Help us with our abstract 3D orb-based logo! We're trying to embody the design concept "Cab Forward"

CabForward

We are a group of Ruby on Rails programmers and tech consultants living in Austin, TX. We came up with the idea of CabForward, because it was once a Railroad term and talks about putting the driver (the customer) up front where they have more control and visibility!

Historically, the term "Cab Forward" has referred to various rail and road vehicle designs which place the driver's compartment substantially farther towards the front than is common practice. For rail, this meant putting the driver in front of the engine. This practice was particularly helpful when driving locomotives through long tunnels -- it kept the smoke behind the driver. In automotive design, manufacturers moved the driver forward for better control, but also suggested that Cab Forward design maximized space for man while minimizing space for machine. I think you can see the way this term would transfer to the technology space. We want the logo to suggest that not only are our customers in better control, but they are sitting out front, with better visibility, and the technology will push them as fast as they want to go. The emphasis is on them, the driver, the customer. The final logo should be simple, abstract and futuristic feeling.

Thoughts on orbs:
I like orbs and am pretty sure that's the direction we want to go. Perhaps a simple large ruby red orb up front with a long chrome tail behind it, like a swooping track. The orb should be pushing forward as though it is the driver and pulling the track along. I want the track to imply railroad track without being a concrete representation of a track. Design #22 is, so far, the closest we have come to that. I love the idea that the orb is almost holding on to the track as though it were a flowing ribbon wrapping around its torso and subject to the wind, thrust, inertia, etc.

Company name is CabForward (no spaces), not Cab Forward.