Our Story
History of the Hawkeye Model Railroad
The Hawkeye Model Railroad was formally chartered in 2006 as a non profit 501(c)3 educational corporation with the mission to educate the public about railroads and the hobby of model railroading. See below for the entire timeline of how HMR came to be!
Our History
Early Beginnings
Back in the early days, a handful of local railroad enthusiasts found themselves gathering regularly at a hobby shop in Iowa City called The Hobby Shop. One of the shop’s employees, Darell Truitt, helped gather everyone together weekly.
While at first they met at The Hobby Shop, the group soon began gathering at each other’s homes in a round-robin format. These get-togethers were about more than just running trains; they were filled with storytelling, discussions about model railroading, and talk about local railfan activity
The Club Takes Shape
As their interest and ambitions grew, the group decided they needed something more than their layouts at home. They came up with the idea of building a modular, traveling railroad—long before modular layouts like Free-mo became widely known. The idea was simple but exciting: create sections of a layout that could be transported and set up in different locations, giving them a chance to showcase their work to the public.
This traveling layout was a huge success and found temporary homes not only in members' houses but also at the Iowa City Public Library. The library became an important partner, offering railroad-related books, magazines, and videos to the public. The club also hosted workshops and clinics where people could bring in their broken model trains to be repaired—free of charge! These repair sessions became a hit, drawing in families and hobbyists who might not have had the skills or tools to fix their models otherwise. The club also set up their modular layout in a dedicated room at the library, running trains on a schedule so visitors could come and watch the action unfold. The posted schedule let people plan their visits, and the displays became a attraction for local train fans.
Building a Permanent Home
Despite all this success, one thing became clear over time: The club needed a permanent home. A modular layout was fun, but it required constant setup and teardown, and the group wanted a space where they could build something lasting.
In 2006, an opportunity came along to partner with the Antique Car Museum of Iowa City. With this partnership, the club was able to secure a location in Coralville’s Iowa River Landing district with the Car Museum. For the next several years, from 2006 to 2014, club members poured their time into designing and building their new layout. Since the layout was still under construction, public open houses were rare during these years, but the club remained active behind the scenes.
By 2014, enough progress had been made that the club started opening its doors for special events. In 2018, they began hosting monthly open houses, giving the public a chance to see the layout come to life. These open houses continued until the COVID-19 pandemic forced a temporary pause in 2020.
After a brief break, the club resumed open houses in 2021, starting with an every-other-month schedule before returning to full monthly events as things got back to normal. However, just as things were settling in, another big change was on the horizon.
Relocation and Growth
In 2023, the club had to relocate again. The search for a new home led them to the Johnston County Fairgrounds, where construction on their next layout space officially began on June 7, 2022. The move itself was completed by November of that year, and by June 2023, the club was once again open to the public in a limited capacity while the new layout took shape.
Since then, the Hawkeye Model Railroad Club has continued to grow, welcoming thousands of visitors to its new location. Even model railroad manufacturers have stopped by to see the club’s progress!
Looking Ahead
What's Next?
What started as a few friends chatting in a hobby shop has turned into a long-standing community of train enthusiasts, dedicated to keeping the spirit of model railroading alive and sharing it with new generations. And we’re still going strong 19 years later!
Whether you’re a lifelong railroader or just getting into the hobby, we invite you to visit, run some trains, and be part of our story.