In The Weeds

Confession time. As long as I've been involved in model railroading, I've never used static grass. That's not entirely true. For many years I've used the Farm Pasture Blend from Scenic Express as my base scenery layer, both on the IAIS Grimes Line and now on The Hills Line. To my eye, the blend does … Continue reading In The Weeds

Tank Farm, Part Two

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

Finishing Touches

A few final details for the signature scene of The Hills Line, the Iowa Interstate's deck-girder bridge over the Iowa River and surrounding area in Iowa City. My favorite material for modeling scrub and weeds is poly-fiber fill. I'll take a small patch and dust it with Woodland Scenics Blended Turf, then seal and attach … Continue reading Finishing Touches