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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
"Not all dreams are great big dreams. Some peoples' dreams are small." -N.R. Nash, T. Jones, & H. Schmidt- The apparent appeal of modeling a smaller prototype is that you can take the time to include the little details that generally aren't found on larger layouts. Not that the larger ones don't have such details, … Continue reading Simple Little Things
In describing the multitude of streets in southern Iowa City, a friend once called them nothing more than glorified parking lots. Since a lot of the roads are either bisected by or parallel to The Hills Line, none are anywhere close to arterial thoroughfares. But since the prototype was first and foremost an electric interurban, … Continue reading A Glorified Parking Lot
Continuing where we left off... the next phase of construction involves turning plain styrene sheets into something representative of the actual structure. My weapon of choice is photo wallpaper, made famous by Lance Mindheim. I often rely on Google Streetview for acquiring images from afar, since Iowa City is a two-hour drive for me, one … Continue reading J&M Automotive
The Hills Line 