I wanna start a subdivision of BNSF in N scale based on western washington. I wanna name my subdivision- Green River Valley- how do I find out if any one has used that name or were to register it? Can any one help me? I also wanna know if someone can help me with how BNSF runs trains from Seattle to Tacoma? Thanks.
There is no “registry” of layout names per se. You can call it whatever you want.
Dave H.
Once upon a time Model Railroader had a deal where you could register your free-lance railroad name; I don’t remember if it was free or maybe cost 50 c. or a buck. I think they used to publish a list of them in the mag every so often. AFAIK they quit doing that maybe 50 years ago however. Seems to me the NMRA talked about doing that maybe 15-20 years ago but I don’t know that anything ever came of it(??)
I know a few guys have registered the name of their freelance railroad with the secretary of state’s office. I don’t think it’s a big cost, last I heard maybe $25. They just do it for fun. Of course, you couldn’t do that, because you’re modelling a real railroad (even though it’s a fictional branch line of that railroad.)
If you are an NMRA member, you can ‘register’ your ‘Pike’ name. Otherwise, you can just do whatever you want. I am an NMRA life member and have never registered my layout name - Just never considered it to be a big deal. If you are interested, here is the web link:
http://www.nmra.com/membership/pikes/index.html
Jim Bernier
If you are modeling a fictional sub of a prototype road, you can call it whatever you wish and no one can say ye nay.
Just on a whim, I went to Mapquest for ‘Green River’ in UT, WA and WY. UT and WY came up with actual railroad towns (which I knew they would, having visited both) while WA came up with a point near the Green River Valley Road (which parallels the Green River - DUH - but isn’t particularly close to the nearest rail connection.) So, it seems that the Green River Valley is virgin territory for a railroad.
My take - it’s your railroad. Attack with great gusto.
Chuck (modeling a fictional JNR secondary mainline in Central Japan in September, 1964)