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There are several phrases used in this hobby that have long been attributed to the leaders of this hobby. Allen McClelland coined Good Enough, Tony Koester defined Layout Design Elements, and David Barrow brought Dominos to our lexicon. I'm no leader, but I'm claiming Endless Horizons, at least in the realm of model railroading. The … Continue reading Transitions
"Not all dreams are great big dreams. Some peoples' dreams are small." -N.R. Nash, T. Jones, & H. Schmidt- The apparent appeal of modeling a smaller prototype is that you can take the time to include the little details that generally aren't found on larger layouts. Not that the larger ones don't have such details, … Continue reading Simple Little Things
The Hills Line, both prototype and model, rarely had a need to run multiple units. There were times that a large number cars were need at Stutsmans in Hills, mostly during the fall agriculture rush, which necessitated additional power. But by and large, the industrial spur only saw trains pulled by a single locomotive. That … Continue reading Better Living Through Consists
There's no such thing as the perfect layout space, and our basement proves that as fact time and time again. Over the lifetime of The Hills Line, as well as other layouts I've built in that space, I've made what I feel are significant compromises to make a model railroad fit in our lower level. … Continue reading Cornering
The Hills Line 