AM Tours

Philip and Linda Stead’s D&RGW Alamosa Chama Subdivision

Alamosa Colorado to Chama New Mexico mainline modeled in On3 and P48 dual gauge during September 1949. Photos on Youtube. Search Phil Stead

City: Ball Ground
Scale/Gauge: On3
Philip Stead

While visiting our home layout tours in the Ball Ground and Talking Rock area, consider stopping in to see the new model train layout on display at the Tate Depot, in Tate, GA. They will be open 10:00am-2:00pm. (It’s Free!) For more information, contact Ben Read at bensread@aol.com, or call Ben at 770-530-7565. ////////////// NOTICE: Be advised that the D&RGW San Juan Division layout tour MAY have to be CANCELED on short notice. Please be sure to check here again before going to the Stead's layout tour.

Steve Austin’s Elkhorn Iron & Timber Co RR (EL&T)

The El&TCo. is a 1947-era backwoods railroad featuring logging, sawmilling, steel manufacturing, coal mining, and many of the ancillary industries necessary to make this all work. The scenery and scratch-built structures and motive power are my specialties. The heavily wooded sawmill peninsula includes an engine servicing facility, river, log dump and sawmill. The scratch-built sawmill is 12" x 32" x 15" high. The mill complex includes the powerhouse, slash burner, conveyors, lumber stacks, water tanks, and the small village. The steel mill complex covers an area 30" deep by almost 17 feet long. The highly detailed harbor scene, including numerous boats and small freighters, at the layout entrance, covers an area 7' by 8' (see the photo section!). The layout has been featured in the Narrow Gauge and Shortline Gazette and the On30 Annual as well as Scale Rails and Model Railroader. My scratch-built On30 Shay won lst place at the Piedmont Division and the Southeast Region train shows in 2000; it won 2nd place at the NMRA National at San Jose with 113 points. The 336 sq ft Elkhorn expansion features a fully automated interchange with the original 560 sq ft purpose-built layout room. Both spaces feature double deck railroading. The expansion includes several waterfront scenes. The approximately 7'x3` Upatoi Creek includes a boatyard scene with a shrimp boat in for repairs and maintenance as well as an automated shuttle train serving the numerous scratch-built extensively kit-bashed enterprises along the Creek. A 6'x3' rail-served riverfront scene includes extensive docking facilities capable of handling 4-6 craft simultaneously. The expansion spotlights a highly detailed (they are all highly detailed ) 2'x4' welding shop, welding services and scrap metal salvage complex. A well-detailed 3-stall engine house with turntable and machine shop is the next planned construction project.

City: Talking Rock
Scale/Gauge: On30
Steve Austin

While visiting our home layout tours in the Ball Ground and Talking Rock area, consider stopping in to see the new model train layout on display at the Tate Depot, in Tate, GA. They will be open 10:00am-2:00pm. (It’s Free!) For more information, contact Ben Read at bensread@aol.com, or call Ben at 770-530-7565.

Mark Reed’s Little River Railroad and Lumber Company

This proto-freelanced layout captures a small segment of the Little River Railroad, depicting a 26-mile stretch of branchline and logging operations located in what is known today as the Great Smoky Mountains. The railroad is served by the Southern Railway, Knoxville and Augusta Division. Current operations will extend the railroad into the early 1940s. The LRR&LC is inspired by the raffle layout of the same name won at the 2004 Piedmont Division's Train Show; the raffled section has been incorporated as the peninsula on the middle level. As a multi-level design, the lower and middle levels are joined using a double deck peninsula (with reversing loops on each level) at one end with walk around shelves to a helix at the other end. Continuous running of trains is possible between the lower and middle levels. On the upper section of the peninsula, a series of switchbacks connect the middle level of the peninsula to an around-the-wall shelf on the upper level. Three towns will be modeled in detail. On the lower level, the main industry in the town of Walland will include the Schlosser Tannery and the sawmill complex will dominate Townsend. Specifically, the Townsend Sawmill Complex will feature a fully detailed sawmill, power plant, planing shed, transfer shed with a tramway leading to the drying yard, sawdust burner, coaling station, water tower, and machine shop. Logging operations and the town of Elkmont will be modeled on the upper level. Finally, there will be seven bridges traversing the Little River that run throughout the landscape on all three levels. In addition to the logging operations, the Little River Railroad Company will transport loggers and their families to and from work sites and local towns. Finally, excursion trains will operate between Walland and Elkmont, bringing summer vacationers from Maryville and Knoxville to the cabins and cottages (known as Millionnaires Row) just north of Elkmont.

City: Peachtree Corners
Scale/Gauge: HO
Mark Reed

While visiting this home layout tour in the Peachtree Corners area, consider stopping in to see the model train layout (and much, much more!) on display at the Southeastern Railway Museum, 3595 Buford Highway in Duluth, GA. They will be open Saturday 10:00am-5:00pm. (Admission fee required!) For more information, visit their website at the link below

Southeastern Railway Museum

PM Tours

Michigan & New York Central Railroad.

A must see layout! I have a lot of scratch built things from buildings to rolling stock to road signals and grade crossings. A duck under to the center of the layout or a walk around on the outside of the layout is best for more viewing and provides a lot of space for a lot of people. The Ford Motor Coal Dock has a ton of interesting detail with a lake freighter at dock side unloading coal. Detroit, Dearborn, Wayne, Dexter all have a spot on the layout. Over Dearborn, with banner in tow, is a bi-plane actually flying the full length of the southern part of Dearborn. A full moon (light globe) provides enough light for viewers to get a night time view of operations on the M&NYC. The Mercury and Wolverine passenger trains run daily out of the Michigan Central Depot. I use pine bark for rock formations and for some of my yard ballast I use dirt collected from the street at curb side. I have all my electric poles on the layout wired (thread or stretch line) and all street lights working. A very populated layout with people, cars, trucks and trees. I make what I can, kit bash if I have to and make it fit when it's necessary. If you pass my layout up you have really missed a very interesting visit.

City: Marietta
Scale/Gauge: HO
Jerry Michnewicz