After seven years of designing, building, and ultimately operating The Hills Line, it’s time to ask a very straightforward question.
Where are we going?
The Hills Line is now at the age that the IAIS Grimes Line was when I was forced to dismantle it without warning. Shortly, I will have lived with this concept longer than any other model railroad that I’ve ever built. That’s both humbling and frightening.
Last year I posted how the list of available projects on the layout was dwindling. At some point, and probably this year, the railroad will be fundamentally complete. Yes, there will always be those little things I can add or alter to the layout. But again, I should be able to step back and take everything in as one complete vista.
That’s never happened to me before, modeling-wise. However, staring down the barrel of that decision, I’m starting to have alternate thoughts. Could there be something better or something different that I could tackle in this space? Or would I be cutting off my nose to spite my face?
At this point, the Eldon C. Stutsman warehouse still looms large as a needed step to completing the railroad. That will probably occupy my modeling time for the foreseeable future. Eventually, however, I’ll need to answer the question.
More to come…
The Hills Line 