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Naming your railroad for family

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  • Member since
    August 2004
  • From: Phoenix, Arizona
  • 1,989 posts
Posted by canazar on Thursday, March 31, 2005 5:37 AM
Jeepin,

I am doing the same thing. I decied it would be fun to make up my own railroad. It wil be a mix of Prototype outfits and my freelanced version. My rail road company is JBX.
Stands for John (me), Brandy (fiancee) and Xander (he likes that but its short for Alexander, the 5yr old kiddo. We are moveing in a week or so so the lay out down stairs is getting torn up. But after I settle, I am rebuilding the new lay out and plan on haveing a JBX Main Yard and corparte office. Also in the planning stges of picking color scheme for the new road. Plan on painting a few engines too in our "family colors"

The train thing is my hobby, but the whole family enjoys it. She helps do scenry and everynow and then, does a building. Xander comes down and helps run the trains. So, doing the famliy name, I thought, was a great way to help include them in my hobby.

Best Regards
John k

Best Regards, Big John

Kiva Valley Railway- Freelanced road in central Arizona.  Visit the link to see my MR forum thread on The Building of the Whitton Branch on the  Kiva Valley Railway

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Posted by tatans on Wednesday, March 30, 2005 8:54 PM
I think I'll stick to traditional names, "Bob's Railroad" just doesn't seem to do it for me.
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  • From: Beautiful BC
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Posted by krump on Wednesday, March 30, 2005 6:19 PM
Congrats Ryan.

I have used the initials of my wife (C) and kids (T, A, S) and came up with ...
CAST-AWAY Railroad - kinda describes how I claim most of my hobby supplies also...

cheers, krump

 "TRAIN up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it" ... Proverbs 22:6

  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: Youngstown, Ohio
  • 102 posts
Posted by darkstar974 on Wednesday, March 30, 2005 2:43 PM
I don't use family names but places i have lived

Dark
trains, trains, trains I love trains
  • Member since
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  • From: Perry County, PA, US
  • 453 posts
Posted by Attaboy on Wednesday, March 30, 2005 12:55 PM
I don't plan to make the actual name a family name but the initials (DLE) will be for my late father. The railroad name? Dagascagonda, Lycippus, & Euclid Railroad and Coal Co. I do plan to name a town or industry or two after family members.
Age is an accident of birth, being young or old is a state of mind
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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, March 30, 2005 11:40 AM
Thanks everybody! I had my wife read this...she giggled [:)]

I hadn't thought about the complications of lettering stuff but to be honest...couldn't I just make it a bit simpler by lettering my locos MC&W or coming up with a slick herald and getting decals made? And if I do that, why couldn't I just get the entire name all spelled out on some custom decals? [?]
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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, March 30, 2005 11:32 AM
Molly's Creek is an excellent name for a free-lancel railroad. Simiilar to another I've heard of.

Fictional place names on the Muddy Creek will be named after daughters when I get past the pink-foam real estate stage.

Congrats on the wedding!

Wayne

Added: Don't worry about lettering the rolling stock. You can always make your own decals.or have them custom printed. In fact, nothing would be a greater statement of your committment to your marriage than a major investment in custom decals.
[:D] (Sometimes I just laugh myself silly)
  • Member since
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  • From: Elmwood Park, NJ
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Posted by trainfan1221 on Wednesday, March 30, 2005 11:12 AM
A friend of mine names things after people (the skating rink is all mine,baby!) but I try to stick with town names that are generic or reflect a local rail line. I wouldn't name anything aftereople I know, it would be just too weird for me. Not that I'm saying there's anything wrong with that, especially if you want to name the local landfill after someone you can't stand.
  • Member since
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  • From: Crosby, Texas
  • 3,660 posts
Posted by cwclark on Wednesday, March 30, 2005 9:18 AM
I keep my railroad prototype but I do include family names on the many business and buildings...like my son's name is Joshua Michael Beau...so naturally I have a building called "JM&B cold storage"...I do stuff like that to keep the railroad prototype but freelance the buildings with family names...Chuck

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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, March 30, 2005 7:50 AM
Didn't name the railroad, but the main town is named for my wife, and industries and stores are named for the children.
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Posted by MidlandPacific on Wednesday, March 30, 2005 7:31 AM

Not the railroad, but industries: you can have a lot of fun teasing people by naming things after them. Sam Posey built a factory named for Paul Newman and posed figures in the act of committing all kinds of environmental sins (the two of them are friends, apparently); John Allen teased Linn Westcott about his editorial habits by building "Linn's Archives: Literature and Altered Articles."

I do try to name coaches for places I've travelled with my wife: I named the first one after the spot where we got engaged, Haystack Butte in Glacier National Park: she really enjoyed that.

http://mprailway.blogspot.com

"The first transition era - wood to steel!"

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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, March 30, 2005 7:16 AM
Jeepin-

I've done the same sort of thing on my railroad that you're thinking of. I named it after my kids...

I saw some of the other guys talking about needing to re-letter your loco's and rolling stock, but I wouldn't necessarily worry about doing all of that (unless you want to).

I am modeling the Milwaukee Road, and I've named a fictional portion of the Road to the "JaSu Northern" . I don't plan on relettering anything at all - I could say that the Milw Road bought the JaSu Northern, or they're leasing the lines from them, or whatever...

There's nothing wrong with coming up with your own logo's and relettering, it's actually a pretty cool concept... But my point is that this hobby should be fun, and not to let any obsticles get in the way of your imagination.
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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, March 30, 2005 5:30 AM
How about "Mindless Twit and Western"? "Airhead Central"? "Dizzy Broad & Eastern"? "Baywatch Central"? (yea!) - "We keep bouncing along" [:D]

Bob Boudreau
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Posted by dwRavenstar on Wednesday, March 30, 2005 5:28 AM
Jeepin,

Congrats and a tip of my hat to the lucky Lady. [:D]

Molly's Creek & Western sounds like a great name for a railroad. Considering that it's all still in your head you will have plenty of time during the planning, benchwork, track laying, wiring, ballasting, scenery and detailing process to come up with a suitable logo and color scheme for your idea. It'll also give you time to decide if you want to go the extra step and create locos and rolling stock to advertise your RR name.

My lovely wife's initials are KKW, prompting me to name the currently under construction Knot Known Where RR. Logo is going to be a reversed K, next to a normal K, with a fanned out W underneath all enclosed in a circle. Her favorite color is yellow so I'm thinking the locos will follow the BN style but with yellow in place of their green.

While I fini***he second shelf, lay track, wire, etc, etc, etc I'm going to practice on structure kits and stuff to get proficient with the airbrush and as a finishing touch do up a couple undecorated locos in our road colors.

Again, congrats and remember to keep the lines of communication open. All the luck in the world to the two of you. [:)]

Dave (dwRavenstar)
If hard work could hurt us they'd put warning lables on tool boxes
  • Member since
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  • From: Arizona. Born And Raised In Chicago ILL.
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Posted by ac4400fan on Wednesday, March 30, 2005 2:27 AM
hahahaha ,keep it in mind
GO> Chicago NorthWestern.BNSF& Illinios Central, AC4400 ALLTHE WAY! DREAM IT! PLAN IT! BUILD IT! Smile, Wink & Grin
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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, March 30, 2005 2:26 AM
Wait until the honeymoon is over and reality kicks in. You will need to enjoy painting/lettering your own equipment. I don't think they sell any lettered for Molly's Creek. Personally, I don't enjoy painting or lettering locomotives, rolling stock etc. If you enjoy that sort of thing, go for it. Just realize what you are getting yourself into. Love can cause you to overlook things like that - especially when you are still flying in the clouds.
  • Member since
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  • From: Arizona. Born And Raised In Chicago ILL.
  • 743 posts
Posted by ac4400fan on Wednesday, March 30, 2005 2:22 AM
Ryan CONGRADULATIONS! im in the minst of building right now ,a scean from my home town, but some of my imagination,not sure what i will call ,mine :)))))
GO> Chicago NorthWestern.BNSF& Illinios Central, AC4400 ALLTHE WAY! DREAM IT! PLAN IT! BUILD IT! Smile, Wink & Grin
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Naming your railroad for family
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, March 30, 2005 2:05 AM
I just got married this past weekend [:D] and interestingly enough I finally thought of a great name for my (eventual) railroad. I'm settled on using the name Mollys Creek & Western. I think it fits for a small regional railroad. My wifes name is Western [:p] *sound of crickets chirping*
But anyhow...I was wondering if any of you folks did the same? Did you name your railroad after spouses, children, grandchildren, favorite uncles twice removed etc.?
Just curious...

Ryan

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