Watch The Hills Line with James McNab on Trains.com Video
Trains.com Video
Purchase the first season on DVD from Kalmbach Media
KalmbachHobbystore.com
For the Johnson County DHS Parking Garage, the last structure needed for the Iowa City section of The Hills Line, I decided to attack this project as a series of sub-assemblies. The first segment was the parking deck itself, since it was a relatively straightforward process to design and construct. The concrete portions were made … Continue reading Parking Spaces, Part One
If there's an advantage to modeling a prototype that only features two online industries, it's that the offline industries tend to be rather simple in execution. Generally that's due to having their backsides visible to the railroad, which lack any loading docks or rolling doors, since they aren't rail served. It becomes a rather straightforward … Continue reading Building The Backsides
I'm getting better, or at least more consistent, with using my Cricut Plotter for scratchbuilding on The Hills Line. While my primary structures, especially the rail-served ones, will always require sturdier construction methods, the majority of the buildings can be quickly and efficiently assembled from styrene sheet. Case in point, Iowa Fire Equipment. The small, … Continue reading Fire Sale
As progress continues on Lafayette Street in Iowa City, I find myself dealing with the dual nature of the scene. On one hand, it's the largest single road on The Hills Line. On the other, it'll be primarily blocked by structures between the road and the aisle. Like before, I painted the entire street using … Continue reading Lafayette Street Continued
The Hills Line 