Rails on Wheels
525 E. Michigan Ave #151
Saline, MI 48176-1588
Founded 1988
Our upcoming activities are
08-OCT-2026
Monthly Business Meeting - Zoom
22-OCT-2026
Monthly Social
Meeting, location and time TBA
rails on
wheels Washtenaw County, Michigan's first HO modular model railroad club.
Updated: 01-OCT-2026
About Rails on Wheels
Rails on Wheels was formed in 1988 by a group of model railroaders interested
in constructing, displaying and operating a high-performance HO scale model
railroad. At the time, only one of the members had the space available for
a permanent layout, so we each began to build small, portable sections that
could be joined together, incorporating the specifications that would eventually
become the Rails on Wheels Module
Standards. This layout is stored dismantled between public showings.
To promote our goals of educating our members and the public about railroading
and the hobby of model railroading, our activities have included monthly
meetings and workshops, layout setups at over 100 train shows and
the NMRA National Conventions in 1992, 1997 and 2007, private event layout
setups, railfanning outings and trips to train shows and swap meets.
In 1998, several Rails on Wheels members who had developed an interest
in prototypical operation branched out and developed the Operations
Road Show. These members constructed a second dedicated layout which
resides in a member's basement and is used to hold operating sessions
using timetable and train order operating rules. This layout was publicly
unveiled at the Maple Leaf 2003 NMRA National Convention in Toronto, where
135 attendees participated in operating sessions. Our success in
Toronto was repeated at the 2005 (Cincinnati), 2007 (Detroit), 2009 (Hartford),
2012 (Grand Rapids), 2014 (Cleveland), 2016 (Indianapolis) and 2018 (Kansas
City) NMRA National Conventions. We took this layout out for public operations
demonstrations far less frequently than we showed the display layout,
as the design of this layout does not lend itself to easy viewing by large
numbers of people. Following the Kansas City Convention, we no longer
take it on the road, and it is currently in operation at its home base,
where it continues to serve its teaching role.
Rails on Wheels provides a forum through which members can learn techniques
and get help from persons experienced in layout design, benchwork, scenery,
electronics and wiring, rolling stock construction and structure building.
We have developed new approaches and techniques to meet our specific construction
needs, techniques which we feel have in some small way contributed to
the advancement of the hobby.
We have built new modules to replace the HO scale modular display layout
that was stolen in 2009, and welcome new members, regardless of their
level of experience. Our members range from beginners to people with over
40 years' experience in the hobby.
Anyone interested in HO model railroading, from beginners to experienced
craftsmen, is welcome to join. Rails on Wheels is an independent club not
formally affiliated with any other organization. Membership is always open.
You need not own or build a module to participate.
Club Activities
Our next activities will be:
08-OCT-2026
Monthly Business
Meeting - Zoom
22-OCT-2026
Monthly Social Meeting
- Location and time TBA
In the past we have held our in-person meetings at the Saline Historical
Society's ex-NYC depot at Ann Arbor and Bennett Streets in Saline.
2026 Southeast Michigan Model Train Show and Sale
The 2026 Southeast Michigan Model Train Show and Sale will be held
on Sunday, November 22. This is the weekend before Thanksgiving,
at the Tim Scott Campus of the Wayne County Community College campus
on Haggerty Road in Belleville. Once again we are partnering with
Division 6 of the North Central Region of then NMRA, which will provide
an array of clinic sessions on getting into the model railroading
hobby.
Click for both sides of show flyer
This
year's show is held in cooperation with Division 6 of the North Central
Region of the NMRA. It will feature a slate of clinics on aspects
of model railraoading given by Division 6 members, and will feature
operating model railroad layouts in addition to our usual assortment
of sales tables offering new and used model railroad merchandise from
vendors from around the Great Lakes area.
Admission is $6.00 per person for those aged 12 or older. Children
under 12 are admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult. Early-bird
admission (8-10am) is $10.00 per person, all-ages.
Vendors: Sales tables are available for $25.00 or $30.00 apiece
until October 15, 2026. After October 15, tables increase to $25.00 or $30.00 apiece and table size options may be limited.
A limited number of spaces are available with electricity,
for an extra $5.00 per "booth" (group of tables). For information
on purchasing table space, contact John Young at (517)
449-9067
Upcoming Events
We will be holding or participating in the following public events:
22-NOV-2026
Southeast Michigan Model Railroad Show
and Sale. Wayne County Community College.
