Crossing Protection

By far, the one railroad element we interact with most must be grade crossings. Doesn't matter if we're the most devoted prototype railfan or if we're only vaguely aware that flanged-wheel transportation exists somewhere in the world. At some point, we all stopped behind a gate, a flasher, or crossbuck and waited for a train … Continue reading Crossing Protection

Statute of Limitations

Truth be told, I've been living a double life when it comes to The Hills Line. For more than a year, I was developing separate areas on the layout concurrently for two separate publications. The first was for my personal methods of distribution, which include this website along with my numerous social media outlets. The … Continue reading Statute of Limitations

Lafayette Street

"Nous voila, Lafayette" -Charles Stanton- By far, the scene that I was most proud of on my IAIS Grimes Line layout was the NW 86th and Swanson Boulevard intersection in Clive, Iowa. The combination of narrow benchwork and photo backdrops, punctuated by the Industrial Spur's stop-and-check crossing, made it an excellent introduction to the layout. Ultimately … Continue reading Lafayette Street

Blend

Progress continues on the City Carton area of The Hills Line. Previously I had wrapped up building and painting the large parking lots and numerous roads in the space, as well as constructed the support warehouses for the complex. After the paint and striping was dry, I weathered everything following methods developed by Lance Mindheim. … Continue reading Blend