What to call a freelance railroad?

[TrainCat2]

Mahoning, Ohio River & Eastern (MORE RR)

I Think that's the best yet.

[biker_ray_pa]

make Mahoning Valley the "end" of the line. Maybe Cadiz, Wheeling and Mahoning Valley?

where is the traffic going on that line?  coal from cadiz to Wheeling to barge?

-steve

Could be.

Mahoning Valley Railway and Navigation Co.  ??

[up1950s]

Connect up with your buddy , " Warren Warren and Northern " or " Warren Warren and Lake Erie "

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=warren+pa&ie=UTF8&ll=42.008489,-79.661865&spn=2.869267,5.064697&z=8&om=1

[Chris333]

There is a Warren, Michigan too!

Navigation Co.

doesn't that imply they own boats as well?

[biker_ray_pa]

Navigation Co.

doesn't that imply they own boats as well?

That would be REALLY fun to model, though.

[DKS]

There is a Warren, Michigan too!

Navigation Co.

doesn't that imply they own boats as well?

It might, of course. But railroads also changed character over time, sometimes drastically, and you could rightfully invent a past for your railroad that originally included some kind of boat service at one time but was discontinued, whereas the name stuck.

[Chris333]

Speaking of Navigation, here is a cool looking video on scenery some may like:
http://www.paulscoles.com/
It features Paul's freelance Pelican Bay Railway & Navigation Co. in Sn3.

[brokemoto]

Warren and Liberty Township, reporting marks WLT, derogatory name 'Won't Leave To-day'.

Either that or Warren and Liberty, reporting marks W&L, derogatory name 'Wait and Linger'.

Warren and East Alliance- reporting marks WEA, derogatory name 'Won't Ever Arrive'

Mahoning District and Vienna, reporting marks MD&V, derogatory name 'Misdirected and Vivisected'


I am contemplating a pike with an electric line called 'Monocacy and Tinkers' and a steam road called 'Bay Shore Western'.  Reporting marks, MNT/BSW, derogatory names:  Money Talks/Bull Shepankey Walks.

Then there is one that I could call 'Blue Rock and District', reporting marks BR&D, derogatory name 'Busted, Rusted and Disgusted'

If it is not obvious, I try to pick mine for the derogatory names that I can make for them.

[up1950s]

In the southern burbs of Warren Ohio there is a town called DeForest Junction . What a great name for a logging railroad to be near .

[Chris333]

Richie,
DeForest Jct. I right where I live, in fact my street is off of DeForest Rd. This "junction" is where the 3 foot gauge Painesville & Youngstown crossed the Erie. The tower was maybe 2000 feet from me. Later the B&O took over and it was standard gauged. Now the Erie is gone, so is the tower and the B&O branch, but there are still some left over CSX tracks that form a small yard now.

In other news on the other side of Warren for at least a few years the 3' gauge crossed the original Erie (AGW) that was 6' gauge!

When I posted I couldn't think of a name, now you guys are giving me a whole bunch! I like a lot of them so now the hard part is choosing.

Some reading on the Painesville & Youngstown:

The Narrow Gauge

The first railroad was narrow gauge known as Painesville and Youngstown RR.  By 1873 it was Painesville, Youngstown and Pittsburgh and passenger service was established.  The line went through Farmington to Fairport on the lakeshore.  In 1886, it was leased to Pittsburgh & Western, transferred to B & O in 1890, widened to standard gauge in 1900 and was known as the Lake Branch.

The route selected for the narrow gauge track from Youngstown to Painesville was attractive because Youngstown was already established as a center of steel industry and was edged by the Mahoning Valley coalfield, while Fairport at the lakefront housed port facilities.

Steamboat traffic had declined and it was believed a railroad would revive the harbor.  Traffic was expected to be mainly iron ore from the upper Great Lakes moving south, and coal moving north to lake ports.

A railroad provided the prospect of putting Painesville into rivalry with Cleveland, Ashtabula and Conneaut.

The P & Y Railroad was chartered Nov. 17, 1870 and construction began at Painesville the following July.  It was completed to Chardon by 1872, then to Burton by 1873 and to Niles by 1874.  Youngstown was reached in 1875 at a cost of about $20,000 per mile. Chardon was an engine terminal on the P & Y. Because the train was expect to haul heavy bulk commodities it was built to near full gauge standards with the exception of curves up to 12 degrees and a severe grade of 1.6 percent between Bundysburg Road crossing and Middlefield summit siding.  It was known as Swine Creek Grade.

[bsoplinger]

The whole thread got me thinking about a movie. The fake production house was called miracle films and used the slogan "if its good its a miracle" (or something very similar).

Seems like a good punny name would be best for a freelance road, but then I'm known as a silly guy

[brokemoto]

............then call it Warren and DeForest, reporting marks 'W&DF', derogatory name:  Wasted and Deforested

Or DeForest and Warren, reporting marks:  'DFW', derogatory name: 'Deforested Wasteland'

[cuyama]

I am way late wading into this, but there has been a little research, if you are interested in reflecting what prototype railroads have done. R. L. Warren published an article in the Layout Design SIG's Layout Design Journal #13 (April 1995) in which he analyzed 100 railroad names. 69% included a geographical term (like Northern, West, Pacific, etc.). 56% had one or more city name(s) in the railroad name, 29% had one or more state name(s) in the railroad name.

Especially for the early 20th century period the OP was discussing, railroad names tended to be aspirational (to help raise investment funds) and thus a little more grandiose than their actual extent. Thus, it might be more typical to have at least one large city or a geographical term in the title rather than two small cities. But of course, there were many exceptions.

Byron

[up1950s]

I am way late wading into this, but there has been a little research, if you are interested in reflecting what prototype railroads have done. R. L. Warren published an article in the Layout Design SIG's Layout Design Journal #13 (April 1995) in which he analyzed 100 railroad names. 69% included a geographical term (like Northern, West, Pacific, etc.). 56% had one or more city name(s) in the railroad name, 29% had one or more state name(s) in the railroad name.

Especially for the early 20th century period the OP was discussing, railroad names tended to be aspirational (to help raise investment funds) and thus a little more grandiose than their actual extent. Thus, it might be more typical to have at least one large city or a geographical term in the title rather than two small cities. But of course, there were many exceptions.

Byron

Then Ohio & Andromeda would cover the grandiose aspirational aspect to great heights . :

[sirenwerks]

Then Ohio & Andromeda would cover the grandiose aspirational aspect to great heights .

Derogatory name Ooh & Ah?