Watch Episodes of The Hills Line with James McNab
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One of my aesthetic goals for The Hills Line was to create a seamless fascia. While that serves absolutely no purpose towards the design or operational intent of the layout, it does help create a more pleasing appearance to others, regardless of their familiarity with the prototype. I originally used joint compound to fill the … Continue reading Bondo
In the back of my mind, I knew that when I offered a set of car-loading displays to my friend and fellow Iowa Interstate modeler Joe Atkinson for use on his 4th Sub layout, I was opening a can of worms. True to form, Joe (and I) have been besieged with "where did you get … Continue reading Car Loading Circuit
I've probably built more power poles for The Hills Line than all of my other past layouts combined. It makes sense for a few reasons. The prototype works in a lot more industrial area than previous ones. Plus due to its history as an electric interurban it would make sense that electrical lines would follow … Continue reading High Voltage
My friend Alex is a genius. Seriously. For those that don't know, he's the man behind the design of the popular portable auger kit available from MiniPrints. He worked with my friend and fellow Iowa Interstate modeler Scott Thornton to develop the product and bring it to market. Since then, he's gone on to assist … Continue reading Three-Dimensional Genius
The Hills Line 