The Hills Line is an eight-mile industrial spur of the Iowa Interstate Railroad serving the eastern Iowa towns of Iowa City and Hills. This HO Scale version replicates the practices, policies, and procedures found on the prototype to provide guests and operators a flavor of real-life railroading.
Recent Posts
Three Ships
A brief break from railroading to celebrate the true reason for the season. This website will be updated in the New Year. May the message of Christmas fill your life with joy and peace.
The Digital Darkroom
The current trend of AI-generated winter model railroad scenes has me thinking about photography and how we share our layouts with the world. As someone who maintains multiple platforms to showcase The Hills Line, I’m always looking for ways to improve the quality of the images I share while staying true to the spirit of … Continue reading The Digital Darkroom
Media Management
I’ve been fortunate over the life of The Hills Line to have shared the railroad in a variety of ways. Besides this website, there are Instagram, Flickr, and YouTube sites dedicated to the layout. And, of course, I’ve been privileged to serve as a Contributing Editor for Firecrown’s Trains.com, producing and hosting The Hills Line … Continue reading Media Management
Bondo
One of my aesthetic goals for The Hills Line was to create a seamless fascia. While that serves absolutely no purpose towards the design or operational intent of the layout, it does help create a more pleasing appearance to others, regardless of their familiarity with the prototype. I originally used joint compound to fill the … Continue reading Bondo
The Hills Line 