Back in the early 1980’s when the late Albert Bailey of Pasadena, CA wrote the Tinplate Trackers Manual, he documented the concepts of modular railroading as being started by N scale model train hobbyist. The exact time when these hobbyists developed this concept is unclear. However, the Tinplate Trackers Manual lists the first public showing of their O gauge modules at a Cal-Stewart Train Meet in the fall of 1985. Over the years, the Tinplate Trackers module standards began gaining acceptance by hobbyists who adopted the concepts and moved them eastward as a viable way to operate trains on a large layout.

In 1986, the first eastern group to organize was the Delaware Valley Tinplate Trackers. Their organization spawned the modular railroading movement on the East Coast that later evolved into what is known today as HiRail Modular Railroading. The following two pioneers will share their first hand knowledge and early involvement in the conceptual migration of Modular Railroading to the East Coast.

Top of page

Delaware Valley HiRailers

In 1989 Steve Horvath joined us at a Greenberg Show held in conjunction with the national convention of the Lionel Operating Train Society in Baltimore, Maryland. Steve used Gargraves track on his module and installed a third track between the 8 1/2-inch spacing of the tinplate tracker standards. The inability of the K-Line Heavyweights to negotiate Lionel’s 0-22 switches prompted us to convert all of our modules to the three track mainline and Gargraves track.

This module (Carl Person’s) is built upon foam instead of plywood and features Walther’s kits.

The idea of modular railroading started to gain a large following with the National N Scale movement and their modular specifications. I am not sure but most of the roots of modular railroading can be traced to this revolution in model railroading, including the Tinplate Trackers from which the HiRail modules evolved. Personally, I can only speak about HiRail modules as seen from my involvement over the past ten years. There may be similar HiRail groups around the country but I am not aware of where they may be.

The HiRail module concept actually started after my return from the 1989 national convention of the Lionel Operating Train Society (LOTS) held in Baltimore. The Delaware Valley Tinplate Trackers (DVTT) were scheduled to set up at the LOTS convention and they invited me to join them in Baltimore. I built two modules using the Al Bailey Tinplate Trackers standards supplied to me by the DVTT. They were constructed and detailed using Gargraves track and Right Of Way switches and featured a small Intermodal Yard using the then new Lionel Intermodal Crane as a theme. The track was ballasted and painted a rust color. There were operating signals for the turnouts and Tortoise switch machines controlling the turnouts and signals. These modules had a switch with a small storage track placed half the distance between tracks 1 and 2, which is the original two track mainline standard used by the Tinplate Trackers. The track spacing used on the modules was adapted from the Tinplate Trackers standard of 3 ¾-inches from the front edge of the module for track 1 and 8-1/2-inches to the center rail of track 2. This standard is still used today with the addition of a third mainline track halfway at 4 ¼-inches.

Upon my return from the convention in 1989, I decided to organize a group of hobbyists who had a similar interest in HiRail modular model railroading. Beside myself the first two founding members were Harry Jenkins and Tom Walsh. We agreed to build the modules based on the two I built for the LOTS convention. Harry built yard modules and Tom built the corners. The credit for the addition of the third mainline goes to Tom Walsh who drew it into his module specifications that we adopted. The first show we did as a group was in 1990 as the Raritan Valley HiRailers. This group is still operating.

This is another view of the Intermodal yard with a Lionel Rico station in the foreground. 

Ray Zelehoski’s Williams B&O FA-1 and Jim Miller’s repainted Lionel Hudson on Joe Sadowski’s bridge module.

This is a scale model of the Packanack Club House.

A freight has just passed through the 5-section mountain tunnel that sits upon one corner and straight modules.

Here’s Jim using Lionel’s TMCC to move traffic pass a couple of sidings along the layout.

This division of the Independent HiRailers was organized in the summer of 1995 shortly after I left Steve Horvath’s group in New Jersey and moved to the Chicago area. Upon my arrival here I joined another group and some of the guys from that group were invited to my home to see the HiRail modules I had built. After visiting my home they decided that they would pursue HiRail modular railroading using the Independent HiRailers specifications. Since that time our group has grown and built many detailed modules that have won awards at NMRA and other train meets. We continue to detail our modules and strive for realistic modeling of railroad scenes. For more information about the Independent HiRailers-Midwest Division and photos please check the “Links” section for the link to our web site.

John and Joel Hastings a father and son modeling team beautifully detailed this Lionel Rico station , which won a NMRA award.

Here is some photos of our modules.

Jim Miller’s Weaver Lehigh Valley GP38-2 with scale pilot and Kadee coupler snakes through Chris Finch’s S-curve modules.

Bob House’s (organizer of the Allentown Train Meet Associates) Lionel Big Boy takes its turn snaking through Chris Finch’s S-curve module.

Here is a repainted Lionel 623 switcher in Penn Central, switching hoppers on the coal ramp.

These are some custom painted samples by Chris Finch. The weathered church, and Conrail Dash unit are MTH, the other diesel is a Lionel and a kit bashed plow.

Top of page

D C Area Independent HiRailers

In May of 1997, I founded the DC Area Independent HiRailers module group in the greater Washington, D. C. and Baltimore area. This occurred after having participated and worked with the Independent HiRailers-Eastern Division, founded by Steve Horvath at train shows in New Jersey and Scranton, Pennsylvania. My first exposure to modular model railroading happened in 1989. This was at the Lionel Operating Train Society’s (LOTS) National convention in Baltimore, Maryland where I saw Carl Person’s Delaware Valley Tinplate Trackers modular layout. Upon seeing what the Delaware group was doing with modular railroading, I was not fully convinced that their modular railroading style was the way to go. However, in 1994 after seeing the Independent HiRailers modular layout I was sold on the concept of HiRail modular railroading using their techniques and specifications.

This group currently has active participants from Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. Our schedule of shows includes locations in the Maryland and Virginia suburban areas of Washington, D. C. and Baltimore and its suburbs. Our mission is to publicly display our HiRail modular layout and to operate various manufacturers’ HiRail trains to encourage and promote growth in the hobby. We love displaying our layout and expressing the joy and fun that HiRail model railroading can provide to hobbyists and their families.

Below are some shots of our modular displays at train shows.

Here’s Mike Frketich’s UP Big Boy being admired by a Little Boy. Isn’t this what the hobby is all about seeing the glowing smile on a child’s face?

B & O E-8’s exits behind the passenger station on Mike Frketich’s four-module set passenger station.

A work crew is busy working on the upper level of Mike’s passenger station shutting down the old power house.

Here’s another view of the old power house and it’s busy work crew.

Mike’s SP Cab Forward lines up with the turntable on Roy Aydelotte’s turntable module.

Here’s plenty of Pennsy power building up steam in the roundhouse as they prepare for their turn on Roy Aydelotte’s turntable.

This is an overall view of Roy’s 4 by 8-foot turntable and roundhouse module. The Little Boy is up front taking in all of the railroading action on this portion of the layout!

This freight train is leaning as it exits Mike’s Super Elevated Super Wide Radius curves into June Aydelotte’s modules.

A Chessie SD40-2 passes by June’s business area and railroad crossing scene on this module.

The mainline traffic is heavy on Frank E. Qualls’ modules.

Frank’s rail yard modules are always busy with rail traffic passing by and exiting the yard tracks.

Frank’s wide radius corners with a maximum track radius of 48-inches have made to fit mountains built upon a two-inch pink foam base. The mountains are formed from balled-up newspaper covered with hard shell surgical casting material. They were then painted and covered with various ground foam materials.

After founding the DC Area Independent HiRailers, a couple of years ago I began to search for an embroidery company I could work with to design a logo for our HiRail group. I found a small embroidery company named Stitch By Stitch located in Bowie, Maryland. Working with the owners, I designed the following embroidery logo for the DC Area Independent HiRailers, which is proudly displayed on our hats and shirts.

This logo has been freely offered to other Independent HiRailers groups around the country and the following groups have adopted it and proudly display it as their own.

Carl Person, Founder                   Steve Horvath, Founder          George Petrie, Founder