Make no mistake about it. The prototype Hills Line exists because Eldon C. Stutsman, Inc., the massive agriculture supply dealer in Hills, Iowa, continues to receive product by rail. However, the secondary customer on The Hills Line also puts on a good show, at least in my modeled era. Space constraints prevented me from modeling … Continue reading City Carton Recycling
The prototype Hills Line is a combination of the CRANDIC Railway's original interurban line between Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, Iowa and the Rock Island's ex-BCR&N line that ran between Elmira and Iowa Junction, Iowa. Both lines are well past the century mark, and therefore littered with railroad relics. I knew from the outset that … Continue reading Evidence of Things Not Seen
Progress continues on the City Carton area of The Hills Line. Previously I had wrapped up building and painting the large parking lots and numerous roads in the space, as well as constructed the support warehouses for the complex. After the paint and striping was dry, I weathered everything following methods developed by Lance Mindheim. … Continue reading Blend
I'm having to relearn how to model large expanses of concrete and asphalt. On the IAIS Grimes Line I was able to construct the eight-foot long Swanson Boulevard that ran parallel to the PDM Spur out of a single piece of styrene, thanks to a local plastics supplier offering single-sheet purchases. For The Hills Line, it … Continue reading Concrete Jungle
