It's called the Canon City, Blanca and Glen Canyon Railroad. I've published a fiction book, sort of a novel, in which it is featured prominently in the plot, too, but mostly its a name just to remind me of the part of the country I love and model on my layout.


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## Chip (Feb 11, 2016)

WOW, Lee, awesome storage shelving in the background! THAT is a "train room" the way they's s'posed ta be! WELL DONE!

I'm so "crude" I just leave em on the layout, that's my "storage".


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

The historical name for the railroad which ran in the area I'm (loosely) modeling.


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## Don F (Dec 5, 2015)

Due to a lack of suitable indoor space, my pike made its way outdoors, sort of. I built a workshop at the rear of the back yard, abutting a dirt alley. When my wife and I bought the house some thirty plus years ago, there was a rundown garage that was torn down. I pretty much used the original footprint for the new shop, but I made the pitch of the roof conducive to maximize storage space at 9/12. Walking erect in the center is possible, and at 38 feet long, there is a ton of space. 
The shop was designed with a shelf layout in mind, and a pond. The back wall of the pond is also the bearing wall for three 8 X 8 posts to support a covered patio extension of the shop. The layout is 10' X 16' with two loops interconnected with turnouts. The storage yard is inside the shop, and accessed by a tunnel portal through the dividing wall. 
I named my layout Wrong Way Rail Road because of the many train wrecks caused by the turnouts being the Wrong Way! Years ago, before I was married, I cut down a Walnut tree, and have since used all the wood except for one large slab. My son had the name of the rail road carved into the slab, which is hung on the back of the shop above the doors. He wanted to have a locomotive carved, but it was too costly.
Don


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## GNfan (Jun 3, 2016)

*Railroad names*

When I got back into Model Railroading I started with a n-scale Bachmann set on a half-sheet of plywood, and I jokingly referred to it as "Plywood Prairie" to my wife. It now has two trains, more cars, and structures, but the name stuck. I've noticed that both the Great Northern and Northern Pacific were "railways", not "railroads". Maybe I'll change that


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## MikeB (Feb 11, 2016)

25 years ago I used the initials of my sons, I'm sticking with the same name as I put the current layout together.


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## richs75 (Jan 21, 2016)

My RR is the E,L&L, named for my 3 grandsons. The City of Eli is the main city and port on my railroad. Has a double main line which the UP operates. From Eli, is a side line spur that runs up to Lincoln, a small town at the opposite end of the room. Located about half way between Eli and Lincoln is a small village called Lucasville. 

When the kids come to "help" grandpa run the railroad, they love seeing their names imortalized on the road signs and switch engines that are found around the layout.

Also, as other grandkids come along, they will get factories, bakeries, office buildings and etc named after them.


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## Mr.Buchholz (Dec 30, 2011)

The name of my railroad is my surname. When I restarted my layout, I figured I should name it, but make sure the name is something I can be proud of. And it is. 

-J.

(P.S. the alternate logo is in my signature)


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## Old_Hobo (Feb 20, 2014)

I named mine the Trump Trunk Line.....but it had a one track mind and kept de-railing itself.....so I got rid of the name.....:laugh:


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## Guest (Oct 11, 2016)

My layout is the Alma & Jupiter Bay Railway. I used my wife's and my initials, A&JB, and found town names that worked. The A&JB is a subsidiary of the New York Central.


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## time warp (Apr 28, 2016)

Country Joe said:


> My layout is the Alma & Jupiter Bay Railway. I used my wife's and my initials, A&JB, and found town names that worked. The A&JB is a subsidiary of the New York Central.


 NYC, atta boy!


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## Chip (Feb 11, 2016)

These were considered and scrapped, 

Norfolk and Way.

The Sratchahoochie Express and

The S.N.A.F and U. and various variations of letters much less printable.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

How about the *FU*ndy, *B*runswick, *A*nd *R*ockland? Reporting mark: FUBAR


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

Guys,
I sincerely appreciate all your input on this thorny subject of naming my railroad. 
After a great deal of thought, hand wringing, and torn up pieces of paper I think I've finalized and am ready to proceed. 
My railroad is pretty much a walk thru my life, with the "downtown" and "depot" modeled after my hometown of Niles, MI where I grew up..... the "commercial" area is similar to
Flint, MI when I first arrived in 1965......the "factory" area is what Flint, MI looked like in the 20's, 30's and 40's...the "woods and forests" are very much like those found in Northern Michigan where I've spent lots of time.......same with the "campgrounds",
"the lake", and "the river".
The trains themselves are freights that are typically seen running thru Flint, while the Amtrak with the Superliner cars represents the four trips we've taken over the years.
Therefore, (drum roll please), I've decided to name my layout the "Somewhere In Time Railroad".  
Not entirely coincidental is the fact the movie "Somewhere In Time" is one of my all-time favorites and was filmed on Mackinac Island in Northern Michigan.
Next is a trip to the sign shop where I'm ordering a one-piece peel and stick to go on the fascia just below the layout. It will be in the same script as used on the sound track album for "Somewhere In Time".
This pretty much puts the finishing touches on my layout and allows me to spend the winter fiddlin' and fussin' with little details here and there.
I'm going to try my best to post some pics when it's finished.
Thanks again for all your input. :appl:
Bob


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## Tallaman (Oct 23, 2012)

Seeing as how a railroad is a company that owns real property (track, switches, terminals and offices), equipment (locomotives, MOW) and cars used in the operation of a railroad, I have to go with the name on the locomotives running on the track at the time (Seaboard, Southern, Atlantic Coast Line), whatever it may be. But I'm game for naming the fictitious town the railroad runs through. I intended to model Florida landscape, but too many of my buildings have "snow" on them, so that throws that idea into question. I may just go with naming the twon after whoever is coming to see the layout. That makes it kinda fun!


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## time warp (Apr 28, 2016)

Has to be STRR.

Should not be SITRR.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

time warp said:


> Has to be STRR.
> 
> Should not be SITRR.


Would a smaller version be the "Baby SITRR"? :laugh:

I think I need a rim shot there.


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

time warp said:


> Has to be STRR.
> 
> Should not be SITRR.


At one point I considered "Sometimes ON Time Railroad" in honor of Amrak.
However, one of the many charms of rail travel is not giving a rip if you arrive on time. You're having so much fun you really don't care.
Bob


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## time warp (Apr 28, 2016)

The best name I ever saw was the Grunt & Clumsum, "The razorback route". Funny.

Then there was the PURR, Prospect and Upper Ridge RR.

Both many moons ago


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