Sitting here in AZ’s lovely heat, 112 outside so doing anything is out of the question. Just wondering as I sit here how did all y’all come up with the names for your real or fictitious empires. I know some just use real current or past railroads, some have cool names and all I can come up with is using the name Babs, the best dog ever, the Babs River Railroad, which comes out to BRRR. Looks like someone was cold when they wrote it out. Anyway just want to hear your thoughts on how you made up your name, got to be some good stories here.
My narrow gauge railroad is called the Choctaw Coal and Railway Company (CC&R.) It is named for the real standard gauge CC&R which ran through my home town of Choctaw from 1887 until 1893. It defaulted during the panic of '93 and was reorganized as the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad (CO&G) in 1894. In 1904, the CO&G came under the control of the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railway (CRI&G). The CRI&G was owned by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway (CRI&P.) Both the CRI&G and its parent company, the CRI&P, entered receivership in 1933. The CRI&G was leased to the CRI&P on September 1, 1939 and was merged into the reorganized CRI&P on January 1, 1948. In the 1948 restructuring, the separate CRI&G and CO&G companies ceased to exist. The reorganized CRI&P was renamed the Chicago**, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad** (as opposed to the earlier Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway.) The CRI&P was completely liquidated in 1984.
Since I model the late '30s - early '40s time frame, I have a mix of old CC&R and CO&G lettered equipment. In addition, my fictional CC&R is located in southwestern Colorado and connects to the Rio Grande Southern at Rico. That’s why I have so much RGS equipment. How’s that for stretching the truth?
I don’t know how I got to the names. They were originally created when I was doing HO & N scales in early 1980s and are now seeing their G scale incarnations.
What is interesting is that they all feature water courses in their names.
Current ones in order of creation:
Mount Fresco and Saint James River Railway - A mountain railway, coal, and farm country hauler which also deals in industrial areas.
The Summer River Company - name began life in 1838 as a canal and steamboat company. “The” is part of legal name. Also a coal hauler. Known for its reefer trains of various fruits. As one might image it serves a seaport. Absorbed my first freelance RR name from 1970s, the Salem and Savannah.
Willow Creek Traction - jointly owned by the above. Trollies, interurbans, and narrow gauge.
MF&SJR’s primary colors are green/orange for freight power, and orange/maroon for passenger power, like GN and MILW.
SRCO’s primary colors are blue, black, tuscan, yellow. Sort of like 1980s British Rail, but also very different livery designs too, with passenger cars reddish tuscan like N&W. Had SD45s with red cabs and black hoods like CN but with red and turquoise band with logo at one end along hood
WCT’s primary colors are NYC jade/GN clacier for freight power, orange for passenger power. Freight cars are different colors by type. Trollies and interurbans are various with red or orange dominating.
Mine is named Pratt Creek and Leachfield Lines since there was a creek across the street with that name and the house is on a septic system. I thought it sounded rather “poetic” and sort of matches my of theme of a depression era short line RR.
I will admit that the name was decided on after a bit of alcohol consumption. I sort of live by the following quote - “Alcohol! Because no great story ever began with a salad”
Mine is named the CVRR for (Cumberland Valley RR) as the original mainline still runs behind my house. However it’s currently owned by Norfolk Southern.
My thought was “What If” the company still existed.
I can promise you that the Pioneer ran these tracks and passed behind the house daily with the combination car in tow. Just cool stuff!
the names came by laziness.
in the early 70ies every bit of roling stock had three letters on its sides: LGB.
instead of repainting everything, out came the english diccionary.
words with L, words with…
some combining of the different words for each letter, and out came: “Lost Gulf Branch”.
a decade later, for my third layout, where two different lines converged in the same station
(full automated DC, on average 3 to 4 hours between crashes)
i needed a second name. so i marked some of my roling stock as “Southern & Gulf RR”. the lines met (or crashed) at Lost Gulf Harbor.
as my current layout (construction from 2007 to 202?) includes a harbor as well, i don’t see any reason to rename/repaint my stuff.
so Southern & Gulf it is.
(and, living south of the equator, “Northern & Gulf” doesn’t sound right, does it?)
The VGRR, (Veggie Garden Railroad), so named because it exists in the same yard as the veggie garden. The large addition near the house, is where the greenhouse use to stand.
My first railway was named for an area i liked alot and spent summer vacation…the Flanders Bay And Schoodic. I used that name for two railways while i lived in Connecticut. The named locations are in Maine.
When i moved to Maine, i lived near the Wiscasset Waterville and Farmington railway Museum. The WW&F Ry. I tried to come up with names from town hear in Phippsburg that fleshed out the abbreviation. I got some names easily but i wasnt satisfied. Then i remembered that the WW&F started life as the Wiscasset and Quebec Railway. In my back yard is a body of water called Winnegance. Winnegance is also the name of a community at the boarder of Phippsburg and Bath Maine. The name has a certain similarity to Wiscasset. Thus was coined “Winnegance & Quebec Railway”
Bob, I have been playing with a stretch to explain a brand new looking UP GP-38-2 on my new RR. since I don’t count rivets, use what equipment I like, and LOVE the 10 foot rule the words that apply the most, “it works for me”. Eric I was thinking yours was one of the old , old RR names from back east
The Chumstick River and Tumwater Northern Railway Company
A History
Steven Featherkile
The golden spike on the Chumstick River and Tumwater Northern Railway Company was driven on July 4, 1884, near what is now Cole’s Corner, Washington, after more than three years of carving a roadbed out of the basalt rock in the Tumwater Canyon. Originally established as a thirty inch narrow gauge road serving the mining and timber interests in the Cascade Mountains north and west of Wenatchee, Washington, bringing the timber and mining products down to the steamboats on the Columbia River at Wenatchee, the CR & TN became a major contributor to the economic health of North Central Washington, and a source of pride to the early residents of the area, carrying freight and passengers for over sixty years.
The roadbed was single tracked from Wenatchee to Leavenworth, through Monitor, Cashmere and Peshastin, then, because of grade problems, the CR & TN was a one-way loop from Leavenworth to Lake Wenatchee following the Chumstick River. The return route was laid down following Nason Creek, and then through the Tumwater Canyon along the Wenatchee River to serve the mines in the canyon. There was a branch line that went to the head of Lake Wenatchee along the North Shore, and then part way up the White River to White River Falls, to serve the mining and timber interests in that area. The CR & TN never did push beyond the falls as it was not economically feasible to get above the Falls. The falls was just too high, and the “way around” was too long. There wasn’t much timber beyond the falls, and what mines there were could bring their ore down below the Falls by wagon.
The route through the Tumwater Canyon was an engineering marvel. The Wenatchee River makes some rather precipitous (for a railroad) drops as it courses through the canyon, necessitating a series of switch backs and tunnels, some of which can still be seen today. These same switchbacks created a 3.5% grade in some places, making the trip through the Tumwater a one way venture downgrade. While a one-way track may not seem to make economic sense, the mines around Lake Wenatchee and in the Tumwater were very prolific, allowing the CR & TN to show a profit until the mines played out in 1910. Other cargo besides timber and ore, included a failed experiment that tried to import and domesticate the Rocky Mountain Goat for meat and for milk, and wealthy passengers wanting to access the rich fishing experience of Lake Wenatchee. In later years, daredevils in small rubber rafts challenged the Wenatchee River as it dropped through the Tumwater Canyon. Almost every train in the summer months included an ambulance car to carry the injured to the interchange at Leavenworth. The rafters’ pain paid handsomely for this early form of medevac. All things considered, the CR & TN paid its investors quite well during its life.
In 1889, the Great Northern Railroad leased trackage rights through the Tumwater Canyon. In the agreement, the GN was required to maintain it, but the right-of-way remained the property of the CR & TN. Included in the agreement was the stipulation that any changes made would allow the CR & TN to use the Tumwater Canyon, resulting in a rather strange, but not all that uncommon, three rail arrangement. As engineering techniques improved, the GN was able to do away with the switchback and tunnel method employed by the CR & TN, replacing it with track that had a maximum 2.2% grade. In 1929, with the opening of the Great Northern’s Cascade Tunnel, the line through the Tumwater canyon was electrified.
By 1912, it became obvious that with the mines closing and the timber almost gone, a new cargo had to be developed if the CR & TN was to survive. In September of that year, borrowing a page from Jim Hill’s playbook, two hundred acres of apple trees were planted near Plain, Washington in the Chumstick River valley. This was marvelously successful, and by 1920, additional acreage had been planted such that the entire Chumstick Valley was covered with fruit trees. With the maturing in 1916 of the original trees that had been planted in 1912, the continued success of the CR & TN was assured.
In 1925, the thirty inch narrow gauge track was replaced with standard gauge track so that other railroads’ rolling stock could be used in the Chumstick Valley, and the third rail that had existed in the Tumwater Canyon was removed. During the Depression years following 1929, business along the CR & TN slowed somewhat, but unlike most small railroads of that era, it survived, due to good management, the apple and a large measure of luck.
During World War II, the Chumstick River and Tumwater Northern merged with the Great Northern Railroad. There was a minor squabble among the principals of the two railroads as to which name would be used. History shows that the Great Northern finally won out, but what is not reported in most texts is that a game of Ship, Captain and Crew played over several six packs of Olympia Beer in the Bar of the Squirrel Tree Resort at Cole’s Corner decided the issue (and now, you know The Rest of the Story). The CR & TN passed into history on July 21, 1944. The Great Northern Pacific, Burlington and Santa Fe Railroad (usually called the BNSF) still uses the original roadbed along the Chumstick River. The roadbed through the Tumwater was used by the GN until 1954 for its electrified Empire Builder, Oriental Limited and Western Star passenger runs, primarily for the exquisite scenery. Later, the tracks were pulled out, and the roadbed through the canyon was abandoned. US Highway 2 now occupies what was the CR & TN and the GN roadbed through the canyon.
Visitors to the Wenatchee, Washington area can still see remnants of the CR&TC, and the later GN; the switchbacks and tunnels in the Tumwater Canyon, the apple orchards in the Chumstick, the dam in the Wenatchee River as it passes through the canyon, and the remains of the aqueduct and hydroelectric powerhouse near Leavenworth that supplied power to run the trains over Stevens Pass, and the restored freight and passenger station in Leavenworth. Information can be obtained by inquiring of the Greater Wenatchee Area Tourism Commission at 124 North Chelan Avenue, Wenatchee, Washington 98801.
Author’s notes for historians: The Chumstick Creek (not River) flows through the Chumstick Valley and joins the Wenatchee River at Leavenworth. The Wenatchee River has its headwaters on Glacier Peak in Whatcom County as the White River and the Little Wenatchee River. These two rivers flow into Lake Wenatchee and the outflow of Lake Wenatchee is then called the Wenatchee River. Initially a meander, midway in its journey it flows through the Tumwater Canyon, usually as a raging torrent, and then slows down at Leavenworth, Washington, where it enters the upper Wenatchee Valley, a fertile fruit growing region, on its way to the confluence with the Columbia River at Wenatchee, Washington. Cole’s Corner and Plain, Washington are real place names in the area of discussion.
The Great Northern used the Tumwater until 1929, when it replaced it with a better grade through the Chumstick Valley. Electrification ended in 1956. The Leavenworth passenger depot is now the Leavenworth Grange Hall, and on Friday nights the place is hopping to some great acoustic music. Admission is by donation, but get there early if you want a seat, certainly before 8:00 PM. The rugged, but handsome red brick GN depot in Wenatchee is gone now, fallen to iconoclasts. The Chicago, Quincy and Burlington Route, Northern Pacific and Spokane, Portland and Seattle merged with the Great Northern in 1970 to become the Burlington Northern Railroad. The BN merged with the Santa Fe to become the BNSF in 1995, and still uses the track through the Chumstick on its way over the Cascade Mountains from Chicago to Seattle.
The story of the CR & TN is a product of my fevered, flea-bitten, retired Navy mind and exists only there, in my garden and in my basement. All myths are based on fact. As the reporter said to the man who did not shoot Liberty Valance, “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” Put another way; never let the facts interfere with a great story.
Great subject, Pete!
The Kaskaskia Valley Railway, because our home town sits in the Kaskaskia River Valley. Longest river in the USA, totally with the boundaries of one State. Helps that Illinois is one of the longer states. (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)
I call my railroad the HDRR. It stands for Happy Days Rail Road, and it has been. (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-smile.gif)
The Tuscarora Railroad was chartered as an extension of the Tuscarora Valley Railroad. In those days, it was common for railroads to charter separate-but-wholly-owned subsidiary companies for new (questionable) branches. This way, if the line didn’t produce revenue, they could just bankrupt that railroad and the parent railroad would remain unaffected. If it proved successful, they would absorb the branch. The Tuscarora Valley had the Tuscarora RR. The East Broad Top had the Shade Gap Railroad. Both railroads were surveyed and graded. Coincidentally, both railroads’ grades paralleled each other from Neelyton south to Burnt Cabins. In the case of the Shade Gap Railroad, the EBT laid rails first out to Shade Gap, then extended them to Neelyton. The southern line from there to Burnt Cabins was never laid. In the case of the Tuscarora Railroad, the TVRR laid about 1/4 mile of track south of Blair’s Mills (The TVRR’s southern terminus), but then stopped. In ironic twist, the EBT (which officially absorbed the SGRR not too long after it was chartered) would later buy the TRR right-of-way from the TVRR in order to reach a ganister rock quarry a mile or so north of Neelyton.
The premise behind my Tuscarora Railroad is that since this line was surveyed and graded by the TVRR (and EBT), an outside entity bought the right-of-way from both railroads and began operating on it.
My On30 Path Valley Railway draws its name from the Path Valley Railroad, which was chartered as an extension of the Newport & Sherman’s Valley Railroad, which operated one valley over from the Tuscarora Valley RR (which was one valley over from the EBT). Like the TRR and Shade Gap RR, this line was surveyed and graded, but never came to fruition thanks to a tunnel which proved impossible to build. My Path Valley Railway makes no attempt to actually model any of this railroad, as it’s just a switching railroad. I just liked the name.
My dad’s Woodland Railway draws its name from the fact that the railroad was built in the woods behind our house. The town names reflect the species of trees growing near the towns.
Later,
K
Nothing fancy here, I always liked the name of the Buffalo Creek and Gauley Railroad in West Virginia. Since the area I live in has raccoons in abundance I substituted them for buffalo. The line traverses a narrow cut which in some places would be referred to as a gully and that took the place of Gauley. I plan to have a water feature on the layout which will start out as Raccoon Creek and will flow into a pond that will be a stand in for a portion of the Ohio River. There actually exists a Raccoon Creek that flows into the Ohio River. RC&G is the Raccoon Creek and Gully.
After visiting a nearby railroaders back yard railway, which had to be rebuilt within a year and is now dismantled as he left the area, I decided to build my own. I did not like the LGB prices and other toytown appearing items he had but fortunately I discovered Aristocraft and Bachman which were easily obtained at that time in the UK and were far more reasonable price. Accepting the comment that some models can have a long lifetime my view was I am not going to be around for another fifty years.so the expense was not necessary. Having learned how not to build a garden railroad I set about it. I decided to maximise my railroad by following the property perimeter as far as large bushes and trees allowed. The track is at dirt level with a couple of bridges - one open and one covered.
The name Oliver & North Fork Railroad has been a chequered description. Many UK garden railroaders gravitate to the D&RGW and similar NG lines. I guess it is because of John Wayne and all those western movies. I was no different. I started with D&RGW stock and soon found a town named Oliver (which is the name of one of my grandsons) on the Gunnison River in Colorado. It was a coal place on the north fork of the Gunnison river. I did not have a destination in view at that time.
However, railroad friendships made me consider shifting the railroad. Wisconsin and the Milwaukee Road were high on the list so MILW stock was bought. But a further friendship and the fascination of coal trains made me look eastwards towards Virginia and particularly the Mountain State of West Virginia. So my fictitious railroad runs from North Fork WVa, situated in the Pocahontas coalfield, to Oliver in south west PA. With good trackage rights trains run though parts of WVA, VA, up through the Shenandoah Valley following in parts along the north fork of the Shenandoah River. (the river is not featured but heavy rains could give an imprssion (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)) A brief journey through MD brings us to SW PA. Actually it all sounds a lovely and historically interesting journey - a pity Amtrack don’t run there. Coal hoppers and gonds are represented on the railroad along with other cars. Passenger cars are rare, just excursions.
Pretty simple. First Large Scale engine I bought, a Bachmann Big Hauler, was lettered for the Rio Grande Southern, #25. Kept the name, did a little research and named my RR the Rio Grande Southern. It all went down hill from there…(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
When I was in school, I helped my girlfriend write a paper about Castle Shannon, the town we lived in. While researching for the paper, I came across information about the Pittsburgh and Castle Shannon Railroad. It was a quaint little narrow gauge (40 inches) line that eventually became the right of way for the streetcar line that I rode to town. I knew someday I would have to model it. While my original vision was to model it, somehow I strayed from the vision and have a lot more equipment then I need for modeling the P&CS.
Not too much to say about my railroad: I wanted something for Jean (my wife) and me (Bruce), but didn’t want it to be the Jean & Bruce RailRoad. At the time, we had lived in Burke, Virginia for over twenty years, so that took care of the “B”; I’ve always admired Stonewall Jackson, and the rest is history.
Doug Matheson created a fictional history for me; I wish I was so creative. (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-foot-in-mouth.gif)
Jean is really into bird watching and we really like the Pileated Woodpecker. With a bit of help from Stan Cedarleaf, I created our logo.
My original plan was to build my railroad on the North side of the house on sloping ground and build south toward our lot line. Thus the North Slope and Southern name was coined and a logo adapted (stolen) from Norfolk Southern was used. I spent months cleaning up and grading the area, but never put down more than a test loop of track before building indoors and spending several years enjoying that set up.
Eventually my youngest son noticed that the height of the indoor bench was almost exactly the same as windows to the outside. So we built folding bridges to escape the basement which were named after Dory’s pronunciation in Finding Nemo; ‘Es-Cop-ey’. As we built toward the original Southern terminus from a different origin we ran 1:29 1st generation diesels and stock for several years but soon fell in love with Fn3 and began converting. As the diesels moved on I felt a new name was needed. Our theme has always been an operating railway museum (thanks Ric) to allow varied locos and stock. We live near Candlewood Lake in an area referred to by some as the Candlewood Valley. Thus, the Candlewood Valley Scenic Railway name was coined and the logo was adapted from my favorite narrow gauge railroad; the East Broad Top. You can read a little bit of our fictitious acquisitions in my Equipment Roster album here on LSC: http://www.largescalecentral.com/albums/c-v-s-ry-equipment-roster/11756
Cibola Lumber and Mining Railroad.
A succession of real logging companies operated in the Zuni mountains of western and central New Mexico from 1870 until 1950. The first was narrow gauge while those that followed were all standard gauge operating from the towns of Thoreau and Grants to the sawmill in Albuquerque over ATSF rails. They had names like “Zuni Mountain Railway”, “McKinley Lumber Co.” and “New Mexico American Lumber” among others. The companies operated on leases from state and federal forestry, various Pueblos and private land until shortly after WWII when the tracks were pulled up and trucks took over. It is a part of New Mexico history most notable for the damage done by unrestricted logging as most of what is now the Cibola National forest was clear cut.
My take on it.
Three partners formed the company in 1890 buying out the mineral rights on what was advertised as a played out silver mine. The Carley Jene #1. It was not much to look at. An independent mine far from town with nothing but a well worn goat path for access. With hard work and a little luck they discovered a modest but profitable new vein nearby. Although no connection remained with the orignal owner they dubbed it “The Carley Jene #2”. Hauling the raw ore by wagon soon became cumbersome but was still to small of an amount to make a contract with the ATSF profitable. In 1898 the Cibola Lumber Company (with it’s trackage into Albuquerque) went into receivership and the partners were able to buy it for pennies on the dollar. To their surprise they got the lumber options on thousands of acres of forest land and a small sawmill in town. Suddenly they had a conglomerate of interests and the following spring they decided to dissolve the partnership, each taking the part of the business they felt they were best suited for.
1900 brought the companies their most profitable years. Landing lucrative contracts first with the ATSF for ties and bridge timbers and then with the US Army for crates, barrels and boxes for use at Fort Wingate Armory the lumber company returned to profitability. New track was laid into Santa Fe and then to Farmington giving the railroad a modest freight and passenger service plus interchange with the RGS and D&RGW. The mine enjoyed a very favorable rate owing to the regular freight traffic. Working together the former partners prospered but hard times were on the horizon with the dust-bowl displacing thousands of people and cutting the demand for raw materials
The mine was the first to feel the effects. By 1924 the #2 mine was producing only low grade ore but a new site had been found. It was unfortunately in deep rock in rugged terrain. A small mine train or tram system would be needed to access it. To make matters worse no bank would extend a line of credit to develop the new site. On the lumber side a severe winter storm in 1926 damaged the engines and equipment as well as cutting off the railroad from it’s best timber area. Of course without lumber the sawmill was useless. The partners decided to gamble everything on the one asset that had always brought them success…each other.
They merged the lumber and mining companies together and converted the sawmill to a subsidiary forming the Cibola Lumber and Mining Railroad. Taking the last of the operating capital from the lumber company they planned an independent track to the new mine site, built a 5 stamp crusher mill and installed a spur from the existing main line to transport the ore to a smelter in town. Blasting began in early February at both the new mine shaft (the Carley Jene #3) and the ROW. By April the tracks were at the mine head and the shaft had burrowed to a depth of 150 feet. Enough to reach a few small pockets of high grade ore. In true Hollywood style, mortgaged to the hilt and with less than one weeks operating funds left they hit the mother load.
Over the next year the mine was expanded to two hoist shafts and a dozen headers following the veins of ore. Silver ore as well as substantial amounts of copper and lead were extracted. Flush with cash the branch line to the logging camp was repaired as were the engines and other equipment. Crews returned to work at all of the sites and the sawmill put on a second shift. Even with the looming depression the company saw success until the start of World War II. Deemed non-war essential due to its small size, the company workforce was lost to the draft and better paying factory jobs across the country. With most of it’s leases expired and efforts from conservationists to stop logging it shut down in 1944 with the rails and equipment sold for scrap in support of the war effort. By 1945 the mine was down to low grade ore. It ceased production that summer when new safety standards and decreased output pushed it into the red. Only the sawmill survived past the war. It was torn down in 1950 when the city of Albuquerque rezoned the area and condemned the property for use as a public works project. Today the site is part of the Rio Grande Zoo.
The layout is modeled nominally in 1936. World War 1 ended all wars and most Americans are ignoring events in Europe, the dust bowl is roaring across the great plains and the depression is driving people from their homes. It is a bleak time but at least Prohibition was repealed so folks can drink to take their minds off their problems. Equipment is in good repair with most rolling stock sporting the new post merger design. About 30 items. One engine and two boxcars still bear the original Cibola Lumber Company markings.
Pre-merger:
Post-merger:
No salad was harmed in the making of this post.
So that is my story and I am sticking to it… (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-smile.gif)
