Help name that layout!

[trainsteve2435]

Hello everyone, as some of you know, i have been building a 18' x 22' shelf type layout based loosely on the Santa Fe and BNSF right around the merger time. It is all operational, but im still doing scenery work. I have often thought about nameing it, but where do you start? Can someone tell me how one goes about nameing a layout? Any and all suggestions are welcome and appreciated. Thanks!:thumb:

 

[Ralph]

Hi Steve,

There are many ways modelers arrive at a name for their layout. For freelancers its a snap. The layout can take on the name of the fictional railroad. Were I just modeling my own freelance I could call my layout the Kingsport & Western.

I originaly modelled the Penn Central though and still do. I never really named my layout when it was just a Penn Central theme. One way modelers name a layout with a prototype theme is to call it the "_____ Division" of that railroad. If you like to name if after a real division that's great or you can come up with a fictional name of your choosing. I loosely intended my layout to be like the Penn Central River Division but its so "loosely" that I didn't want to call it that. I could call it the "New River Dvision"or something like that if I wanted.

Many modelers name their layout after cities served by their railroad. These, of coure,can be real city names or some you've invented. My Kingsport & Western is fictional but I made up the name Kingsport because I wanted something similar to Kingston (a town in NY near where I grew up that was a divison mid point for the PC).

Other modelers use geographical features such as State names (Virginina & Ohio), rivers (Delaware & Hudson), mountains (Catskill Mountain Line), etc.

Have some fun writing down a bunch of possibilities and permutations on a piece of paper and go with the one that sounds best to you!

Best wishes!
Ralph

 

[trainsteve2435]

Ralph, thanks for the helpful sugestions, I'll give that a try and let you know what i come up with.

 

[Nomad]

I chose my railroads name by what I imagined my railroad to be. A small branchline meandering through a valley. Hench, The Nomad Valley Railroad.

Loren

 

[Triplex]

As far as I can tell, the British convention is quite different. Layouts usually have the name of a single place.

 

[stormfather]

A slight thread hijack, but..

It's interesting to see that you've mentioned Kingston, NY. I'm in Catskill, just a few towns up the river! Have you posted any pictures of your Kingsport & Western? I'd love to see them.

 

[steamhead]

On a vacation trip several years agoooooooooooooooo....I drove by a town in New Mexico by name of Las Cruces...It just dropped my jaw...What a great town name I thought....!! And since my layout is Southwestern based I knew that had to be part of its name. So I looked around the New Mexico map and found a town by name of Portales..So... that's the name "Las Cruces & Portales".

 

[Ralph]

Hi,

I remember Catskill! I went to school in Saugerties. I do have layout pics posted in several threads. Like I said, the layout is loosely based on the area. Here's a couple of photos. The first is the cement plant I call Hudson cement:

Here's a shot of my attempt at conveying Catskill-like mountains in the background. The foliage in the foreground is photo shopped because its an old picture I was using to plan some scenary.

I haven't been in the area for years. How's the train watching on the River division/West Shore Line?? All CSX I imagine?

Now, back to talk about naming layouts!
regards,
Ralph