Fastball Am I the odd man out because my layout doesn't have a history?
Am I the odd man out because my layout doesn't have a history?
No. It just means that either it is fairly evident what your layout represents, or you simply don't care about what it represents. In either case, you feel no particular compunction to inflict on random bystanders attempts to explain away inconsistencies and implausibilities.
In my opinion, "backstories" are mostly (at least in these model railroad forums) about forum posters who , for some reason not entirely clear to me, seem to be eager to try to make others accept and acknowledge that the ecclectic mix of trains the backstory fan is running is "sort of" plausible - if one postulates a railroad owned by an eccentric millionaire or billionaire.
The backstory person often also thinks this is an original approach, without realizing that it has been seen dozens of times before. Often the person will spend an inordinate amount of time on his back story, drawing large and complex system maps of railroads spanning large areas, and agonizing about this or that aspect of plausibility ("could there have been wineyards in Northern Alberta if the world had been tilted 20 degrees on it's axis by a huge comet striking it?"), or drawing up eleborate numbering schemes for a roster of 300 locomotives of 13 different classes, but when it comes to actually buckling down to design and build a layout that will fit into the space actually available, things tend to stop up.
Of course - there are also a few people who essentially just have a humorous little anecdote to explain a layout name (like the "holy cow" name on Leight Anthony's layout), or who just have a _brief_ rationale for some departure from actual history or geography.
As in "the main industry on the layout is based on mining and processing Flux, an additive used in many industrial processes" (doc Wayne's excellent layout). Or Chuck's japanese coal railroad running coal cars never seen in Japan before.
Some background for industries on a layout certainly can make the layout more interesting. Doc Wayne has certainly succeeded in creating some memorable characters and industries on his very plausible looking and operating layout - Cookie Gibson - connoseur of beautiful women and the owner of the flux processing plant, the Hoffentooth Bros - owners of the coal and ice businesses in several towns on his line, Barney what-his-name - the crazy (and seldom sober) barnstorming stunt pilot who takes aerial photos of industries on the layout, the various types of flux produced and shipped (Anhydrous flux in tank cars, anyone?) and so on and so forth. These things just add texture to a plausible looking layout.
But on the whole, back stories (and especially the "eccentric millionaire buying and running whatever he likes" kind of back stories) are often a lot less interesting to other people than the layout owner may imagine. And they seldom succeed in convince others that a pretty implausible approach actually is sort of plausible.
But hey - if people want to post back stories, let them post back stories.
Smile,Stein
I'm curently designing my trackplan but haven't really nor will I try to replicate any specific area.My important concern is designing curves and grades that my articulated can negotiate on a limited size layout,and it is some challenge.After the tracks get laid down,then I'll concentrate on the scenery that I'd like believable at least,short of being a replica.However,I will model SP with some UP and CP thrown amongst them and will try to obtain some resemblance with this area.
You know I have never really given much thought about actually giving my N scale layout a name. When I look through model railroad magazines, I've wondered how some layouts get named but never found it important to give mine one. I have given some thought about naming towns on my board, like maybe Edwardsville for my pop, or something to that effect, but haven't gotten to writing anything down. Huh. I've just kind of always thought that I wanted to run trains and CN became the railroad I started to model in 1990 after honeymooning in Alberta, Canada. Before CN it was kind of a hodge-podge of stuff, mostly GN, with no real thought or direction. Am I the odd man out because my layout doesn't have a history?
-Paul
Looking for a name for my model railroad and for the name of the big city I wanted to model. My favorite prototype is Santa Fe from the time I got my Lionel warbonnet streamliner set in 1950-something. The Lionel catalog had an artist's painting of the train going through what looked like Monument Valley. Romanticized Southwest. Southwest. A mission station like Albuquerque or San Diego or like SP's in San Antonio. So many Santa Fe stations and towns had names in Spanish with some kind of a religious connotation. Santa Fe = holy faith. San Diego = Saint James. Santa Cruz = holy cross. And so on. I thought of a real Santa Fe town in California-- Victorville in the desert. And that reminded me of Vacaville, where there was some kind of prison disturbance. And the name Santa Vaca came. It means Sacred Cow, or Saint Cow, or Holy Cow!
My railroading got started with a train around the Christmas tree, and after a while, I thought of a way the name Santa Vaca relates to Christmas. I will tell you in advance it is entirely made up.
The Legend of Santa Vaca
In one of the early Spanish missions established in Texas to convert the Indians, a priest was telling his congregation they should give to the church even though they didn't have much to give. He said that God can use our gifts more than we know, and he told the story of the cow who gave up her feeding stall to make a place for the Baby Jesus to lay. He said the cow's gift-- the manger-- became more a part of the Christmas scene than even the expensive gifts of the Wise Men.
But the Indians confused the cow in the priest's Christmas story with a buffalo cow who was worshipped in their pre-Christian native religion and they began to bring back the cult of the Holy Cow. The Church tried to discourage the practice but could not stop it entirely. The village near the mission took on the name Santa Vaca, and it grew into a major city served by a subsidiary of the Santa Fe Railway.
At the cathedral in Santa Vaca near where the mission once stood is a stained glass window with the manger scene featuring the Baby Jesus, the Virgin Mary and the Holy Cow, each with a halo.
BRAKIE The Columbus & Hocking Valley Ry is owned and operated by the CDB Industries and is one of 7 short lines owned by CDBI.The C&HV came into existence in 1978 when CDBI bought the old Athens sub-division of the Chessie System.During this purchase 2 other short lines was bought,the Parkersburg & Ohio Valley RR that ran from Parkersburg WV to Athens Oh and the Ohio Midland Ry that ran from Jackson,Oh to Newark,Oh.These 2 roads was quickly merged into the new C&HV.By purchasing these roads the CBDI finally had the long sought after southern Ohio coal fields and industries.The CDBI relaid the track from Nelsonville to Athens which had been removed by the C&O some years ago.The old Logan yards was rebuilt and upgraded during this time as it would serve as the home shops and the only major yard on the C&HV since it was centrally located on the line.The second yard would be located in the old C&O(nee CHV&T) Mound Street yard and would require trackage rights over the Chessie to reach..A agreement was struck with the Chessie for those rights.The former P&OV yard in Parkersburg was upgraded as was the OM yards at Jackson and Newark. Commodities haul: Grain,Lumber,coal,coke,steel,fly-ash,food stuffs,sand,glass,corn sweetener,corn starch,vegetable oils,scrap,pipe,chemicals,paints,news print,pulpwood,wood chips and other general freight.Total cars handle 32,584 a year CDBI owns the following roads.Cumberland,Dickersonville & Bristol Ry.Cumberland to Bristol VA.The CD&B is the flagship road.The CDB in CDB Industries is the same.Kentucky Central.Cumberland Ky to Maysville Ky.Artemus-Jellico Artemus,Ky to Jellico TN.Toledo & Southwestern. Maumee Oh to Fort Wayne INCincinnati & Lake Erie.Cincinnati to Toledo.Detroit Connecting.Detroit MI.Columbus & Hocking Valley Ry.Huron River.Huron,Oh..Currently mothballed pending sale.
The Columbus & Hocking Valley Ry is owned and operated by the CDB Industries and is one of 7 short lines owned by CDBI.The C&HV came into existence in 1978 when CDBI bought the old Athens sub-division of the Chessie System.During this purchase 2 other short lines was bought,the Parkersburg & Ohio Valley RR that ran from Parkersburg WV to Athens Oh and the Ohio Midland Ry that ran from Jackson,Oh to Newark,Oh.These 2 roads was quickly merged into the new C&HV.By purchasing these roads the CBDI finally had the long sought after southern Ohio coal fields and industries.The CDBI relaid the track from Nelsonville to Athens which had been removed by the C&O some years ago.The old Logan yards was rebuilt and upgraded during this time as it would serve as the home shops and the only major yard on the C&HV since it was centrally located on the line.The second yard would be located in the old C&O(nee CHV&T) Mound Street yard and would require trackage rights over the Chessie to reach..A agreement was struck with the Chessie for those rights.The former P&OV yard in Parkersburg was upgraded as was the OM yards at Jackson and Newark.
Commodities haul: Grain,Lumber,coal,coke,steel,fly-ash,food stuffs,sand,glass,corn sweetener,corn starch,vegetable oils,scrap,pipe,chemicals,paints,news print,pulpwood,wood chips and other general freight.Total cars handle 32,584 a year CDBI owns the following roads.Cumberland,Dickersonville & Bristol Ry.Cumberland to Bristol VA.The CD&B is the flagship road.The CDB in CDB Industries is the same.Kentucky Central.Cumberland Ky to Maysville Ky.Artemus-Jellico Artemus,Ky to Jellico TN.Toledo & Southwestern. Maumee Oh to Fort Wayne INCincinnati & Lake Erie.Cincinnati to Toledo.Detroit Connecting.Detroit MI.Columbus & Hocking Valley Ry.Huron River.Huron,Oh..Currently mothballed pending sale.
WOW. I can see your railroad is a lot bigger than mine. :O
Mr. LMD, Owner, founder
The Central Chicago & Illinois Railroad
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Comrad_Durandal Mr. LMD: This is just a general question that maybe some has asked you, but I would like to ask myself. What is the backstory about your layout? I know I haven't built mine yet, but the premise I'm running with is a Midwestern area where Amtrak is the primary rail carrier, and the freight companies operate leasing lines from THEM. Besides Amtrak, I figure this would be BNSF, Canadian Pacific, and UP territory so it's open to all. I am basing the scenery and areas on places I've seen when I rode the train from Yuma,AZ to Portland, OR to Minneapolis, MN via Amtrak a few years back. I am in the process of figuring out the industries that I'd find in such a place, and what would fit into the space I have (and make a track plan where the ends actually sorta meet up to run in a circle). Another thing that has me anxious is this is technically my first full layout (pool table ovals don't count).
Mr. LMD: This is just a general question that maybe some has asked you, but I would like to ask myself. What is the backstory about your layout?
This is just a general question that maybe some has asked you, but I would like to ask myself.
What is the backstory about your layout?
I know I haven't built mine yet, but the premise I'm running with is a Midwestern area where Amtrak is the primary rail carrier, and the freight companies operate leasing lines from THEM. Besides Amtrak, I figure this would be BNSF, Canadian Pacific, and UP territory so it's open to all. I am basing the scenery and areas on places I've seen when I rode the train from Yuma,AZ to Portland, OR to Minneapolis, MN via Amtrak a few years back.
I am in the process of figuring out the industries that I'd find in such a place, and what would fit into the space I have (and make a track plan where the ends actually sorta meet up to run in a circle). Another thing that has me anxious is this is technically my first full layout (pool table ovals don't count).
Cool. I'm doing the same. My fictional railroad was formed after my fictional character, LMD. Manning, bought out all of the important illinois railroad and soonafter bought out other companies. I printed out a blank U.S.A. Blank outline map and for each locomotive Manning buys, it represents a railroad being bought like the U.P but instead of buying every rail line Manning buys certain lines that will help bring more travel to chicago and anywhere the line service. So far my layout only services coal, a steel mill, and a logging camp high in the mountains.
Mr. LMD This is just a general question that maybe some has asked you, but I would like to ask myself. What is the backstory about your layout?
This is just a general question that some might have asked you or you thought it to yourself.
I'm a new N scale modeler after leaving HO (lack of space and desired cars) in search of a better scale to model and build my desired layout.
Feel free to talk about to post about your layout.