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Steve Austin’s Elkhorn Iron & Timber Co
473 Arbor Hills Rd N, Talking Rock, GA, 30175
Open Sunday, July 26 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Layout at a Glance
Scale: On30
Size of Layout: 17'X32' plus 14'X27'
Prototype: Freelance
Location Modeled: Southern Appalachian Mountains
Era: 1947
Length of Main Line: 250'
Layout Height: 34" and 50" Double deck
Benchwork: Open Grid
Roadbed Material: Styrofoam
Track Manufacturer: Micro Engineering
Minimum Main Line Radius: 22"
Maximum Grade: 2.5 %
Scenery Techniques: Cardboard webbing with plaster cloth, plaster of paris rock molds, painted and covered in ground foam, real rock talus, poly fiber bushes and a variety of trees
Backdrop: Painted drywall, with coved corners, mountains and clouds
Control System: Digitrax DCC
Car Forwarding System: None
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Layout Description
The El&TCo. is a 1947-themed backwoods railroad featuring logging, sawmilling, steel manufacturing, and coal mining. My focus is on scenic detail and scratch-built structures.
The sawmill peninsula includes an engine servicing facility, river, log dump, and a scratch-built sawmill measuring 12" x 32" x 15" high. The mill complex features a powerhouse, conveyors, lumber stacks, and a small village.
The steel mill complex spans 30" deep and nearly 17 feet long. A detailed harbor scene at the layout entrance covers 7' by 8'. My layout has been featured in several publications, and my scratch-built On30 Shay won multiple awards, including first place at the Piedmont Division train show in 2000 and second place at the NMRA National with 113 points.
The 336 sq ft Elkhorn expansion includes a fully automated interchange and waterfront scenes. Notably, the 7' x 3' Upatoi Creek features a boatyard and an automated shuttle train, while a 6' x 3' rail-served riverfront has docking facilities for 4-6 boats. Future projects include a 2' x 4' welding shop and a detailed 3-stall engine house with a turntable and machine shop.
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