Newberry-Columbia Line, SC-home made telephone poles

[robert sylvester]

Over the years I have collected many telephone poles for my layouts but never really completed the projects. And there are several good products that can used and look realistic; from Atlas, Rapido, Bachman and Rix Products, just to name a few.

On my current layout I have plastic telephone poles all of the way around so it gives the impression that power lines are there but they are really not.

Some of my collection stuck in blue foam board.

I decided that I wanted real wooden phone poles like on Dick Elwell's layout on the Allen Keller video. So purchased a bag of bamboo sticks for about $2.00 and my wife found a despenser with tooth picks that could be used for the cross arm.

Pretty cheap and as you can see I can constructed a lot of phone poles. I cut the poles to about 30 feet in HO scale, about 6 inches and the tooth picks were cut to remove the point on one end and the decorative carving on the other.

I measured each pole,

I then took a triangular file and filed two grooves at one end of the phone pole to attach the cross arm.

Using contact cement the cross arms were attached to each pole. I let this dry, then placing the phone pole in some foam board I stained them with spray stain, which was done outside.

The spray stain is from Minwax and is the oak color.

I then let everything dry over night before handling the individual poles. I then inserted the pointed end into the foam after placing some white glue in the hole to fix the pole to the layout.

I then used ordinary fishing line and tied one end to the first cross arm attached to the pole then draped the fishing along the way and adhered the line to the cross arms with contact cement. This time I attached the fishing line all of the way around the layout to make it more complete.

Now it has a more finished look, adding another piece of detail to my layout. The satisfaction for me is that they are real wood and I built them which I enjoy doing.

It's these added touches that can make the difference. Thanks for letting me share.

Robert Sylvester

Newberry-Columbia Line, SC

[UNCLEBUTCH]

Question for ya. Did stringing the wires cause any issues with working on layout?

My poles are up and I want to string wire but I worry about snagging them while reaching into town.

BTW your's look good

[robert sylvester]

Good point, I have snagged the wires accidently, especially when I had to put down new ballast on a curve, but I have learned to be as careful as I can and remember the wires are there. I reach over them, not under so I don't accidently lift my hand into the lines.

Also, I might add, as long as you are careful the contact cement holds the fishing line in place very well, only once has a line become disattached but I glued it right back without a problem. I have found that before you put in the lines in make sure that you are pretty much finished with an area so that you don't have reach in there anymore unless it is absolutely neccessary.

Over all I am very sastisfied with the appearance, and as I said, I try and be very careful when working around the poles and lines. I sometimes will drap a piece of paper towel over the lines to help remind me they are there.

Thanks for the question,

Robert Sylvester

Newberry-Columbia Line, SC

[UNCLEBUTCH]

robert sylvester

I have found that before you put in the lines in make sure that you are pretty much finished with an area so that you don't have reach in there anymore unless it is absolutely neccessary.

That's kinda what I was thinking, thanks for the confirmation

[mbinsewi]

I thought about doing this too.  I've seen some model railroads where the pole are in place. but no lines.

What I did decide to do was the model the old line side communication poles and downed wires that I see along the CN main line that I watch.

You could also try to locate the poles and wires on the other side of the tracks, away from where you might be reaching, so your not always reaching over them.

Mike.

[robert sylvester]

That's why this forum is important. You bang your head against the wall and then somebody comes up with a simple solution that even I should of thought of. Great point, just put the wires on the other side of the tracks, genious. Although I do have to reach over the wires occaisionally, but since the scenes are for the most part complete I don't have to do it as much.

Great point.

Thanks,

Robert Sylvester

Newberry-Columbia, SC

[RR_Mel]

Great topic Robert!

 

Your poles look very good.  I haven’t made any telephone poles but I have done a lot of power poles.  After struggling with all the negatives about poles on my HO layout over the last 40 years or so I went with ⅛” dowels for the poles also with dark oak stain.

 

I put the cut poles (35’ to 55’ in the area I model) in my drill press and used 120 grit sandpaper to taper them to about 3/32” at the top.  All of my layout is what I would call rural so I made some dual poles with a single cross arm between them and single poles without cross arms for general distribution.

 

I use a ½” long ¼” OD ⅛” ID styrene tube for the pole base.  I drill a ¼” hole in the scenery and glue the base in.  The power poles plug in and are easily removable.

 

For power lines I use .015” x 36” steel piano wire.  I like the piano wire for several reasons, most importantly the steel wire doesn’t collect dust and dirt as easy as thread.  When the dust does settle on them they are very easy to clean.  Another reason is you can put a permanent realistic looking sag in the wire.  I also drill a #78 hole in the poles for the wire, again easily removable.

 

I have power drops from the poles to my structures also attaching them in #78 holes.

 

 

 

I might add that all the poles with wires are within 24” to the edge of my layout.

 

I am super clumsy so everything on my layout is removable.  When I work in an area I remove everything that I could possibly ding.  It isn’t just an age thing I’ve been clumsy all my life but much worse now.

 

 

 

 

Mel

 

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

 

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.