This will be my last entry on this blog. Moving forward, updates on The Hills Line can be found at a new website, https://thehillsline.com/

My thanks to MRH for hosting my content for the past decade.

James McNab

Spent the last few days finalizing track locations for The Hills Line as well as filling holes in the roadbed and fascia. Despite my best laid plans there was a fair amount of shimming needed for the roadbed to level out the ends of the foam sheets, as well as filling gaps between sheets and the fascia. DAP’s Flex Spackling and Wood Filler products do a great job and should hold up to the normal bumps and nudges that happen to our benchwork.

Progress update on The Hills Line, as the creeks, rivers, and other waterways have been carved, along with the bridges, piers, and abutments being painted and installed. First up is the multi-span crossing of the Iowa River, south of Iowa City.

First steps are underway for the signature scene on The Hills Line, the Iowa Interstate’s bridge over the Iowa River and the CIC Hills Line in Iowa City. More than any other locale on the prototype, the former Rock Island bridge could reasonably be considered the signature scene for the entire IAIS Railroad.

Foam roadbed and fascia are being installed on The Hills Line. I decided to use underlayment plywood for the fascia since I wanted something a little more rugged than masonite and didn’t need to curve the material. The plywood is 1/4 inch thick and was comparable in price to tempered masonite. The foam is attached to the benchwork with Loctite PowerGrab. The fascia is glued as well as brad nailed to create one solid structure.

A less than glamorous set of photos highlighting the nuts and bolts of The Hills Line is on tap for today.

First up shows the layout specific lighting installation. I went with T5 Integrated LED strips, which compliment the existing fluorescent fixtures in the space. Overall the space is evenly lit and balanced, but still puts emphasis on the layout.

Trim pieces are installed on the backdrop for The Hills Line. Since my design doesn't include a valance, I wanted a way to finish the backdrop edges and define the layout boundaries. Exterior vinyl trim does a good job, and helps hide my less than perfect cuts to the backdrop coil.

Backdrop is installed and painted on The Hills Line. The aluminum trim coil was cut and notched around the basement windows, as well as cut to follow the stairwell railing. The entire backdrop was then painted with Behr’s Nevada Sky, which works excellent in modeling a clear Midwest summer day with a slight haze. The feeling so far is definitely more open, more warm, and more welcoming than when the IAIS Grimes Line was in the same space.

In between a copious amount of basketball games (27 in the past two weeks), progress continues at a snails pace on The Hills Line.

It’s been long overdue, but benchwork is complete on The Hills Line. A modified L-Girder was built atop the Ikea Ivar shelves, giving a stable and consistent base. The roadbed will be two-inch extruded foam, carved to replicate the topography in Eastern Iowa.