What is Hi-Railing?

The term “Hi-Rail” is generally accepted as three-rail O-Gauge trains operating in a realistic environment.  While every attempt is made to have the trains and scenery constructed as close to scale (¼-inch to the foot) as possible, the tinplated track which O-Gauge trains operate on has remained about a quarter to an eighth of an inch higher than scale track and has three rails hence the name “Hi-Rail”.  The taller rail height is a requirement of the standard wheel flange that O-Gauge engines and rolling stock use.  O-Scale trains on the other hand incorporate prototypical two-rail track and usually represents modeling scaled down to a true ¼-inch to the foot.

O-Scale layouts, including engines and rolling stock have been around since the 1930’s.  While the layout could be made scale or prototypical, the typical O-Gauge enthusiast who wanted realistic operation had to settle for running “toy trains” in a scale/prototypical environment.  In 1939, Joshua Lionel Cowan, the founder of Lionel Trains, was thinking about prototype equipment when he produced his first 700E Hudson locomotive.  This engine was a true ¼-inch scale model of the real New York Central’s 700-J1E Hudson.  However, it was not until the late 1980’s that scale three-rail O-Gauge engines and rolling stock began to emerge.  Manufacturers such as Right-of-Way Industries, Williams, and Mike’s Train House (MTH) began producing scale proportioned engines and rolling stock, which operated on three-rail track.  Even Lionel could not ignore the growing trend towards scale/prototypical trains.  Further, the standard tinplate three-rail track has evolved into a more scale appearance with Atlas O’s 21^st Century Sectional Track, Gargraves’ “Phantom” Line, and MTH’s ScaleTrax.  These track systems have realistic attributes such as T-shaped rails, wooden ties, providing scale appearance along with blackened center rails to camouflage its existence.  However, the taller than scale rail height remains.

A Hi-Railer desires his trains and entire layout to appear more realistic or prototypical as possible.  To achieve this, there are several key steps to decide when constructing and operating a prototypical layout.  The first step is operating the railroad equipment as close to the prototype as possible.  Subsequently comes the decision about what "Era" (i.e. steam, early diesel, modern) to model.  Engines, rolling stock, buildings, signs, cars, and people must be carefully selected to represent a particular time period, past or present.  Next is deciding the specific area where your railroad will operate, including the location, topography, and season of the year.  Finally, deciding what will be your mixture of prototype railroads and types of equipment, or to operate a one specific railroad.  This entails repainting, re-lettering, and weathering the locomotives and rolling stock to match the actual prototype, including having individually numbered rolling stock.  Each individual must decide to what extent of realism he wants to achieve.  However, the Hi-Railer should never forget his toy train roots….run your trains and HAVE FUN!!!

Of course there are some given restraints that an O-Gauge Hi-Railer must contend with namely operating on three-rail track, instead of having two-rails.  However, except for the huge couplers and the fact that our O-Gauge train wheels are designed to best operate on three-rail tinplate tubular track there aren't really any other restraints preventing a Hi-Railer from operating an O-Scale railroad.  By the way, the word “tinplate” has nothing to do with Hi-Rail model trains.  The term refers to the typical Lionel three-rail track and unless one is modeling a traditional “toy train” layout, you will not find any tinplate on a Hi-Rail layout.

Since the late 1980’s with the growing trend towards realism, most of the O-Gauge manufacturers of model trains began to cater to the Hi-Rail hobbyist, providing more and more prototypical products.  This included not only manufacturers of motive power and rolling stock, but also everything else we'd like to see on our layouts.  A Hi-Railer not only wants to be as close to ¼-inch scale as possible for his trains, but also his buildings and structures, cars, trucks, people, and all other details.  While many hobbyist elect to scratch-build these items themselves, these items can also be carefully selected from the marketplace, coming as close to scale as they can find.  Does being a Hi-Railer mean that the traditional Lionel operating accessories and buildings can no longer be incorporated into the layout?  Not necessarily, since many of the Lionel plastic building kits, particular the classic ones like the Grain Elevator, Rico Station, Engine House, and the Passenger/Freight Station, are all nearly perfect scale and with some customizing, match perfectly within the scale environment.  Using Lionel operating accessories, however, takes a lot more imagination and creativity to make them look real.  Most of the traditional operating accessories are toys and the rolling stock that's usually associated with these accessories are not always prototypical.  While a customizing job does improve their appearance on our layouts, we must sometimes bend the rules in the name of FUN and ACTION!  Who doesn't get a kick out of watching an operating Saw Mill, Icing Station, or Milk Car in action?  As the trend towards scale continues, the manufacturers have responded with scale appearing operating accessories, so all is not lost.

A final area in which Lionel Trains and more recently MTH (QSI) have particularly helped Hi-Railers achieve their objective has been in the incorporation of on-board sound systems.  Lionel’s Railsounds and MTH’s Protosounds, have strived to reproduce absolutely prototypical sounds for their locomotives.  In addition, the wireless technology has not escaped O-Gauge model railroading, with Lionel's Train Master Command Control (TMCC) and MTH’s Digital Command System (DCS), the operator is no longer restricted to standing at the transformer to control his trains.

Individuals such as John Shankland, Tony Lash, and Bob Bartizek own permanent Hi-Rail layouts around the country while others are on public display at the San Diego Model Railroad Museum.  In additional, groups of individuals have gotten together to form modular clubs dedicated to Hi-Rail model railroading.  Hi-Rail Modular layouts such as those by the Raritan Valley HiRailers, Independent Hi-Railers Midwest Division, and Cresent Model Railroaders can be frequently seen at train shows and other events around the country.  For more information regarding Hi-Railing there is website dedicated to promoting the Hi-Rail movement at HiRailers Unlimited.