AM Tours

Jim Foley’s JD & VR Garden Railroad

Mainline is a 200’ figure eight covering about 35’ x 55’ area. Long passing siding. Secondary line about 50’ around pond within one loop of the figure eight, with crossovers to mainline. Spur into our house to a 5-track staging area. One single-track and one double-track Eaglewings steel bridge over the creek leading into the pond. Two 10‘ steel truss bridges and three 3’ steel beam bridges on elevated portion of mainline. USA Trains F3A/B diesel, NW2 diesel switcher, and J1e Hudson. Aristocraft Budd RDC car. Most rolling stock from roads in my home state of Pennsylvania: Pennsy, Lehigh Valley, Reading, Jersey Central, DL&W.

The track plan is a point-to-point, single-track main line with 5 passing tracks. One end has a 5-track stub-ended staging yard the other end has a 5-track loop staging. The layout has 2 helixes connecting the 4 levels. The area modeled represents the area from Troy New York to East Deerfield, Massachusetts. The time frame is the summer of 1957 just after the start of the McGinnis era on the A & M.. The scenery is progressing to about 70% at least roughed in. The backdrop is hand painted on walls and hardboard. Most of the scenery is paper shell, some carved foam board with ground goop covered with Woodland Scenics products along with misc. other materials. Have been using front silvered mirrors to extend rivers and roadways into the backdrop.

The ERR garden railroad (G) has 3 loops and a 2% grade connecting line. It has a waterfall and a small pond. It forms around a 200-year-old Oak tree within a vehicle turnaround area. One trestle and 2 bridges cross the pond. Power is Bridgeworks and Airewire 900 battery power. BN, BNSF, 8&0, SF, UP, D&RGW, C&S is all represented. Most structures are 1:29 but narrow gauge structures have been acquired and loosely fit in.

While visiting our home layout tours in the Tyrone and Newnan areas, consider stopping in to see the Tyrone Museum’s new model train layout in Tyrone, GA, at 881 Senoia Road. They will be open Sunday 2:00pm-4:00pm. (Free!) For more information, visit their website using the link below.

The ERR (HO) is a modern logging railroad depicting the Cascade Mts of Oregon, from Coos Bay to Grants Pass. Coos Bay is a major intermodal port and Amtrak destination. Logging happens in the mountains at Camp #6 near Eagles Nest and is transported to the paper mill, Lumber mill, and plywood mill. Processed paper and lumber is shipped out through both ends (CB and GP). Coos Bay has a small shipyard, gravel export by barge, and grain export facilities. Unit coal trains arrive at the power plant, unit grain trains to the flour mill, and intermodal trains between CB and GP. Wendy Hollow is the home of a large steam museum with all the required service facilities. Planned, but not completed for the open house is a cannery complex and fishing village at Gold Beach in my new office area. GN, BN, BNSF, UP, SP make up most of the diesel roster, however, the steam engines are from various roads. There is one duck-under to see the main part of the layout. (48" clear).

While visiting our home layout tours in the Tyrone and Newnan areas, consider stopping in to see the Tyrone Museum’s new model train layout in Tyrone, GA, at 881 Senoia Road. They will be open Sunday 2:00pm-4:00pm. (Free!) For more information, visit their website using the link below.