What should I use to model the wire between towers and the wire to the substation?
Thanks
WVWoodman
According to LION:
Take a dead lenghth of zip (lamp) cord, slice it open, and use a single strand for each conductor.
LION did this for a set of utility poles and yard lamps. The LED yard lamps actually got their power from these overhead wires. If you touched them together they would throw an arc, just like the real thing.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
If you are likely to have a close encounter of the wrong kind between arm and wire, you might use verdigris green (copper) or grey (aluminum) Spandex thread. Install it slack, so it forms a natural catenary curve.
That is what I intend to do when my catenary support towers go up. The suspender and contact wires will be virtual, but the high voltage lines are too big to omit.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
EZ Line has always been favorably reviewed at this forum.
Conemaugh Road & Traction circa 1956
tgindy EZ Line has always been favorably reviewed at this forum.
Exactly!
Does EZ Line hold a natural sag ? It works great for taught telegraph poles, but high voltage towers have a sag between them.
Mark.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
Mark R. Does EZ Line hold a natural sag ? It works great for taught telegraph poles, but high voltage towers have a sag between them. Mark.
I haven't tried it in "simulate wire mode", but I would presume that if you drape it between two points it will have a sag.
I pulled out my spool to see what it would do. EZ Line will sag but unfortunately it retains a bit of a curl from being wound onto the spool so you don't get a natural shape. Mind you my spool is a couple of years old so its age may be part of the problem.
Why not contact the source and ask them for ideas.
http://www.berkshirejunction.com/
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
That's what I was wondering .... I've tried all kinds of threads and none of them "weigh" enough to provide a realistic sag - they tend to spiral side-ways on their own.
On an earlier layout, I used some really fine piano wire and mounted single pieces between each tower. I only had three towers running into the backdrop with four cable runs, so it wasn't a huge investment.
I just tried to send an e-mail to Berkshire Junction but I couldn't get their e-mail address to work. I'm a bit of a computer dummy so others may have better success.
What I wanted to ask was will their EZ Line product sag accurately if the product is fresh? If it won't then I would like to suggest to them that they market it in straight lengths, maybe 12" long. If it was packed in straight lengths right out of the extruder it might just sag the way we want it to. Seems to me that they are missing the mark on both their marketing and their product potential. But what do I know?
Ticks me off that it is so difficult to contact them via e-mail!
That EZ Line thread is nothing more than lycra thread that can be bought at most sewing stores - probably for a lot less too. Them sewing ladies have all kinds of neat stuff we can use, might be worth the effort to swallow our pride and head into one of "their" stores and see what's available !
I would not use wire at all. I would use Ship-building rigging string, preferrably the black, which is considered standing rigging. It is waxed, so no ''fuzzy's''. Has the texture of twisted rope, just like the real ting, will also pass as cable.
Just My Opinion.
You will find it in here. Along with a lot of other good stuff. It's a 47 page PDF, give time to load:
http://www.modelshipyard.com.au/imagesDB/catalogue/MSY%20Catalogue%202012%20-%20Section%202.pdf
Frank
Frank, have mercy on us. Which page is it on?
Rich
Alton Junction
Seeing as how it is Easter, OK.
http://www.modelshipyard.com.au/fittings/rigging-cord/
I thought maybe, some would like to see all the other, ''Gooda Stuffs''
Click on the little show me more signs and it will give all kinds of info, sizes etc.
ONE MORE TING: To The Forums, To The Original Poster.
zstripe Seeing as how it is Easter, OK. http://www.modelshipyard.com.au/fittings/rigging-cord/ I thought maybe, some would like to see all the other, ''Gooda Stuffs'' Click on the little show me more signs and it will give all kinds of info, sizes etc. Frank ONE MORE TING: To The Forums, To The Original Poster. WVWoodman
Bless you, my Friend.
Mark R.That EZ Line thread is nothing more than lycra thread that can be bought at most sewing stores - probably for a lot less too.
Maybe, maybe not. My wife does a lot of sewing and all of the thread she uses has a round cross section. The EZ Line has more of an oval cross section.
maxman Mark R. That EZ Line thread is nothing more than lycra thread that can be bought at most sewing stores - probably for a lot less too. Maybe, maybe not. My wife does a lot of sewing and all of the thread she uses has a round cross section. The EZ Line has more of an oval cross section.
Mark R. That EZ Line thread is nothing more than lycra thread that can be bought at most sewing stores - probably for a lot less too.
Couldn't tell you what the cross-section looks like, but lycra thread is what they use to sew waste bands and the like in "stretchy" pants with the elastic waste band - it's got to stretch and return to shape.
Was looking to see if anyone had discussed E-Z Line in the forums, and found this thread. One poster asks whether E-Z Line can be used to represent sagging or drooping lines. I have had an interesting experience trying this and was wondering if anyone else has had similar results. When I first strung the lines, they had a very natural sag and I was quite pleased with the look. However, after a few weeks, I noticed that the sag had virtually disappeared. Eventually the lines became tight, to the point that the pole on one end began to lean. Thinking that perhaps they had been overstretched when wound onto the packaging spool, I disconnected them from one end pole, re-strung them loosely again, attached them to the next pole along, and removed the excess. Again, after a couple of months, the sag was practically gone. So my question is, does this stuff shrink continously?
I used dark grey thread swiped from my wife's sewing box. I cut long lengths of it, wet my finger and thumb in diluted white glue and pulled them along the thread. I then hung the thread with a weight on the end to dry. When dry it was slightly stiff, but still very flexible. The glue also got rid of the fuzzies. When I installed it, the slight stiffness allowed me to put a slight sag between poles. For high voltage lines on steel towers I used silver thread.
..... Bob
Beam me up, Scotty, there's no intelligent life down here. (Captain Kirk)
I reject your reality and substitute my own. (Adam Savage)
Resistance is not futile--it is voltage divided by current.
SeamonsterI used dark grey thread swiped from my wife's sewing box. I cut long lengths of it, wet my finger and thumb in diluted white glue and pulled them along the thread. I then hung the thread with a weight on the end to dry. When dry it was slightly stiff, but still very flexible. The glue also got rid of the fuzzies. When I installed it, the slight stiffness allowed me to put a slight sag between poles. For high voltage lines on steel towers I used silver thread.
Try installing it while it's still wet. The weight of the water should give it some sag, and when the glue dries it should hopefully hold its shape.
Steve S
Steven S Seamonster I used dark grey thread swiped from my wife's sewing box. I cut long lengths of it, wet my finger and thumb in diluted white glue and pulled them along the thread. I then hung the thread with a weight on the end to dry. When dry it was slightly stiff, but still very flexible. The glue also got rid of the fuzzies. When I installed it, the slight stiffness allowed me to put a slight sag between poles. For high voltage lines on steel towers I used silver thread. Try installing it while it's still wet. The weight of the water should give it some sag, and when the glue dries it should hopefully hold its shape. Steve S
Seamonster I used dark grey thread swiped from my wife's sewing box. I cut long lengths of it, wet my finger and thumb in diluted white glue and pulled them along the thread. I then hung the thread with a weight on the end to dry. When dry it was slightly stiff, but still very flexible. The glue also got rid of the fuzzies. When I installed it, the slight stiffness allowed me to put a slight sag between poles. For high voltage lines on steel towers I used silver thread.
Now there's an idea! Thanks for the hint, Steve. I'll try to remember to do that next time.