A question of terminology...?

MasonJar

It's not rocket surgery
Imagine this is the scenario:

- It is the 1930s
- The only railroad (Canadian National) in the area has cut passenger service.
- The hotels and communities want to augment or replace CN's passenger service, as there are (almost) no roads in the area.
- They form a company that buys a doodlebug and set a schedule for service.

So -- what do you call this company? It doesn't own any tracks, and only the one piece of equipment. Is it a "rail service", a "railway" or something else (bear in mind the 1930s timeframe)???

The geographic part of the name I have narrowed down to either:

Algonquin Highlands, or
Ottawa, Algonquin & Georgian Bay

Thoughts?

Andrew
 

FallBuck&Scaler

New Member
I'd call it a rail service, and I like the second name, as Georgian Bay is so gorgeous... it conjures a magical holiday type mood, passengers would flock to ride those rails..

A doodlebug pulling a couple older heavyweights might be just the ticket for increasing tourist visits and revenues. A baggage car might be a good idea, but optional, considering the Great Depression was in full force. Any way to back the time frame to the late 20s, thus making the economy booming, and holidays far more likely to take place? During the Depression, far fewer took holidays, until the streamliners boosted ridership in '35-'36.. and a doodlebug ain't all that streamlined...

Depending on the route, I might buy a ticket or two... run along the shore of Georgian Bay, I'd stay a few nights in every town. Of course, since I'm independently wealthy in your rail service world, I could afford to...
 

galt904

Member
Getting technical here, but CN being a government owned entity at that time wouldn't have the authority to cut passenger service in a remote area, would they?

I know that in this area in the 30's they abandoned several tracks in this area, but that was a duplication in access, without cutting service to any customers. Also, in the 30's, the government spent money on make-work projects.

As for name, I think a name like the second one you give fits more with railway names of the era....
 

MasonJar

It's not rocket surgery
Chad - let's not get to technical here... ;) It's a "historical fiction" shall we say... :D

I do like the second name too, but would it qualify as the Ottawa, Algonquin & Georgian Bay RAILWAY? Or would it be something else?

FallBuck - This would technically be JR Booth's old Ottawa, Arnprior & Parry Sound, which ran from Depot Harbour on Georgian Bay, through the south end of Algonquin Park, Madawaska, Barry's Bay to Ottawa. CPR Pacific steamer 1208 (I think that's the right number) used to run excursions from Ottawa to Barry's Bay before the tracks were torn up. Now it is sitting in the Museum of Sci & Tech waiting for new tires.

We'll pretend that the Depression was not as severe, CN was allowed to rationalize a bit, the Cache Lake trestle was not compromised by flooding (or was repaired), and while we are at it - the tracks were not lifted. Oh yeah, and the Highland Inn was not closed for the better part of the 1930s (1931 to 1938).

Andrew
 

FallBuck&Scaler

New Member
Well.. leave off the 'way' or 'service' and call it OA&G Rail...

I'm all for the idea of the Depression being less severe, or nearly non-existent. Makes my independently wealthy status even better, in your world...

And shoot yeah... I'd ride that rail in a heartbeat. Absolutely beautiful country, although personally speaking, I'd model a lot more on the Bay, and less on the area approaching Ottawa. But, I'm a country boy, big cities give me the itches...

I'd love to see those old inns modeled... what we United Statians call, classic "NorthWoods" style..
 

Canopus

Member
The verb singular for a route operated by one train (be it a single piece of equipment or 5 kilometers of cars) is a service. If the company operates only one piece of equipment, on only one route, then it can call itself a company, a service provider, a route operator, or railway company, but not a railway.

I'd suggest (as a provider) the Algonquin & Georgian Bay Route plc (no company that small can survive unless it's gotten some stock capital, making it a public limited company, in your case the majority shareholders would be all the hotel owners), and call the actual service (as a product) the Algonquin & Georgian Bay Route Passenger Service. A&GBR has a nice ring to it I think. The fact that "bay route" sounds like Beirut is quite a humorous touch too I think.
 

MasonJar

It's not rocket surgery
Thanks for the comments guys.

If I understand it all, I think that the doodlebug will be lettered Ottawa, Algonquin & Georgian Bay, with the idea that it is the OA&GB Railway Company that operates it, where the company is a collection of the villages and resort operators along the route.

As for the "tag line", I was thinking "The Highland Route" (after the Algonquin highlands), or " The Route to Recreation", which fits with the hotel destinations served.

Andrew
 
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