I created my freelance railroad back in the '80s. 

I spent my first 50 years in Suffern NY, enjoyed the Erie, Erie Lackawanna, Conrail, NJ Transit and later Metro North. When I built my model railroad, I did EL and Conrail and as I expanded, I decided to model the four-track main through Suffern, had scenes copied in Ramsey, Allendale, Waldwick, Paterson, and the Meadowlands into Hoboken.

I had a friend, Dennis Lussier, who was a conductor for NJ Transit.  I'd get on his train in Suffern, in Hoboken we'd buy some beers, he was deadheading back, we'd go in a turned off coach and drink, smoke a cigar, and I always kidded him he worked for the Suffern to Hoboken Interstate Transfer.  Then I decided to create a shortline freelance so I could model things EL and Conrail didn't have.

In my world, S.H.I.T. was created in the '50s, first as a trucking company, but we took over the old Erie main, the Piermont Branch, and ran to Spring Valley NY, and ran daytime passenger for shoppers going to Nanuet or Ridgewood, and served the industries on the Piermont, the stone crusher in Suffern still working and various lumber yards, International Paper, Geigy chemical. In Hoboken, we operated the car floats into NYC or "transfer" onto PATH trains into Manhattan.

In 1976 the formation of Conrail gave us trackage to Binghamton where we interchanged with the D&H. And we started serving industries along the main line and Bergen County line, Nabisco, a pasta plant, Bay State Milling. When the Southern Tier Division was expanded to Buffalo, we served the salt mines, bringing road salt to municipalities during snow season. Ran passenger trains to the new Giants Stadium in Rutherford. That is when we reorganized as SHiT Lines.

In the '90s, because of my "second son" Lenny Harlos who decided to model my road, we expanded into Pennsylvania. He has my model of Suffern Station now and models it in the post 2000 era. I have my good friend Chuck in South Carolina modeling the power and cars on his Pennsyltucky, I guess we are in cahoots somehow.

Then I have a group of fans who I count on to buy my SHiT Lines models, Thomas in NY, TJ in Orlando, and several more around the US, England and Canada. You have no idea how I appreciate these guys. I never thought my own personal joke and freelance would be what it has become, but SHiT happens! The word "shit". I thumb my nose to the FCC and model railroad magazines who would NEVER publish that curse word. It has become a colloquialism of sorts and I recommend listening to George Carlin's skit on that word. Cracked me up then and here on the internet, is nowhere near the language being used. Basically, I don't give a "shit" what people think. The idea is to have fun, enjoy life, and I know I have many feeling the same.

ENJOY!