During a recent expansion, Jim Gideon's HO railroad grew into a 25 x 43-foot empire. A 32-foot-long peninsula, 50" high, runs lengthwise through the middle of the room, and its supports include three steel columns. Jim used a trio of tall industries to divide the peninsula into two separate scenes. A sprawling steel mill and its accompanying industrial area occupy one side of the peninsula. The opposite side is home to a large grain elevator, a Hour mill, and a paper mill that screen the steel plant from view. Hiding the three columns was a major concern as Jim began kitbashing the various industries. In each case, the tall industrial structures conceal the posts until they're well above eye level. Jim painted the upper ends of the posts with the same sky color he used on the backdrop, so the posts tend to blend in under the normally bright layout room lighting. The largest industry is a paper mill kitbashed from a Walthers Tri State Power Authority kit. Jim assembled the 15" tall main building to fit around the first column and used the balance of the 40" x 40" plant to fill the end loop of the peninsula. This mill includes parts from several Walthers paper mill and tire plant kits supplemented with plenty of Evergreen and Plastruct structural materials and small detail kits.
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