Episode 55 starts with a second look at hopper minecarts. Basket suspects some "fundamentals of hopper minecarts" were wrong last time. The cart may not need to be pushed into the block at all. "That's what the internet seems to indicate. So let's find out."
A test up top
On the top floor of the base Basket sets up a rail, a hopper minecart and a plain block on top of it. The cart pulls items straight through the block. Basket had thought only something less than a full block, like soul sand, would let that work. "But this works just fine. So good."
Raising the carts
Down at the bedrock floor, everything under the portal frame has to go up a level, since the carts now sit under the obsidian instead of inside it. Three hopper minecarts go side by side on the rails. Basket worries they will bump into each other and make noise all day. They stay put. "So everything may be okay."
Basket goes looking for flint, then finds a flint and steel already in the inventory. The portal gets lit and the real test begins. In the Nether, Basket throws seven rails into the portal. Back at the base, six of them are in the hopper. The seventh shot straight through and landed on the floor. "Momentum is conserved. Very interesting."
Glass and lights
The portal is open on the sides, so it needs walls. Basket tries blue stained glass first, then decides on sea lanterns around it so the lighting takes care of itself, with blue glass along the bottom. "Yeah, I think I like that better." With the hoppers connected, "now that portal is operational." The second portal next to it gets the same look, and a temporary path goes over the top.
A clock in the Nether
Basket loads up on hoppers and chests and goes to the Nether hub to pick a spot. The idea is a drop point there: throw items in, and they fall onto hoppers that carry them all the way over to the portal.
Back at the portal deep in the Nether, Basket builds the other end. A comparator reads whether there are items waiting, and a redstone clock runs only while there are, pushing them into the portal. Getting the signal the right way round takes a few tries. "There might be a better way of doing this." It works.
Digging toward the hub
From there Basket tunnels toward the hub's coordinates, two blocks high for now, checking F3 for the direction. There is no fire resistance in the inventory, so the digging is slow. Some lava shows up but misses. An opening breaks through and gets closed up. Then the hopper line goes down the tunnel floor. Basket plans to put furnaces on top of the hoppers to cut lag, because those are on hand, though droppers would be a little better.
Next time
Time runs out before the line reaches the hub. Rather than build up toward the hub, Basket plans to dig the last tunnel down from it next time, in case there is lava in the way. The furnaces still have to go on. The video ends on the credits, with no gameplay after them.