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For some reason, this rather unassuming elevator building at the south end of the Stutsman, Inc. complex has taken an inordinate amount of time to get to this point. I would like to say that since it's part of the front door to The Hills Line, I've intentionally taken a significant amount of time on … Continue reading The Stutsman Elevator, Part 1
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
"How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!" -Bill Hogan, 2004- It would be easy to look at all needed to build Eldon C. Stutsman, Inc. and become overwhelmed. It's a complex complex (pun intended) for any layout, but it's key to The Hills Line... both prototype and model. Therefore, the key … Continue reading Tank Farm, Part One
The three most important things a railroad right-of-way needs are drainage, drainage, and drainage. Excess water in the railroad infrastructure decreases, degrades, and ultimately destroys tracks, ties, and turnouts. On The Hills Line, I've not modeled lineside ditches. Instead, the track is laid directly on the foam board sub-roadbed to replicate the not-as-high-speed-as-the-main look present … Continue reading Drainage
The Hills Line 