AM Tours

10am - 1pm

Charlie Crawford’s Adirondack Division of the New York Central

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The Adirondack Division represents this New York Central division in 1952. Recently the time modeled was changed from 1927. The layout models the area from Remsen, NY to Raquette Lake, NY. Many of the scratch-built structures and cars were entries in Piedmont Division contests. As a modular layout it has been exhibited at the Northeastern and Southeastern Regional Conventions and the 2009, 2013 and 2017 NMRA National Conventions.

City: Marietta
Scale/Gauge: HO
Charlie Crawford

Kevin Stemple’s Blue Valley Railroad – New Layout for 2025

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Moved in early 2025 and the dimensions of the room required a that a new layout be designed and constructed. Benchwork was started in June with the intent to have the mainlines up and running by the pilgrimage. Design of the new layout is a double folded dogbone for the mainline with a yard off to on side. The inside of the dogbone's will be industrial spurs, The Blue Valley Railroad will still be what might have been a rural town in Pennsylvania in the 60's.

City: Holly Springs
Scale/Gauge: HO
Kevin Stemple

PM Tours

1pm - 5pm

David Godwin’s Georgia, Alabama & Tennessee RR (GATRR)

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Georgia, Alabama & Tennessee (GAT) RR, MDR Division. Proto freelance Southeast railroads, primarily Central of Georgia with occasional Southern, Atlantic Coast Line, Seaboard Air Line and L&N. Trains operate connections to Chattanooga, Birmingham, Atlanta and Savannah using waybill car forwarding system. Running mix of freight and passenger trains. Over 300' of mainline with currently six sidings. Layout is under construction. Mainline benchwork is complete. Upper level (Chattanooga) and lower level (Savannah) staging completed. The mainline completed between both levels of staging. The branch line on the lower level is complete. Upper level has two staging areas. Layout design includes point to point mainline and two branch lines with 17' of staging for upper and lower levels. Layout also includes four reverse loops for turning trains and continuous operation (for open house dates). Layout also has a unique external helix.

City: Canton
Scale/Gauge: HO
David Godwin

Thomas Lloyd’s Norfolk and Western Railway – Pocahontas Division 1958

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The layout focuses on coal operations, time freights, and passenger trains of the Norfolk and Western Railway through the coalfields of West Virginia during 1958. The N&W rostered steam locomotives until May 1960, so you can witness the final years of their use in regular service alongside the new diesels that eventually replaced them. 1958 is also the year that Management leased first-generation diesels from neighboring railroads (including the PRR, ACL, and RF&P) to help expedite dieselization, offering the railfan a chance to witness some interesting patch jobs and diesel consists among the N&W's own new diesels. The layout is designed for prototype operations to keep 12 people busy for 3.5 hours. A fast clock is used so that time freight and passenger trains are scheduled to depart based on the actual 1958 Time Table.

City: Norcross
Scale/Gauge: HO
Thomas Lloyd

Ken Stinnette’s Old Reliable

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The layout is freelance based on transition era L&N and NC&STL. It is a single-track main with passing sidings and about 20 sidings for industries for operations.

City: Duluth
Scale/Gauge: N
Kenneth Stinnette

Mark Reed’s Little River Railroad and Lumber Company

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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. Operations takes place in the mid- to late-1930s. 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

Thomas Gordon’s Seaboard Air Line – Birmingham Subdivision

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This layout is a loose representation of the most mountainous portion of the Seaboard Air Line from Atlanta to Birmingham in the late summer of 1954. It is designed for lots of industry switching and has a number of seriously modified kits and scratch-built structures. The track is a combination of flex track and handlaid industrial sidings. Locomotive power is provided by first generation diesels – with some ‘retired’ SAL steam on the industrial switching area in Rockmart. The layout is a new one (replacing a similar layout at a different location, last on tour in 2018), but it is fully functional. Fascia and backdrops have been installed, and scenery work is in progress. The physical plant is controlled via a C/MRI system, with propulsion via EasyDCC. Since this current rendition of the layout is less than 4 years old, the signal system is in the process of being installed.

City: Norcross
Scale/Gauge: HO
Thomas Gordon