Hi all,
While discussing layouts with a model railroading friend, we ended up sharing the stories behind the names we’ve given our layouts or the locations on them.
My layout - the D&RGW Bradford Branch serving the A. N. Bradford coal mine - is named after my fiancee. She’s always been supportive/tolerant of my hobby.
Are there any locations on your layouts whose name holds a special meaning for you?
Cheers,
tbdanny
Two of the main roads on my layout are Penny Lane and Saint Anne Street, named for my wife and daughter, respectively. They’re also the names of the subway stations beneath them, so the names are plastered all over the subway walls.
Mine’s currently the Pink and white. Try to guess why.
My layout loosely patterned after the C&NW, is named Little Fort and Shore line after the indian name of my hometown, Waukegan Illinois which lies on the shores of Lake Michigan.
I named my yard after my Dad, who passed away while my layout was still in the planning stage.
Also, I named Eshleman’s Feed Mill after a mill, located in Lancaster Pa. where my Grandfather, Father, and two uncles worked.
I named this pallet factory after a good friend, occasional operator, and fellow train nut. DJ.
(free-lanced) Conemaugh Road & Traction…
[1] Conemaugh = from Greater Johnstown’s prototype Conemaugh Valley where the Stoneycreek River and Little Conemaugh River meet to become the Conemaugh River – a geography of three rivers.
[2] Traction = the traditional roots of the CR&T with PCCs for passenger, and box motors for local freight.
[3] Road = the transition era for a newer diesel switcher, or flexibility to employ a doodlebug gas electric.
Conemaugh is pronounced “con-ah-maw.”
Many Japanese place names are interchangeable with surnames, or only slightly modified from given names. The same process works quite well in reverse.
Parts of my master plan include place and ‘thing’ names that are simply surnames:
Kashimoto Forest Railway (my wife’s maiden name.) The two major stations on that ‘may be built out, someday,’ narrow gauge stump-dodger bear our children’s middle names in slightly modified form. Her family was heavily involved in logging.[^]
Tomikawa (literally, Rich Stream) is the surname of the person who inspired me to request transfer to Japan from Korea in 1958. The name is shared by a town, a river and my freelance private feeder railway.[8D]
Stations along the JNR are named for showgirls. (My wife knows, but I don’t rub it in.)[|(]
Stations along the Tomikawa Valley Railway WERE named for ex-girlfriends. In an effort to keep peace in the family (and my head on my shoulders) they have been re-named for Japanese admirals - with the same surnames…[}:)]
The biggest local landform, Takamiyama, (Literally High Seeing Mountain - Lookout Mountain is close enough,) is the ring name of a Hawaiian Sumo rikishi. Another rikishi, Myobudani, gave his name to the valley behind the Yamamoto station on the TTT.[:P]
There are more, of lesser and lesser importance - but you get the idea.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with names well-known in 1964)
While I plan on prototype locations and railorad serve industries, some family names will end up on stores and such.
Ricky
My layout is full of shout outs. Nearly all of the industries and interlockings are named for friends and family. These are just a few…
Penn Lake Railway Bourbon River Sub: bourbon is my favorite drink
City of Plaster Fall: where a leaky roof caused the ceiling to crash onto the layout
R. Nicholas Steel: my one grandfather (Richard Nicholas) was a metallurgical engineer
Frank Tower: my other grandfather was a 50 year conductor
Dave Brewing: my dad likes brewing beer
MNB Publishing: my mom (her initials) is a school librarian
Lampson Yard: my godfather was a yardmaster
Berg Locomotive Facility: the engineer I worked with for years, before he lost his hearing
Nick
I’ve named my WT engines are named for Nobel Laureates in Physics.
And many Industries and streets are named for friends.
Wolfgang
I pay tribute by using the names of deceased family members for some of my businesses with certain priorities for their occupations or likes. For example my father was into fishing so he has a bait and tackle shop.
Doc
My only town is Kingsdown. It is a mattress manufacture, I use to sell mattress and I made a lot of money selling them. Plus, they are a great mattress, my wife and I sleep on one. Here is there plant in the town.
In the town (currently in boxes, town is being redone) there is a shoe store called Sues Shoes named after my wife. She uses the spare bedroom for a closet. Till the other day I had not been in that room for 2 years. After going in there the other week, I think the store need to be expanded!
Then there K-10 Mining
It is named after one of the best LHS in the US, K-10 Model Trains. I asked Ken the owner where he came up with the name for his store? I was told it was his call sign while he was a Navy Pilot.
Cuda Ken
My Junction is “West Park” next to Horton and there will be a route sign to “St Ebba’s Hospital”. Anyone who grew up near Epsom when I did or knows of the Horton Etsate Light Railway will recognise the names of the local LCC sanitoriums. I think it fairly represents the insanity of MRR [8D] (I believe that the solidly built Victorian buildings are now the centre of luxury gated residential property developments… says something…)
My railcar maintenance works will be “McFadden Whitehead”. They specialise in braking refits…I wonder who will figure that one out.
I want to fit in an auto shop “Francis N Stein”. When I planned an town scene one of the offices over a store was going to be “Connors Futures”… I like to play with film titles and connections. The store was “Uncle Bob’s Surplus Store”.
I need a name for the concrete panel works… who was the union guy that they reckon holds up several freeway overpasses?
I would never risk naming anything after a girlfriend/partner… not in paint at any rate… it’s too high a risk… like getting a name tatoo…
My Shortline was Hamilton and Deering = Lynda Hamilton (in “Vincent” and Terminator 2) and Colonel Deering in "Buck Rogers in the 21st century). The other shortline name, that I never got to use was Corinth and Hawthorn… anyone figure out the cartoon connection? (That’s a huge clue).
[:P]
Though my Yuba River Sub is set in actual locales in the northern California Sierra Nevada (Nevada City, Sierra City, the three forks of the Yuba River), I do have one fictional station called Wagon Wheel Gap that takes the railroad from the South fork to the Middle fork of the Yuba River. There is no Wagon Wheel Gap in that area–in fact the only Wagon Wheel Gap I’m familiar with is in Colorado–but I just liked the name, LOL!
Tom [:)]
While all my “towns & cities” are actual places in central and south AL, and all can be located on a present day NS or old SRR map of Al., all the industries except for two, are named for my friends. The two that are not is an ice company in my home town that used to have an icing contract with the local railroads. The other is Confederate Hill Coal and Mining Co. Just about 15 miles north of my hometown was a small coal mine on a hill named “Confederate Hill”, that supplied coal to the furnaces at Tanniehill, Al. There was also a small POW camp nearby, that supplied the labor. Both of these industries were destroyed during the War of Northern Aggression in 1864.[}:)] The furnaces were restored several years ago and the area is now a state park. The mine however is long gone.
The Heartland Division of CB&Q is fictional division of the CB&Q, and it is intended to represent the territory in which the Burlington operated.
I am currently building the City of Heartland which will be the main terminal on my layout.
Other locations on the layout are also fictional.
The town of Valley Heights is an attempt at humor (valleys do not have heights).
Standing Falls is the name of my waterfalls.
Hinterland is located at the end of a branch line.
Blackhawk is a small city near the steel mill.
My double track main line crosses the Mrs. Hippy River with a multiple span bridge.
Prairie View is the first town west of the Mrs. Hippy River.
Other locations are planned and unbuilt.
Lariat, will be a small town that ships cattle by rail.
Lumps is the name for a town next to the coal mine.
The western terminal will be called Heyday.
There are three named fictional Burlington passenger trains, Prairie Zephyr, Heartland Zephyr, and Twilight Zephyr. There is one fictional Great Northern passenger train, the Plainsman. .
Happy Model Railraoding !
http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/p/99635/1161639.aspx#1161639
Of course to have a special named location on a layout one would first have to have a layout. BUT
On a club layout we have named the industries for certain members.
The layout I designed in high school had a whole division of girls names who were all special in some way or another. Cities along the “main line” carried names of scientists.
Each nephew has a locomotive named after them in our Christmas tree fleet.
I am currently building a depot for the town of Lake Hammond…even though I haven’t really started work on the townsite yet. The city name is a fairly subtle play on words on a public radio broadcaster’s name. Most people wouldn’t get the “joke” so it’s not something that should wear out over time, but for those that do it usually brings a smile.
[:)]
p.s. Oddly enough, when I talk to people about my free-lance “St.Paul Route” railroad and it’s history, unless I point out it’s something I made up, they generally have no problem believing I’m talking about modelling a real railroad. However, when I talk about the real railroad that I grew up watching go by my house, the Minneapolis Northfield and Southern, they assume I’m making that up. “NORTHfield and SOUTHern??” that can’t be a real name!!"
[%-)]
I seem to be lacking in the imagination department when it comes to names. I still haven’t come up with a name for the town on my layout. However, I’ve named a few buildings after people. I named a feed and grain building after my wife’s late uncle who was a farmer, I named a craft and curio shop after my daughter who is into that sort of thing and I named a storefront as a comedy club after my son who did standup comedy for many years.
My layout, the Clinton-Golden Valley is a fictional short line serving the city of Clinton. In our town’s history, there was a lot of coal mining in this area. Although, the topography is a little more mountainous on my layout, I enjoy it. The coal mine, the Rockmaul Mining Co. is named after an online buddy. Eve’s Boarding house is run by one of my neighbors. In real life, her husband, Joe, works for the KCP&L, and one of his primary duties is emptying coal trains; on the layout, Joe operates the coaling tower. Another business, Duey’s Bed and Breakfast, is named after a friend who was in my wife and mine wedding.
Duey’s Bed and Breakfast
Eve’s Boarding House
Rockmaul Mining Co.
Coaling tower