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 … Continue reading Quo Vadimus
Category: Philosophy
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
Paying Tribute
Over the past few weeks, you may have heard about the existence of the Iowa Interstate Cosa Nostra. While Omertà prohibits me from divulging too much detail on our activities, I do want to take a moment and recognize our Capo dei Capi... Joe Atkinson. Recently, I had the chance to visit Joe's IAIS 4th … Continue reading Paying Tribute

