Full Version: We are wondering what you think about this....
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We were wondering if anyone would be interested in starting a freelance railway based here at Big Blue. We know we have The BB&G Railway, but we thought it would be a bit more fun to create a generations spanning railroad. One usable on any layout, in any scale in any era. It's up to the member/modeler what cars or engine he or she wishes to create. Just think, for those of us that are more into scenery and structures, we're not limited to what we can do for this new (or very old) railway.

Right now we’re in the exploratory stage. We need feedback on how feasible this is and to get an idea of how many modelers would be interested. The main thing to start with is that we need a name for our railroad. We need suggestions, and when we have enough, we’ll ask for a consensus (yeah, a vote) on what name works best. Remember, we are an international group here and so the name has to be able to span the continents as well as the ages.

If we decide it’s a go, we will establish a car and engine numbering system that anyone can draw from. We will then set up a separate forum where anyone can start a thread to show the progress of anything they’re doing. Remember, you still have your own road on your own layout, this can be a connecting road, or one where you have a frequent interchange or simply that you have a few cars that occasionally run on your road. We are not suggesting that you make major changes to your layout to accommodate this. You can make as much or as little of this as you care to, just as long as it’s fun. We will have no restrictions on how the cars and engines are decorated, that could change with your era or location. We could have a common herald or a set of heralds dependent on the era, these things are all up for discussion.

Just one other thing, this is not a contest. There are no start or stop dates, there's really no guidelines or rules. We are suggesting a concept, it's up to everyone to interpret it and fit it into your layout however you feel that it works for you.

Use this thread to post your comments and suggestions, especially to come up with a road name. If you want to discuss it privately, contact Catt, ngauger or ezdays, or any of the mods here, we’re all ears…
Sounds like a good idea to me Thumbsup . Most clubs have a freelanced line of their own, why should we be any different. I would think that finding a road name that every one agrees on is going to be the hardest part. The thing is that most railroads name are specific to the region that they serve, and we are an international group. My suggestion is to try to use names of common places or things that are found in multiple locations as to not pin point the line to a certain place. A name like the Middle town & Springfield, or the Big River & Northern. Generic names like this could be anywhere and handle any kind of traffic. Places like Newark, Hope, Dover, Camden, and Clifton can be found in several locations and could be used in a railroad name. Well It's a start, lets see what other names we could come up with.
I like the idea of different logos for different eras.I think we should also come up with a common colour scheme.By this I mean a colour for locos and rolling stock say such as blue for locos though the shade of blue (or whatever colour is chosen) would be up to the individual modeler.
Perhaps we can have "Big Blue Rail Systems", It would be a Railroad holding company that could "Own" some of our Railroads.
Well...

The Europeans set out to find the North-West Passage to Asia.

So, to make this Global:

The Continental & North-West Passage Railway. [C&NWPRy]

Connecting the Silk Road to the Oregon Trail!

The Orient Express with car float service between Syberia and Alaska...
Justinmiller171 Wrote:Perhaps we can have "Big Blue Rail Systems", It would be a Railroad holding company that could "Own" some of our Railroads.
Your suggestion is good, however, we already have the BB&G and want to stay away from any references to either Big Blue or The Gauge in our new line. It's got to be universally acceptable and work with anyone's location or era. Even take it to your club.

That's a tall order to fill, that's why we came to you all for your thoughts.
TinGoat Wrote:Well...

The Europeans set out to find the North-West Passage to Asia.

So, to make this Global:

The Continental & North-West Passage Railway. [C&NWPRy]

Connecting the Silk Road to the Oregon Trail!

The Orient Express with car float service between Syberia and Alaska...

I'll have to have a conversation with the design staff at Sag Harbor Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. We are going to need a transoceanic rail car ferry. Confusedhock: Big Grin

Greenwich East and Western
"Today, Yesterday, Tomorrow, The Sun never sets on our rails"
The idea sounds like a lot of fun to me and an opportunity to enjoy some forum-wide creativity without a lot of needless restrictions. Hmmmm, since we have members all around the globe how about something like "Intercontinental Connecting Railway?" More modern versions could call it "InConRail" to reflect today's corporate names. Hmmm, maybe Conrail would object to that one?

Ralph
Whatever name we pick for the railroad, we can "issue" stock in it to those that want to participate. I can make up "stock certificates" and lets say, to pick an arbitrary value, we can issue ten shares for every post an individual has here at the time of issue. Aw heck, make that 100 shares for every post, I feel generous. We can also find some fictitious international stock exchange to register the stock with and for authenticity, we will date the certificate to correspond to the era of that person's layout.

Actual stock value would be somewhat less than the paper it's written on, but who cares, it's the thought that counts. Misngth
Two of the Mega Railroads that were considered to interchange with the Port Able Railway are the Atlantic Lines and the Central System. How about BBG Transportatation.
If you just print out the Logo & Reporting Marks, all anyone has to do is remove the lettering and add the BBG lettering. Even sell decal sets to raise money.
Perhaps we could create something similar to Chessie System or Family Lines?
We can do something like Justin said about a holding company. I was thinking, what about something like the Saltzberg/Pinsley lines, or better yet, like Genessee Wyoming Industriess or Rail America. Use a common paint scheme/lettering and subletter our reporting marks to the equipment. GWI also owns railroads outside the United States, so it can truly be a global enterprise.
I like the direction that this is going. We have quite the think tank going. Cheers
Include me in a think tank? That could be dangerous. My mind is a scary place Cheers
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