“Al,
Here are photos of an HO layout worked on for 18 years.
It’s been disassembled and moved to another location.
We’re using several suggestions put on your website by other readers.
All the connectors are being soldered.
Three buses are being used for track, turnouts, and lights.
Bern”
A jam packed layout from Bernard!
In other news, just got this little chap:
Haven’t named him yet. Any ideas gratefully received.
That’s all for today folks.
Please do keep ’em coming.
And if today is the day you get started on your layout, the Beginner’s Guide is here.
Best
Al
PS Latest ebay cheat sheet is here.
PPS More HO scale train layouts here if that’s your thing.
Since its a german shepperd I suggest you name him “Banhoff”.
Hi,
When I saw the photo of the dog, it immediatly let me think of an Australian Dingo…..
So maybe its name should be Dingo…..
Regards
Dawie
What about ‘Woofington’. That’s our generic for all woofers. Is he Z scale?
With a glorious rich colour like that I would think ‘Bovril’ would be an appropriate name. Not a railway name but then again, he doesn’t have wheels!
Regards,
Martin.
great layout, should call your puppy Lionel 🙂
Well, my hubbie and I think Kasey would be a good one. Mr. Engineer, Roundhouse… He sure is adorable! Good Luck on a name and let everybody know what you come up with!
Its a great layout, not sure your scale, your dog is great. I’ve been working S scale for the past year, so i would name the dog Flyer
Why not “Ted”
I agree with Andy, Lionel!
Nice layout! Nice dog! He looks like his name should be “Blucher” or “Rommel”!
Hi, my wife and I really love your dog! How about calling him Thomas? I’ve been looking at this site for a long time, and this is my first comment. Nice layout!
Jerry and Kim
Well done with excellent detail and weathering. I think these two things are what makes me enjoy model railroading so much. Thank you for sharing your masterpiece with us. Its a beautiful puppy, German Shepherd?
Great layout!!! 18 years well spent!
A Name for your dog Al could be … “Tom Thumb” or a few others … boxcar; engine; caboose; or Brutus for as big as he is going to be. Look at
the size of paw!
Be safe … Be well!
best wishes,
Tom
Bernards layout has a little bit of everything without looking overloaded and cluttered. Very well proportioned. Good job.
When the dog grows into those feet and ears he’ll be huge! Maybe “Max” for his name?
Bill
Wonderful I had a German Sheppard for 16 years very loyal loving dog. She
looked just like yours. I named her CINDER.
Dog’s name … Floppy … for its floppy left ear.
Don’t use Lionel.
Good looking dog – how about Trackside, or Chessie (there’s a certain irony to that considering the logo …)
Wonderful layout!!! Happy Holidays!!!
He looks like a “Bull” to me. A Hobos worst nightmare. Lol!
I think you should call him GWR
Al–Just tried the link to Ted’s woodworking site; It really does some kind of virus attached to it as Ted’s home screen opens, but it is redirected to something else, and my own firewall blocks the rest of the content.
Otherwise, many thanks for the pics of Bernard’s layout. Still gathering ideas for may own!
Assuming you TRAIN him well, he can represent ALL the major scales!
Then you could name him “GOSHOTTNZ”!
I have not replied in the past but have greatly enjoyed your site. I have been in the Hobby for 40+ years and have had several layouts which I have taken apart and tried to improve . I am currently working on another one, in N-Scale, which is what I model in. I plan on sending in some pictures nexy year.
Thank you for promoting this great Hobby called Model Railroading.
A big dog like that could be a “Challenge” – I like names like Challenger, Big Boy or Steamer. If he gets into the layout, maybe Buster would be a good name.
Beautiful shepherd got 2 of my own Bobbylee and Hanna love your web site how about Burlington .
By looking at the pictures you can tell someone really loved what he was doing. Great job. Thanks for the website, Really enjoy each one.
Bob in Georgia USA
Hi there. Great work on your layout. How about naming the little guy Bo… As in Bo Bo for diesel wheel configuration. 2 legs X 2 legs. Bo Bo?
Your pooch reminds me of a semaphore signal – Stop and Clear ahead! I think Bahnhoff is a good one, but could be a mouthful when used in discipline mode! Just had a thought how about “Tracks”.
Terrific layout might not live that long so mine will have to be a quicker fix. Nice dog, why don`t you call him HOOCH! That brings in the HO layout and time of year when you will be enjoying a glass or two of Hooch.
What a beautiful German Shepard. I’d name him Diesel.
Al, how about Oshon?
Very nice layout, please keep up the good work.
With regards to your 4 legged companion, how about “Trax”
A great layout.
The dog could be called Boomer
YOU HAVE A VERY NICE LAYOUT.
Nice layout and a good looking dog
They look great
An impressive layout. You must have had a lot of patience and ‘dogged’ perseverence over all those years.
Your German Shepherd pup looks fabulous. Don’t worry about the floppy ear, as it will soon come upright.
I have had 4 Shepherds (3 males & 1 female) over the years. My current one is the bitch. Now 10yrs 9months. She got her first 2 basic sheep herding titles just weeks before her 9th birthday. She has not worked sheep since then but last weekend we went to the herding demo and she still remembered what to do.
All the best for your modelling and of course the pup – bring him a nice juicy steak
I had a black n tan shepperd ,, his name was Rex ….
and then my father in law named all his shepperds Duke …..
two great names for a great looking puppy !!!!!
good luck and happy holidays
peter
12-24-2013
You’ve a great layout there, I hope you don’t mind if I use some of your ideas to solve a couple of brain twisters I’ve gotten myself into.
If your dog gets as big as his ears and paws predict, maybe you ought to wait to find out what name HE likes. ;<)
Bill
Great layout.
The pup is going to be big as you can tell from his paws.
a good name would be GRUE-SOME, and he would live up to it.
Dave
Dingo nah not a good name as it’s my real name, wot is a good name is “Defor ” in other words D for Dog.
How about;
Chew Chew.
Beautiful Sheppard, I would name him Diesel. Big, strong & tough like a diesel train. Thank you all for your great train system and layout ideas and this web site. Marvelous job every year as always! Thank you! Ray Appenzeller from Philadelphia, PA USA
how about Diesel
Paul Campagna got the name right.I agree.
I like the ‘Banhoff’ suggestion. My granddaughter got to go there recently and brought back posters of it. Nice place! Fitting for a German Shepherd!
I agree with Joe on this one. I was thinking”Floppy” would be a good name for your dog with that one floppy ear. The layout looks great too .
Kenny from Chicago.
Great layout….nice work. The shepherd is beautiful. Name him ;Dirk”
I am so happy with this post. I just started and now know that I can die in peace because of my age. But I can have so much fun working on my model train. I felt I was taking too long, but not anymore. Off to spend more money on my train model. Thanks….
What a great layout!! Try the name DeOhge a name my Uncle David has used on at least 2 dog pound pups that turn into some big brutes.(DeOhge is just a play on the letters D O G)
It is good to see someone else is taking a few years to complete their layout. I work away and when I come home I only get a few days to work on my layout each month. Your puppy looks great, maybe when he gets into your layout you could call him Godzilla.
Great layout and detail. Just the motivation we needed to get going again.
How about Caboose, or Shunter, or Hopper?
The standard kennel shape with a sharp pitched roof, look good, but very hard to get into for cleaning/item retrieval/blanket change etc.
I made a great kennel once, that had a flat roof, sloping backwards to the rear panel, where hinges enabled the whole roof to flip over onto the ground. Elevating the kennel directly off the ground provides ventilation & longer life as well ! Enjoy great times with your new best friend!
Oh Man hat a lot of names to choose from.
Ihave 3 children. They all wanted a dog. My late wife was away taking care of my aunt in exas during my son’s birthday. I wrote him a note: “We owe you one dog. We bought a schnauzer. Now came naming time. The kids each wrote a name on a pie of paper and I placed them in a hat. Since it was to be my son’s dog, he plucked name from the hat. It turned out to be he paper he put in the hat.The dog became known as “Senator”. If he ever got lost the finder would think he would get a handsome reward from the Senator!
Lots of good names. You have a job ahead of you. Good luck.
I have never owned a German Shepard, but currently own a Yellow Lab. I didn’t name her, but my next dog is going to be called PD, short for Puppy Dog; I call them all puppies, even my lab who is 14 1/2.
Barry
Call the dog “Choo-Choo” after all, we are into trains.
Love most of the name suggestions…
I was thinking “Chuff”…
Good lookin Pooch there Al!
Shepherd-Keeper for 60yrs & this is one Nice pup – beautiful with a gentle face. The Home & Away ear will come up by 6mths – occasionally a little later. As he’s to be Al’s dog, could you name him anything better than “S{t}ation ? Got it covered both ways !
Keep up the good work – despite the ‘dark-hours crying’ . . . a hot water bottle is a cure-all for lonely pups – if you Must put him out before he’s One.
DaveB
South Wales
Love the awesome layout!!!! I’d name your new pal Zugmeister. Pronounce the “Z” with a hard “Ts”. I have to admit I do like the name banhoff, though the correct German spelling if intended is Bahnhof.
hi everyone give me please please a clue what is the best Dc turnouts in hoscale or ooscale in code 100 please i dont wana trow money away kindly theunis
Very nice photos of your layout some of the scenery looks like Washington state name your dog SPIKE…. EVERYONE IN TRAINS KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE…CHEERS THEODORE
Call the puppy Boris. So German
Hi Al, love your posts.
I thunk the dog should be called “Carpenter” – I’m sure he’ll be doing lots of jobs about the house!
Corrected copy (darn auto-correct)
Both the layout and your pup are beautiful. Since you’re the Engineer your pup should be the Conductor.
I would second the name “Carpenter”. My dog’s name is Sachi but I often call her ‘Bad Dog” when she does odd jobs about the house.
Hello there,
Just want to say that layout is superb! It gave me an idea of what on part of my layout where I have some crusty run-down buildings. Thank you for sharing the fruits of your hard labor, it’s greatly appreciated!
Regards, Tom.
Looks Like the 80’s TV series ALF !
call him’ “steamer”: beutiful puppy you have there.
Thor? Zeus? Odin? Dammit? You’ll be saying that a LOT. One last one: FRED.
Name the Dog, “Tracker'”
Superb layout ,and a super build sawmill.
The puppy dog i like the name Brandy.
In the EBay cheat sheet where is the ON 30 scale
He sure is a nice looking pup. How about Loco?
Beautiful Dog! Shep or Brownie come to mind. Nice layout. As has been said a layout is never completed but this is close. Bill in Nova Scotia.
Great looking layout. Cute dog too. I think “Casey Jones” would be great. I’ve got the feeling he already runs things in your home. 🙂
cute dog you should name him EL LOCO ( The Locomotive )
Pup looks like Bauxy, from that old tv show Lost in Space
Is the dog a male or female, because the sex matters in the name you pick. I noticed most of the names assumed he is a male.
Wonderful layout! And wonderful dog, too!!!
call the puppy conductor !!
Great layout! Great puppy, too! So little time, so many names. Stationmaster is too long, I think, but Fireman might work. Then, there’s Oiler, but that’s a little slick. Crosstie is sort of ambiguous, but Switchback is maybe doable. One last feeble effort: Taillight.
He looks like a “Harry” to me!
I may be in the minority here, but I like the name Tyco. 🙂
Loving GOSHOTTNZ, which works well for a German Shepherd.
And Casey has a nice ring and simplicity
Perhaps a full name like “La Vida loco”, which provides a number of variations based on your mood and his/her actions.
In honor of the restoration of the 4014, name him “Big Boy”
Bowser,
Since he is of German descent I suggest the name “BARON”
Great Layout, and I especially wanted to see the round house and turn table.
Your Pup’s name should be one syllable and have enough voice variation for the pup to recognized his name from casual conversation.
I’d call him ‘Frank” or “Dutch” or even ‘King.” But the actual naming is really up to y’all. Any name that is different from other dogs will be a plus for his training.
It really is a beautiful pup and should be a great dog.
“Flops” for the ear.
Nice layout Bern but have one question, is that Diesel stalled on the track? The little red sports car is beeping it’s little horn. Lol Your lay, how much room did you have to build it? Track plan? Are you still adding to it, like to see the before and after. Well I understand why you have the following, all of my live,as a kid we owned German Shepards and as a teen and all the way to one year ago. Love them. Well here some names for you, Boy names, king, Prince, Toby, Ringo, Tank, Wolf. Just watch him, his name will come to you. P.S have fun with him for the next 20 years and keep own railing.
SDG St.Petersburg, Florida USA
Hello Bern, one more, Boss
There’s only one good name for a German Shepard – “Max”.
Another great layout!
Sarge, short for Sargent. He’ll definitely be in charge when he grows up!
How about Zug (train)?
Sounds masculine and he is a German Shepherd.
RonE So. California
I like the name “Trax”. It is short and the dog will not be confused by more than one syllable and it is just enough different spelling to make your dog unique.
If you’re going with the loco theme, how about ALCO?
Love your blog, my friend. Keep up the GREAT work!
Nice layout. How bout Spike, or Parker? Farmer AL
Looking at his eyes, how about “Ghost”.
The layout is awesome! I hope you send updates as you build it up again. Can tell you put serious time and effort and love into your modeled world. A great post!
Speaking of Post. That would be an interesting name for a dog. Think about it…
You can post a post to keep all of us posted on Posts antics. The posts you post about Post will post with other posts from others who post here. Perfect way to post about Post. Bill in Virginia:D
Bernie: Well done detail, could you show us the track plan please.
Al: We assume the new pup is male, because you said “little chap”, not “little lady” or gal. When you are sitting down, and a cold wet nose nuzzles your hand or forearm, and asks ‘pat me’, all will know why you named him “Bumper”. (Bum for training)
Great layout and great German Shepard! — Diesel would be my pick! — My Shepard was named Dusty — I never thought of Diesel at the time@
Being a John Wayne aficionado & past model railroad nut who devoted many hours to the craft, and a dog lover who in the past have owned a border collie, a German Shepard, a Pug and most recently a terrier chihuahua mix with floppy ears and the cutest temperment of a dog I haver ever owned, I think a perfect name would be ‘HONDO’….I am slowly getting the bug to get back into the craft of model railroading & between the comments & videos, its infectious……
The dog is a beauty, how about Seemore, because of his great sight and eyes
Atlas, Cross Buck, Eisen, there are a lot more, maybe a contest.
love the pics, but mainly the dog pic. My shepard’s name is Leisel, since she’s German like me.
Martin
I’d name him “Ty”…. alternate spelling for railroad ‘tie’ No mistaking his name!
Short and sweet…. lot of ‘ties’ on your platform, but you have only one (1) “Ty”!
I would say name the dog Al ( I am a bit partial to the name myself) but that could cause confusion in the house as to which one of you are being yelled at. Dogs eyes in the picture makes him look like an “Alien” to me.
layout is very nice but hard to tell the size of it from the pictures. Looks small on on and large on another.
I now own 7th Great Dane, My previous Dane was named Beauregard Dacious. I would suggest naming the pup “Traynor”. Best of luck with your new friend regardless of what you name him!
How about Juice! You layout looks so real ! Great job!
What a great looking dog,Al. Good luck with picking a name for him or her as the case may be. They all have floppy ears at that age and his front legs say it’ll be well over 100 pounds. Whatever you do please don’t train him to be a guard dog. Once these dogs are bad they will stay bad and that could be trouble for you.Do socialize it a lot so he likes people in general, kids, babies and other pets. It will always be loyal to you and your family and will protect you to the death if need be but make sure he’s socially orientated. I like Cinder the best as I had a Shepherd with that name and she was the best. The Shepherd I have now was adopted and she’s kinda mean from being trained that way and she’s a lot of work. Her name is Echo.
Meantime this layout looks really great. I see lots of structures and lots of track so there appears to be plenty of work to be done with the rolling stock. Wish the pics were clickable so I could see more detail but these will do. I like the Ferris wheel. Pete
I know this site is all about railroading but I sure would like to see more pics of the dog.
Hi great layout lots to look at. Well done
As for the dogs name how about “free to a good home “. I guess it’s obvious I’m a cat person
Name him STAR.
I think the perfect answer would be CASEY ( without the “Jones”). Getting the dog used to it’s name, start with “K” “C”. When it’s responding to that, then gradually move over slowly to it’s real name, Casey!!
Your pup is about to take over your life. Might as well call him The Fat Controller.
My German friend had Rottweilers and I laughed when he called them Cyril, Andy and Cindy. He had the last laugh, my shepherds were called Fritz, Toby and Gretel.
Name the pup… LMAO. Used to put bubble-gum on some dogs ears to purposely flop down, haven’t heard on that one in awhile. Nobody will rob you with one of them around, loyal and protective. For some unknown reason “Track-side” as a name comes to mind, generic names not too indifferent either way. And yes, have thought of the perfect title always after already named 6 months later, oh well.
Layout has some good scenes, just that the old decaying cities seem to do better where urban spread is focal there. Don’t have to be skyscrapers at all, even a RR abandoned will work. Imagine a hobo site exactly on tracks at tunnel entrance. Jersey Central- sure.
How about the name “Switcher”
Al, thank you for all you do for our hobby.
I have always wanted a Shepard so I could
name him “Panzer”.
Detroit Doug
How about Shep?
Good stuff going on for this layout. You have some interesting and unique buildings here. Thanks for sharing.
Jim AZ
Maybe name your new member Dexter, that will make him think he is very important !!!!!! By the way, great layout !!!!!!
how about dragon eye. the way his eyes glow is something, i know its the lighting, but what the heck. very nice extreme use of space.
Nice Shepherd you have there ,Al. One of my favorite shepherd was named”Shep”, a very lovable pooch. Layout is great too!!
Good luck with your new pooch!!
Sweet pup. How about LOCO?
from the hela pad to the ferris wheel & the church & fishing boats in the harbor the whole layout is awesome. well done.
Lionel is top on my list.
Al from where you live near the GWR perhaps Gooch (the pooch) would be suitable. Thanks for all you do for us
cheers Kelvin.
Nice layout. How about “Chooch” for the new doggie’s name.
I vote for Thomas. My name is Thomas, and I was named after my father’s dog, Tomaso.
Tom in Mississippi