Naming your Layout

[Tdm]

I would like some ideas on what to name my Layout, the same name that will go on the main through station that covers 4 tracks. There are no trains on Tenerife so I am modelling British outline - mainly steam and early diesels. It is a small continous running layout (roughly 5'5" by 2'5") with also end to end running. There is a small single platform station at the far end, a covered 4 track main station front/centre, and another single platform station nearby. There are farm buildings and some country houses to the left of the up and over track, and an industrial area (sort of oil refinery) to the right. It is a completely fictitious layout.
What I was thinking was :-
something beginning with Little ....................., or Lower ............................
or South ........................, or .........................Valley, or Tal-YCafn (a Welsh hamlet near where I used to live), or something Junction......
If you were in possesion of my layout - what would you call it?

Below is a SCARM pic of the layout (prior to latest changes) and a Link to a video of it (again before I made some recent changes), to hopefully give you a better idea of how you think it should be named.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkR7EwkQULw   

[ParkeNd]

It would be very hard for someone else to pick a name for your layout plan. Welsh place names are generally quite ugly words, and many of the names of made up locations tend to be pretentious sounding places like Granchester or silly sounding places like Nether Bottom.

Only TV programmes seem to have the knack of picking realistic sounding places.

Best to pick your own name if you build it. Perhaps something will spring to mind when you see the scenery taking shape.

[petercharlesfagg]

Why not "Fineter" pron. finneter.  Anagram of Tenerife?

[EtchedPixels]

Nothing wrong with Welsh place names...but they are often descriptive of the location in a way native speakers understand. In English that is only really obvious to those who study ancient Saxon and Norse etc so most people don't notice scenic disconnects with place names.

Care is always good though. There is a layout that's on the circuit which translates back as 'Dead Violinist'.

[Newportnobby]

How about 'Whitestag'?

Why not "Fineter" pron. finneter.  Anagram of Tenerife?

You are missing the extra 'e' there, Peter

[ParkeNd]

Nothing wrong with Welsh place names...but they are often descriptive of the location in a way native speakers understand. In English that is only really obvious to those who study ancient Saxon and Norse etc so most people don't notice scenic disconnects with place names.

Care is always good though. There is a layout that's on the circuit which translates back as 'Dead Violinist'.

Dead right as usual. Living only just in Wales I find that Welsh place names sound hard to a non-Welsh speaker. We notice the descriptive elements though especially with Aber and Tre. A number of the local villages have just managed to have the 21 Century Welsh names made up for their villages removed from the road signs - like Rockfield which was called that even in the Doomsday Book but got itself a false Welsh name courtesy of the Highways Department who were trying to "Welsh" everywhere up a bit with a word which meant "fields with rocks in them".

[EtchedPixels]

There have also been a few that didn't get translated because in English the village name became something like "Bryns' old cess pit"

Welsh is for reference phonetic and y and w are normally vowel sounds not the English sounds. Once you know that Cwmtwrch is a bit less scary to say, although even the locals just call Machynlleth 'Mach'

Alan

[Jack]

When it comes to naming layouts I tend to go along with most book authors, they have a story to tell but the title doesn't come until later.

I think sometimes folk worry to much about naming a layout before it has come to life. Unless you are modelling an actual location just let your creativity flow across your new layout and as it grows and comes to life you may find a name comes that fits comfortable. 

[barnyswain]

annoying layout names are when the name tries to be 'clever' (no, I can't think of an example as they are easily forgotten)

much better are names like "Lazy Bottom" or "Tadger Town" or even "Smelly Bottom" while putting smiles on faces

[scottmitchell74]

What a great question. Alas, I have no answer as I still can't figure a good name for my layout.

I suppose it's partly what barnyswain mentioned - I don't want to be too cute or clever, but I don't want to be generic either.

Good luck!

[Ray Haddad]

How about the Tenerife Limited?

The TL Line, for the side of your locomotives.

[Tdm]

Thanks for all the suggestions Guys.
I used to be I.T. Manager for Aberconwy Borough Council before it merged with Colwyn Borough Council to become Conwy County Borough Council.  Aberconwy by the way translates as Mouth (Aber) of the Conwy. Lived in the borough for 17 years,  and when I retired bought my Triumph Stag locally.

I am tending towards using Aberconwy as part of the layout name. There were 2 railways passing through the borough - the mainline which went from Crewe to Holyhead where you would catch the Ferry to Dublin, and the Conwy Valley Line, a single track operation that went from Llandudno to Blaenau Ffestiniog and which followed the river and passed through some beautiful scenery, but I believe that since I emigrated it has now been closed.

PS.just spotted that Michael Portillo featured both in a YouTube video
in 2 Parts the Links to which appear below, and if that wets your appetite for more Google "Snowden Mountain Railway" and there are numerous video links for you to enjoy.

Part 1 . http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCsQuAIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D8COIgx1AjQ0&ei=1NUQU9SrHYHA7AaQhoFo&usg=AFQjCNEiTXWSlQh0HDHVufODzuOcIspXUA&bvm=bv.62286460,d.Yms

Part 2 > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHhFe9gRF-o&feature=player_detailpage#t=1

[ParkeNd]

annoying layout names are when the name tries to be 'clever' (no, I can't think of an example as they are easily forgotten)

much better are names like "Lazy Bottom" or "Tadger Town" or even "Smelly Bottom" while putting smiles on faces

Has to be Y Farteg then !! See recent BBC  News for details.

[martink]

Approaches I've used myself or seen used on layouts...

- named after your street or suburb
- named after family members or people who have contributed to the layout (applies to station names, industries, etc.)
- pick a suitable location for the layout on a map, then look for nearby names of suburbs, towns or landmarks that a real railway company might have chosen.  That is how my Plymouth Citadel got its name.
- browse the town index of a road atlas looking for names that catch your eye, preferably mixing and matching parts of names
- what you've been reading lately.  I've used Cornwell Junction (the Bernard Cornwell books), Arkham Bank (H.P. Lovecraft), Dunharrow (Tolkien), Sarum Bridge (Arthurian).

[PostModN66]

You don't need to restrict your choice of names to a (fictitious) location (although I have so far for all my layouts.

I like Silverfox's "The Night Shift".  There is also "Holiday Haunts", an O gauge layout as I recall.

Cheers  Jon