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In the category of "one of those simple things to add to a layout that takes all of five seconds but helps establish era and locale", today's entry covers the Iowa River Corridor Trail. The 13-mile path rolls through Iowa City, Coralville, and North Liberty. As the name implies, it follows the Iowa River... and … Continue reading Rails and Trails
I have a love/hate relationship when it comes to making mockups on a model railroad. On one hand, it annoys me to spend time on something that I know will end up in the trash instead of on The Hills Line. On the other, I really hate redoing things I've already done, so taking the … Continue reading The Case for Mockups
I'll let you in on a secret. The best hobby shop on the planet is Home Depot. The Atlanta-based home improvement warehouse has just about everything you need to completely build a model railroad... minus track, locomotives, and freight cars. That limitation nonwithstanding, I've found that if you wander the aisles with a prototype-modeler mindset … Continue reading Tanks Fer Nuttin’
I've used the phrase Endless Horizons several times to describe my philosophy and methods in using photo backdrops on model railroads. The goal is to take a 16-inch deep piece of foam board and make it seem as if it stretches for miles and miles. Doubly important than making a model railroad seem bigger than … Continue reading Endless Horizons
The Hills Line 