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There's no such thing as the perfect layout space, and our basement proves that as fact time and time again. Over the lifetime of The Hills Line, as well as other layouts I've built in that space, I've made what I feel are significant compromises to make a model railroad fit in our lower level. … Continue reading Cornering
As I've previously mentioned, a majority of the structures on The Hills Line are not rail served. Including them on the layout remains necessary, since they're essential to setting both era and locale for the layout. The goal then becomes developing methods to construct these buildings in a way that's both efficient and effective. For … Continue reading Surroundings Interiors
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” -Buckminster Fuller- Every so often a technique comes along that so fundamentally changes my processes to such a degree that I end up exclaiming... Where was that all my life?!? I'm not the … Continue reading Evolving
There seems to be three schools of thought of how to handle buildings that extend beyond the benchwork: Compress them to fit Eliminate them all together Cut them off at the world's edge Option #1 is never a good idea. In practice it often crosses the line from selective compression towards cartoonish replication... a practice … Continue reading Fascia Extensions
The Hills Line 