Watch The Hills Line with James McNab on Trains.com Video
Trains.com Video
Purchase the entire series on DVD from Kalmbach Media
KalmbachHobbystore.com
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
Reconstruction of the Lafayette Street backdrop required a bit more work than just paint and glue. However, the overall effect is far stronger and cleaner than my first effort, and offers a vista unique to The Hills Line. I've come to understand the pros and cons of using rolled aluminum flashing for my backdrop. On … Continue reading Going For Distance
Little known fact... The Hills Line is the first layout I've built where I chose to model water. Let me clarify. Yes, it's true that there was water on the IAIS Grimes Line. But the Raccoon River was an afterthought brought on when I decided to redo to staging yard into a model of Fleur … Continue reading The Iowa River
My hometown of Charleston has the unofficial motto of "Too Poor to Paint; Too Proud to Whitewash". Having lived in Iowa longer than I lived in the Lowcountry, I am no longer burdened with such limitations. The fascia and roadbed for The Hills Line are now painted and presented in their finished hue. For the … Continue reading Green Means We’re Growing
The Hills Line 