I'd say use what ever spacing you think looks good. Remember back in the day 1876 most RR's worked on a shoestring budget so they would probably stretch the poles out as far as possible to save on costs. If you are just running lines for telegraph the poles probably don't need to be very heavy VS if you were running cable, power and telephone like todays poles carry. I'd say about 20-24".
Can't help with 1876, but I used to climb poles in the 1970's. As I recall, the rule of thumb was 42 poles/mile. Diameter was about 12" avg, with a slight taper. Above ground height varied quite a bit, some you could almost touch the crossarms from the ground, others were taller than the nearby buildings.
I swear I posted this question already, but I can't find it, or any answers anywhere...
I need to construct telegraph poles for an 1876 era layout in 1:24 scale. What would be a good size & spacing?
Thanks!
Roger
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