What brought about the time, location and names for your layout?

My layout is C&O because most of my family were employed by the C&O / Chessie. I was Born in W.V. so I model that area. The J&M Short line RR is Jon & Michael my 2 sons. EGP Fuel is from my first grandson Ethan Gregory Perry. J & E sawmill is second grandson Jon Ellis. Jones transfer is my wife's maternal grandparents. The town's are real towns from my memory. I had plans for another town when I enlarged my layout building, but it looks like that won't happen now.

Our compressed dogbone layout is very loosely based on Charlotte, NC...but even that's a stretch. At the east end, is the town of Pineville, which is modeled after a real town with NS tracks that run around the town like they do on our layout. Our Pineville is crafted in DPM kits which look amazingly like the real town. At the west end of the dog bone layout is a yet unnamed town of mostly all industries. Right now, my layout's board of directors is seriously thinking of naming the town in honor of a Big Blue member who has helped and encouraged us these past years. (When that decision is finalized and the signage is made, we'll make the appropriate press release.) The yard which occupies the center of the layout is also unnamed, and is generally based on the yard just to the north of the city of Charlotte.

That's a great topic, as I am always curious how people develop their modeling interests. I suspect for most people it has to do with where they grew up. That's not so different for me, as I am choosing to model the Arizona copper industry. I was fascinated by the mines and ghost towns as a kid, and now I am trying to recreate that little part of history. My era was dictated by my locale - as many of the towns were mostly deserted by 1940. I could also say that the interest in my area comes from my interest in rugged, vast terrain with open vistas and clear skies. But I can also say that my interest in that type of landscape comes from where I grew up.

The railroad name is based on the modeler's names. Janine, George, Bart, Steve, Mike Fred Wayne and Rhonda. JGBSMF&W Railroad. The car marks are the 3 of us that started the N gauge road in my mother's basement. Mike Fred & Wayne.

Over the years we all got married and had kids and we had little time for layouts, so i kept it going and now it's a !:20.3 "F" scale fictitious NW Pennsylvania Logging railroad, with a coal mine.

The reason for the Logging and the 1:20,3 is that I bought the Climax Loco from Bachmann Great little engine!!!.. i built everything by hand, out of wood and that's the way a good Logging road should build everything.

The Kelly Mines (That produces the GERN Flux Enhanced coal), is named for George and his daughter. The Fuse Gorge (leads to the mines) is named after my wife's family.

Carolton Junction houses the Missile site and engine house I built along with Robin (Matthyro). It's named after my sister-in-law who always had an interest in the craftsmanship of the hobby. She makes quilts and knows what detailing is all about! LOL

Big Rock lobster Mountain is named for a friend of my step-daughter, who really helped me a lot with the design and painting of said mountain.

The bridge is named Fred's Bridge, after Fred. When I first started building it, 3 weeks into the 4 month build, Fred suffered a stroke and I built the bridge in between visiting him in the hospital. He made it through, but he's partially paralyzed, he can walk with a cane, thank goodness!!..

Its nice to get the background story on the layouts we see here. Mikey, I like all of the personal tributes on yours. Several industries on my pike are named for friends and my wife. I grew up in the 1960's and 70's near the NYC's West Shore Line near Kingston NY and saw NYC and eventually Penn Central trains roll by regularly. Railroading for me meant black diesels and jade green boxcars! My Kings Port Division very vaguely suggests Kingston and the surrounding area. One day I thought it might be fun to paint a switch engine for a freelanced railroad that interchanged with the PC and chose blue and orange which were the colors of my beloved NY Mets back in the day. The one switcher was followed by a number of boxcars, some hoppers, and a couple of other locomotives...and the Kings Port & Western was born. I've often said that my modeling style is "impressionistic". I try to convey an idea of railroading that looks "railroady" overall and do it with inexpensive materials. I'm happy with a good portion of the work done with this approach but find myself going back and refining things as time goes by.

Ralph

My layout is based on the area where I grew up. The era is born of my fascination with history, with an emphasis on WWII. The road is based on a predecessor to CSX (Whom I used to work for). The sad part of it is, I did not know of the Pere Marquette RR before working for CSX, and even then it was because I had my payroll direct deposited to Pere Marquette Credit Union. My layout runs PM, C&O, NYC, PRR, and GTW power, as they all had a footprint in the area at the time.


Matt

My layout out is a modern "What if" of a Railroad named The Central New England, that ran from Campall Hall, PA east to Hartford Ct. It crossed the Hudson River at Poughkeepsie, NY, from a bridge that back in 1888 when it first opened was touted as"an engineering wonder", and was used right up until the mid 1970's when a hot box from a(Sorry Ralph) Penn Central train set it afire. The bridge is still standing and is being used as a bike/walkway.

My layout is loosly based on the portion that ran in the northwest corner of Connecticut(where...You guessed it..I grew up).
Since I like modern locos and equipment, I model as if the railroad(Which was actually abandoned, and ripped up in 1938) ran today. My CNE interchanges with the fictitiuos Southwick and Winsted, in Winsted, Ct, The Housatonic(a real Railroad) in Cannan, Ct and the CSO(Connecticut Southern...another real railroad) in Hartford. I also run a commuter train called the Litchfield Hills. I have scrtach built two stations that have actually at one time or another stood along side the CNE main. Motive power for the CNE is two SD70's, 1 C44-9W, and assorted first and second gen GP's
My CNE claims to have the "Only operable Union Pacific Big Boy in the United States", as well as a Consolidation and a three truck 80tn Shay.

The layout is still under construction, though some parts have been sceneiced

My HO layout growing up was loosely based on a plan in 101 Trackplans and the scenery was loosely based on Alpine Tunnel and the Georgetown Loop. This was because my father's mentor as a RR preservationist introduced him to Colorado NG and got him hooked on the South Park when he was in HS in the late 1960s.

My current layout is generic, and intended to be that way. I had too little space do what I wanted: Alpine Tunnel. I wanted to do this because, growing up around steam locomotives and historic rolling stock every weekend, with access to my father's library (including a number of books on the South Park), it was impossible not to fall in love with it. My earliest experiences with model trains involved a 2' long piece of handlaid track on the basement fridge with my father's Grandt Line Porter (On3) pushing a Grandt Line Stock Car, Mainline Models boxcar, Grandt Line D&RGW drop bottom gondola, and a Model Masterpieces C&S flat car. My layout is intended as a test track and general learning experience for scratch building everything.

My future layout will be based on the Oahu Railway. Two years and one half years ago, I attended an engineering conference in Honolulu. In advance, I'd looked up the Hawaiian Railway Society's website but wasn't impressed with what I saw. On our last day, we had a couple of hours to kill before our flight after driving around the island. So, we decided at the last minute to check it out. At first, I saw the two dinky tank engines and diesel from their website, but decided to look a little more. Holy cow. That wasn't at all the type of operation I was expecting. I dropped in the gift shop and saw a drawing of the Honolulu (Iwilei) yards and was shocked at the magnitude of it. I then began to explore the grounds and was floored by what modern NG equipment they had. Afterwards, I decided that I had to both learn more about the Oahu Railway and probably build a model of the 0-6-0. For 10 years, I'd planned to do a C&S or DSP&P layout, and it seemed that this goal was intact, until the Oahu Railway grew on me as I started reading books on it, seeking out old magazine articles, and getting a little grooming from the OR&L historians. I can tell you in depth info about dozens of NG and SG railroads...equipment manufacturers, operations, etc...but his was a complete blindspot for me and I now realize that it is in a different league than other NG roads. The operational aspects were what pushed me over the edge. For comparison, you could count the number of RGS trains per week on your fingers (there's a reason why they built the Geese). The D&RGW operated 2-8-0s exclusively out of Gunnison and elsewhere 2-8-2s...no variety at all...and relatively little action. The SPng only ran 4-6-0s...the NCNG a pair of 2-8-0s...the EBT 2-8-2s...the ET&WNC 4-6-0s...but the OR&L had 0-6-0s, 2-8-2s, 2-8-0s, 4-6-0s, 4-4-0s, and shays all operating side by side with nearly 50 scheduled trains per day and sometimes 100 extras. It had coastal artillery trains, troop trains, bomb trains, fuel oil, molasses, stock rush trains, boxcars with sugar, flatcars with pineapple, coral, lime, sand, and many passenger trains.

Once we buy our new house, I will begin building the Oahu Railway's Iwilei (Honolulu) yards. I will work on constructing the mainline to Pearl City (the same initial goal as the prototype). Future plans involve getting at least as far as Waipahu on that deck with possibly Kaena Pt. Future expansion will likely include more of the main and branch...as well as an eye level Gunnison to Hancock via Alpine Tunnel on the DSP&P. My NKP stuff will be limited to modular work...and the NKP wins out because my father has been a major part of the 765 group from chartering the group through the present.

Side note: Kevin, those copper railroads in Az and NV are great. Long Live David Myrick!

Michael

nkp_174 Wrote:Side note: Kevin, those copper railroads in Az and NV are great. Long Live David Myrick!

You have no idea. Believe it or not, one of Myrick's books was useful for my job a few years ago. And - my sister in law gave my brother Myrick's latest book to my brother for Christmas. I applaud you for your interest in the Oahu railway. Everybody seems to know about the Colorado 3-foot railroads, but few seem to recognize that narrow gauge lines in many parts of the USA were equally interesting - including Arizona. There are quite a few very interesting short lines in this part of the country, and in many cases the old grades are very much accessible. If you are ever out in NM-AZ, I can point you to many areas that once had substantial railroad facilities, on the scale you know with the Oahu Railway, but now just ghost towns.

By the way - don't ask what I am doing up at 2:30 am... All I can say is I got her phone number .

My layout is called the California Northern.
- Firstly because I wanted to model north east California, as I like the SP and UP railroads, and where they came together (Sacramento, Roseville etc).Then I came across the actual California Northern RR, and decided that's what is going to be incorporated in my layout (although I still have to buy the first CFNR loco, or get a loco and paint it in those colours, I have the decals already). As I am interested in the UP and SP, and the California Northern was founded in the early 90's, I decided that the late 80's till mid 90's would be the era of choice (taking a little modelers license here and there). The station building of Davis is beautiful, and I found that I could incorporate it in my track plan, so part of it, will be (very) loosely based on the Davis Wye with the station etc. Lastly I run my own freelance RR on the layout called the North Eastern RR. I grew up in the North East of the Netherlands, and kind of pay homage to my roots in that way.
One of the NERR loco's is pictured in my avatar.

I have as yet to name the other yard on my trackplan, but I may get some inspiration in doing so from answers of others in this thread, so keep 'em coming! :-)

Koos

nachoman Wrote:By the way - don't ask what I am doing up at 2:30 am... All I can say is I got her phone number .

I guess you didn't mention model trains?

My initial assignment was to a Coast Guard ship home ported in Coos Bay, Oregon. Driving out there was the 1st time I had ever been west of the Mississippi by car. I was smitten by the Blue Mountains and the names of places in Oregon as we drove through there. So I developed a history and concept for the Picture Gorge & Western Railway. As I learned more about Oregon, I anchored the western terminal of the PG&W at Tillamook Head, and it would be built eastward from there. The only problem was that my version of Tillamook Head kept looking more and more like Coos Bay. The initial concept (in 1975) was to start the layout in 1875 and move it forward in time one year for each year until I got to 1925. My ambitions were far bigger than my achievements. Family and life happened.

By the late 1990s, the Lionel phase for the kids was pretty much over. Being stationed in Alaska had rekindled my interest in narrow gauge. But before I built anything, we moved to the Bay Area of Northern California. There I discovered the rich history and a confirmed interest in dog hole schooners and lumbering. I conceived of a narrow gauge lumbering line delivering the logs to a mill at or near a dog hole port, and then taking the lumber to the port for delivery to the schooners. Putting dates on the lumbering operation, I came up with 1900. Knuckle couplers and air brakes could be justified, and a few sailing schooners would still be in service. The remaining issue was how to link the narrow gauge with the Picture Gorge & Western.

So I looked through the topographic maps for the Oregon coast, looking for a dog hole harbor at the base of some cliffs. It couldn't be too much further north than Southern Oregon because of the transport distance of the lumber to San Francisco (the primary market). And coastal redwoods didn't extend that far into Oregon. At the time, Douglas Fir was considered an inferior wood to the coastal redwood. I remembered during my Oregon assignment visiting the Port Orford harbor. Then it all fell into place. Port Orford cedar was prized and valued above redwood, especially for mine shoring, upscale construction, and boat building in California (and Japan). The extra sailing distance from San Francisco could be justified by the premium price for Port Orford cedar - which only grows in a small area near Port Orford. A study of the topographic maps showed the current small boat harbor at the base of some cliffs. Go back in imaginary time, and there was a rail-served pier for the dog hole schooners. A switchback would lead the narrow gauge line up the cliffs. The same topo maps showed remains of dams for log ponds on the nearby Elk River. So the mill would be the Elk River, and the river would be the path into the stands of Port Orford cedar, Alaska yellow cedar, coastal redwood, and Douglas fir. Even back then, Myrtlewood, which also grew in the area, would be harvested and used for items like bowls and plates due to the tight grain.

The PG&W port was moved to the western end of Coos Bay - which is now Charleston. Although Charleston has an easier bar crossing than any other harbor between Seattle and San Francisco, the prevailing fog stymied development of Charleston in the age of working sail. In my 1900, Charleston is a fishing village, with aspirations of someday being more, especially if the PG&W ever becomes the transcontinental it dreams of being. The route of the PG&W would be the southern route that was actually surveyed but never built from Coos Bay to Roseburg. At Roseburg, the PG&W interchanges with the Oregon & California (in my alternate world the SP never took over the O&C). I transplanted the town of Lebanon to a western tributary of the Umpqua River as it flows north to Roseburg. Lebanon would be where the narrow gauge and standard gauge lines would meet. I chose the name Lebanon for the town because of the "tall cedars of Lebanon" Biblical reference.

That's the where and the why of the

Picture Gorge & Western Railway - ....None more picturesque!
Port Orford & Elk River Railway & Navigation Co - Home of the Tall Cedars

Fred W
....modeling foggy coastal Oregon, where it's always 1900....

My Westport Temrinal RR is a freelanced private roadname layout. It started as modular layout but is now a permanent layout with some segments I can remove. One part of the layout is still a FREMO module, my Third Street Industrial District. I've built this following an article by Bill Baumann in Model Railroader Nov. 85.



Some time ago I was in a car interchange group and I participated in car exchange as well.
I operate the layout with car cards & waybills, most time by myself. But sometimes there's an op session with up to 8 friends.

Wolfgang

The name of my switching layout is the Detroit Connecting. Believe it or not, when I came up with the name years ago I did not know there was a real Detroit Connecting operating in the city. I grew up in Detroit and love the city -- the industrial buildings, the history, the people, and the "culture" of the city, so I decided to use Detroit in the 1960's as the setting of my layout. I have several interchanges with other RR's, so that is where the connecting part of the name comes in. Detroit Connecting -- we have the inner city connections.
Chuck

My first layout, the Sagaponack Montauk, a 4' X 6', is long gone, but, by me, well remembered. The Sagaponack Montauk & Cindys Harbor ( SM&CH ), was an 8' X 10' modular layout I built when I was stationed at NAS Brusnwick, Me., in 1973-1976. This was the point where Sag Harbor Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. ( SHS&D ) bought up the old SM, and added the line down east to Cindy's Harbor. ( a variation of Cundys Harbor Me. ).
That modular layout moved to Virginia Beach, Va., Mundelien, Il., Libertyville, Il. and ended up here in Vernon Hills Il.
My "New Modules", used the last of the buildings, bridges, and bits of scenery from the old modular layout. The remaining module frames are destined to become a 2' X 12' ( maybe 14' ) On30 "switchback", The Wiscasset Bucksport & Schoodic Point ( WB&SP ), another wholly owned subsidiary of the Shipyard.
My primary connections are Northeastern, so I'm partial to Eastern roads. LIRR, C&O, B&O, Clinchfield, D&H, BAR, The Maine two-footers, N&W, and most of the 3' gauge lines East and West.
Many of the names are either Eastern / New England towns, or variations of those names. The Kennequogue River, for example, is a variant combination of the Kennebec River, in Maine, and the Native Indian name Quogue, from eastern Long Island. Sag Harbor, Sagaponack, Montauk Point, Shinnecock Hills, are Eastern Long Island places.
The concept, is that of a "working Museum", operating steam, and early diesel locomotives and rolling stock, as a subcontractor for the Northeastern roads, hauling less than full car, "nuisance" loads, in steam era rolling stock,and occasional railfan passenger runs, in exchange for trackage rights.
On the short "interconnect" right of ways, there are railfan "photo locations".....in most cases, platforms that provide excellent bridge, trestle, or riverside shots with an unrestricted view, all for a very modest fee.
The Railroad had to purchase a pair of BL20-2s, and hire union crews, because business had actually generated "profit"
( income over and above the annual budget of the not-for-profit museum ) The BL20s make one run a month, and act as back up motive power for the older equipment.
With the exception of the BL20 crews, all the "employees of the various lines" are actually "Shipyard" employees, who work the museum, but are paid by the shipyard "corporation".
Because of all the "legal" rules and regs, each "employee" is issued a 40' boxcar, to carry their employment contract in. It's a good thing the shipyard also owns Shinnecock Hills Lumber Company......helps make all that paper affordable.