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Construction continues on the Eldon C. Stutsman tank farm at the south end of The Hills Line. After finishing the individual buildings, I ran them through the paint booth to get the base color applied. Spray paint made the process fast and simple, especially since most structures were flat white or metallic gray. I did … Continue reading Tank Farm, Part Two
"How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!" -Bill Hogan, 2004- It would be easy to look at all needed to build Eldon C. Stutsman, Inc. and become overwhelmed. It's a complex complex (pun intended) for any layout, but it's key to The Hills Line... both prototype and model. Therefore, the key … Continue reading Tank Farm, Part One
The three most important things a railroad right-of-way needs are drainage, drainage, and drainage. Excess water in the railroad infrastructure decreases, degrades, and ultimately destroys tracks, ties, and turnouts. On The Hills Line, I've not modeled lineside ditches. Instead, the track is laid directly on the foam board sub-roadbed to replicate the not-as-high-speed-as-the-main look present … Continue reading Drainage
Upon descending the steps into our basement, you're presented with the following vista as your first view of The Hills Line. Not exactly what I would call appealing, is it? However, even in this primitive state, this ultimately represents opportunity. This pile of parts will ultimately become the last section needed to complete the layout … Continue reading The Front Door
The Hills Line 