Watch The Hills Line with James McNab on Trains.com Video
Trains.com Video
Purchase the entire series on DVD from Kalmbach Media
KalmbachHobbystore.com
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
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
Out of the 19 planned structures on The Hills Line, a grand total of two are served by the railroad. That ratio is all together appropriate for the modern era, but means a majority of the industries on the layout are pure filler. The goal then becomes how to replicate these offline buildings so that … Continue reading Iowa Business Supply
Reconstruction of the Lafayette Street backdrop required a bit more work than just paint and glue. However, the overall effect is far stronger and cleaner than my first effort, and offers a vista unique to The Hills Line. I've come to understand the pros and cons of using rolled aluminum flashing for my backdrop. On … Continue reading Going For Distance
The Hills Line 