Layouts

Nashville Area Layouts


Layout Image

 

The Nashville Garden Railway Society has a selection of detailed layouts you will be able to tour. On your tours you will see layouts running diesel, steam, and live-steam. The area has layouts with amazing hand-carved rock tunnels and retaining walls, numerous creative elevated track layouts, ground level garden environments, detailed indoor layouts, a botanical garden layout, and even a layout with over 2,000 feet of track – and still growing larger before 2021!

The layout information below is from members who have confirmed for NGRC 2021.  More info should be available soon...  

Tuesday Layouts: Preliminary Info
Wednesday Layouts: Preliminary Info
Thursday Layouts: Preliminary Info

 

Pre- and Post- Convention Tours/Layouts

Numerous clubs have been in contact with us… Details to be determined.
(Memphis, TN and Atlanta, GA have stated they are ready.)

 

 

Confirmed layouts for Tuesday...

Johnson layouts   

Outside “Evergreen Falls”, Inside “Small Town USA”
  • Two layouts are at this location!  One indoor, one outdoor – both large-scale.

The Outside layout is the newest layout in the club.  (It will be 20 months at the convention.)  The layout is 10x60 feet and has numerous live plants and a water feature.  The DCC layout uses 140 feet of brass track.  Numerous buildings and figures will be on the layout as well as a 10’ tunnel and a 7’ bridge. (Rumor is this layout is growing larger!)

The Inside layout is an 18x20 foot layout inspired by a 1960’s small town, similar to what you would have found throughout the USA.  Hundreds of vehicles, figures, and lights show tons of details throughout the layout.  Street lights are all working traffic lights, and many areas have sound effects with built in push-buttons.  Five bridges and plenty of buildings show tons of detail.  Numerous settings/scenes throughout including a classic car show, a band playing at the park, mechanics working at the shop, a stubborn Southern Baptist church, and plenty of other creative ideas.  Of course, you will also be surprised by the disappearing tunnel.  This layout has 150 feet of brass track and uses DCC.

 

Black Family Layout
Ain’t Misbehavin’ RailRoad

This layout includes over 1500 feet of track (and will be over 2000 feet by convention time), designed for elevated rail using battery and/or track power.  The layout includes a pond, live fish and plenty of scratch built buildings as well as kit buildings.  

Black Layout 3-Wide

There are two main lines on this sprawling layout.  Two bridges and over 60 buildings showcase what you can do with elevated rail. 

 

Bamburg Layout
Tennessee & Virginia RR

This layout was designed to represent southeastern Virginia and Tennessee and is an elevated rail layout.  It uses DC track power and is a folded dogbone design.  20x50 feet at present with 500 feet of brass track.  The layout has about 15 buildings and some live plants, and was designed to be easy to maintain. 

Bamburg - 3 wide

This layout has grown and now has a second inside loop that is roughly 15x35 feet.  The layout regularly has D&RGW, MW, and Southern trains running – and just about anything else the owner fancies.  This layout uses an elevated rail system and an in-ground design.

 

Rich Layout

More info coming soon...

 

Fiddler's Grove

Fiddler's Grove will have trains, food available for purchase (food is included only with bus tours) and is the location for a small train museum.  This location is inside the Fiddler's Grove Historical Village, where the organization focuses on preserving the local history/heritage.

This area and layout was damaged by the Tornado's that came through TN in early Spring of 2020.  We will update you as soon as possible on features.

To see more info on the Historical Village, please see https://fiddlersgrovetn.com/

More info coming soon...

 

Back to the top

Confirmed layouts for Wednesday...

 

Jungst Layout
J2A Railroad

This layout is agriculture themed and has a 7 and 24 foot long trestle.  Modern diesels tend to run most often.

Jungst Layout - 3 wide

This layout is track powered and is mostly a loop design.  Numerous scratch-built structures can be found and this layout has an extensive use (more than 50) of live plants.  35x22 feet in size at present using 223 feet of brass track. 

 

 

Miller Layout
Nashville Chattanooga Garden Railroad

This layout is a freelance layout with over 1800 feet of track, and growing larger before the convention!  The layout runs steam, live steam and diesel locos and has more than 60 buildings. 

Miller Layout - 4 wide

The layout blends elevated rail and track laid in the ground to showcase the best of both options.  Numerous trees dot the landscape, as well as signal crossings and bridges.  The turntable has plenty of space for trains and has a siding that runs trains into a true trainshed for storing trains and gear.

(As of yet, we do not have a way to get an image of the entire layout.  We estimate the layout to be 100x300 feet – but that is likely to be too small.)

 

Rea Layout

More info coming soon...

 

Heald layout 
Colorado Memory

This layout represents Colorado narrow gauge railroads of the 1880-1930’s. 

Heald Layout 3 wide

Many small towns and a trestle grace this railroad that uses track power to cover its 50x50 footprint.  Numerous scratch-built buildings, stations, and a bridge can be seen.  The layout uses roughly 350 feet of brass track.  This layout uses elevated rail.

 

Tn Central RailRoad Museum, #576 Steam Restoration & Layouts

This location is where the Nashville Steam Preservation Society has loco #576 in restoration.  You will have a chance to see this loco, though we do not have updated information on the state the loco will be in at the time of the visit.  We hope to update you with more info soon.

For more info on the loco preservation, see http://www.nashvillesteam.org/

 

Back to the top



Confirmed layouts for Thursday...

Anderson Layout
Copperline Railroad

This layout is designed for easy maintenance and relaxation.  A water feature and paver patio is located right next to the tracks for relaxation while watching trains run.  

Anderson Layout, 2-wide

 

Neal Layout
Kenwick Division of the NC&StL

The layout is based on the NC&StL in Cowan, TN – from the late 50’s. 

Neal Layout, 3-wide

Cowan station and a Plymouth dealership, among others were created.  (You can compare images of the real-life location – supposed to be displayed during the convention)  The layout has a fish pond and waterfall and uses a mix of steam and diesel engines from the 1950’s.   This layout is roughly 50x50 feet of track at present, and uses DCC power.  There are many PIKO, POLA, and Aristo buildings, as well as some scratch-built items to help represent a real-life town. The layout has 3 lines, but is mostly a single main line using approximately 300 feet of track.

Numerous live plants can be seen.

 

Fisher Layouts
  • Two layouts are at this location!  One outdoor large-scale, one indoor O-Scale.  These layouts will only be accessible via bus tours.  There will be no listing of this address in the convention book.  

Fisher Layouts, 4-wide

The outdoor large-scale layout uses DC track power and is roughly 25x55 feet in size.  This layout has numerous hand-carved rock tunnel portals and the rock layout/bed retaining wall, made without mortar in the old-fashioned tradition by a stone mason/craftsman flow in from Europe.  This layout is designed for low maintenance and has numerous decade old trees carefully manicured.  Numerous hand built trestles and tunnels give you a great view of trains from all angles.

The indoor layout is a fantastic O-Scale layout housing almost the entire basement level of the home.  Multiple home additions were made to house this layout, including a special multiple trip project for the power company to build the infrastructure needed!  Thousands of building lights and tons of time and effort went in to every detail of this layout.   Hundreds, If not a thousand, of buildings were placed on this layout with numerous special figures, characters, and some one-of-a-kind locos as well.  Scratch built buildings are the norm.  Numerous interior and lighting details make this layout a spectacular must-see.

 

Watson Layout

More info coming soon...

Back to the top