mearrin69 wrote:Pretty cool. Too bad they don't have n-scale. :)BTW, I'm with the crowd that thinks it's sometimes better to buy than build. I'm in this hobby because I like doing stuff like making trees and scratchbuilding structures...but gluing string to sticks is not up my alley, really. If I was retired, maybe, but if it would take me more than an hour to do and costs something under $40 then I would be better off just buying it (unless, of course, it'd be fun to do).M
Pretty cool. Too bad they don't have n-scale. :)
BTW, I'm with the crowd that thinks it's sometimes better to buy than build. I'm in this hobby because I like doing stuff like making trees and scratchbuilding structures...but gluing string to sticks is not up my alley, really. If I was retired, maybe, but if it would take me more than an hour to do and costs something under $40 then I would be better off just buying it (unless, of course, it'd be fun to do).
M
I enjoy building some things but not others so I tend to agree.
All my structures and track is scratch built. But if I had my druthers I wouldn't string poles. One reason I never planned on having any on my layout this time actually:)
WOW I didn't even know stuff like that existed. Where was this stuff 30 years ago when I needed it? LOL
Thanks for the link :D
When I drive I drive short hauls as well. My regular tour will be a 700 km day trip. That's OK, I start a 4am and end work until 5pm. But at least I'm home at the day. Right now its kind of slow on jobs but that is OK. It's nice to not drive on these very small roads during the winther with deep snow and ice. My route will take me up close to the mountains that run along the Swedish and Norwegian border(Fjällen).
About people complaining about trucks, I hate when people say that we burn all that gas for instance. They don't mind driving their cars that uses a lot of gas to but for no particular reason. When I drive my truck I drive environmentally, I use approximately 1,85 litres of diesel per ten kilometre when driving with a full truck weighing thirty tons. That is not to bad considering the large amount of goods I bring with me. People also seems to forget, as you say that all the stuff they bought at the stores where brought by us.
Thanks for the comments on my language. I'm trying my best. I think that it's important to at least try. I try to read everything before I post to eliminate the most obvious errors.
Safe driving everyone,
Magnus
What's interesting to me is that in the US, in-use line side poles don't seem all that common (at least in the Northeast) anymore - OK, there clearly are some lines with them, but many (most?) active rail lines don't seem to have them. Does that jive with what other people are seeing in other areas of the country (or North America)?
!!Hi-jack!! That said, where I'm going with this is I (of course, it's always about me ) need to have utility poles (the ones I've seen, usually 1 cross bar with a 2-1 insulator arrangement, or else a pole with no crossbars, just 1 insulator on top). OK, this lets the pre-wired poles in the OP right out, but there's no problem with Rix or Wathers products...except I also need to model the Phone & cable lines to the side of the pole, and do it evenly. Anyone have any ideas that don't involve drilling little holes in the side of the pole, and inserting little pieces of wire to which the 'cables' will be mounted (I suppose CA'ing painted brass L-shapes might work using a jig to keep things equal across all poles, but anyone have other ideas).
Hi Magnus,
Yes, I have been driving trucks for more than 21 years now, and August will be 20 years driving Tractor-Trailer, I am a regional driver, not long haul, but I do have approximately 2,000,000 miles of experience. With the 60+ hour weeks quite often, it is sometimes preferable to like you said work 2-3 hours overtime to pay a plumber what would take me 5 hours to do(not to mention some SERIOUS GRUMBLING, I HATE PLUMBING) as an example.
I wish us truckers would unite better, lots of people grumble about trucks on the road, but boy would they grumble if we PARKED them. I have read that if every truck in America parked for just six hours, it would take the economy three WEEKS to recover, Imagine what a week long (or longer) truckers strike could do. EMPTY grocery stores, gas stations, and HEAVEN FORBID no deliveries from Walther's to the LHS's. They tend to forget, "IF THEY'VE GOT IT, A TRUCK BROUGHT IT"
BTW, I know You are from Sweden, I have seen a serious improvement in your spelling and grammar, since I have joined the forums, It is now easy for me to forget which side of the POND as the Brits like to call it, that You are on.
Doug
May your flanges always stay BETWEEN the rails
challenger3980 wrote: tgindy wrote:All prototype telephone poles do not have three crossbars. One or two crossbars can be trimmed off of a "rix-type" pole, and repainted, before application of EZ-Line. Not every railroad had Challengers and BigBoys either, but they sure do seem to sell, I guess the moral is, if it fits what you model great, buy it, if not it doesn't mean that someone else wont want them for their own layout. There ARE many poles with three cross arms, maybe these aren't for YOU. Just like on the Toy Trains forum, I see people write that they can't see spending $1000.00 on just one locomotive, but come tax return time, I intend to buy two of Lionel's scale FEF-3s, that list at $1199.99 (HOPEFULLY my LHS can work me a decent discount ) Bottom line it is ones own layout, and we each have different priorities, wants and strengths and weaknesses. Some are better at track laying, wiring or maybe scenery, every product is not for every modeler, but be HAPPY that we have so many products to chose from, I remember what was available when I was a kid in the 70s, I would never have dreamed of some of the things that we take for granted today. Doug
tgindy wrote:All prototype telephone poles do not have three crossbars. One or two crossbars can be trimmed off of a "rix-type" pole, and repainted, before application of EZ-Line.
Not every railroad had Challengers and BigBoys either, but they sure do seem to sell, I guess the moral is, if it fits what you model great, buy it, if not it doesn't mean that someone else wont want them for their own layout. There ARE many poles with three cross arms, maybe these aren't for YOU.
Just like on the Toy Trains forum, I see people write that they can't see spending $1000.00 on just one locomotive, but come tax return time, I intend to buy two of Lionel's scale FEF-3s, that list at $1199.99 (HOPEFULLY my LHS can work me a decent discount )
Bottom line it is ones own layout, and we each have different priorities, wants and strengths and weaknesses. Some are better at track laying, wiring or maybe scenery, every product is not for every modeler, but be HAPPY that we have so many products to chose from, I remember what was available when I was a kid in the 70s, I would never have dreamed of some of the things that we take for granted today.
Excellent points Doug. We should just accept that some people will like stuff and other won't, the market will sort out the good and the bad as well as the appropriate cost.
challenger3980 wrote: Hi Magnus, I have read many of your posts, but never realized that you are a truck driver also. I agree that when the cost of the materials for doing it the cheaper ways are deducted, I doubt that I could string 17 wires on to 12 poles in less than the 11/2-2 hours of over-time that it would take to just buy these, and most likely have a better looking result. From what I have read of Rapido's passenger cars, they make some very nice products, and there is no reason not to expect their usual quality in these also. Doug
I have read many of your posts, but never realized that you are a truck driver also. I agree that when the cost of the materials for doing it the cheaper ways are deducted, I doubt that I could string 17 wires on to 12 poles in less than the 11/2-2 hours of over-time that it would take to just buy these, and most likely have a better looking result. From what I have read of Rapido's passenger cars, they make some very nice products, and there is no reason not to expect their usual quality in these also.
I've done a little bit of everything. Right now my full time occupation is a student, I'm studying to become a teacher while I also is picking up a master degree in history(I specialize in historical crimes, especially lethal viloence in earlymodern times). But I also do drive a truck now and then for the company that I used to work for for over ten years before I quit to become a teacher.
But basically working a little extra instead of doing this it should pay for it self. Especially when as you say you deduce the cost of materials. I always calculate this way, a lot of things are more efficient to have others do for me then I do it my self while the quality is improved in the process. If I drive a truck for three hours I can pay the plumber to do a good job that would have taken me 6 hours. Or at least that's the gist of it.
Are you also a truck driver?
Truck drivers unite!
I too can see them getting tangled, but it seems a lot easier than adding the wires yourself.
I remember attaching wires with superglue on the club layout before an open house. On the day of the open house, I went to see the wires and somebody had knocked 'em all down, even though I had tested the clearance and had about 2 inches to spare! I guess it was a re-railing job that did it...
I like the disclaimer:
(sorry - train, landscape, sky, hand and sleeve not included)
Conemaugh Road & Traction circa 1956
challenger3980 wrote: I would be interested in seeing a review on these, maybe not cheap, but considering it includes 17 self-stringing wires per pole, I don't think that the price is outrageous. Your time is worth something (more to some than others) and the time that would be spent stringing 17 wires, not to mention the frustration, could be considerable. Sounds like a neat idea, but does it work as well as it sounds, or will there be the tangled fishing pole scenario to deal with (REALLY FRUSTRATING with 17 wires to deal with at once) Thank You Magnus for sharing these here, I had not heard of them, but I can see where some would appreciate them. I am looking forward to hopefully seeing a review on these. Doug
I would be interested in seeing a review on these, maybe not cheap, but considering it includes 17 self-stringing wires per pole, I don't think that the price is outrageous. Your time is worth something (more to some than others) and the time that would be spent stringing 17 wires, not to mention the frustration, could be considerable. Sounds like a neat idea, but does it work as well as it sounds, or will there be the tangled fishing pole scenario to deal with (REALLY FRUSTRATING with 17 wires to deal with at once)
Thank You Magnus for sharing these here, I had not heard of them, but I can see where some would appreciate them. I am looking forward to hopefully seeing a review on these.
I hope someone reviews them as well, because as you say, if they work as well as they are described I think they are easily worth the money. For me such things take for ever and it will not come out very good. So maybe I will get some once I finished the rest of my projects(like building the entire house by hand myself before I get to that stage).
I would rather work a little extra overtime driving a truck and be able to pay this then spend more time trying to do it myself.
Lillen wrote: Look at these, this seems like quite an invention for a relatively low cost. http://www.rapidotrains.com/telepoles.html Do any other manufacturer produce something similar or for the electric lines above the electrified engines? Magnus
Look at these, this seems like quite an invention for a relatively low cost.
http://www.rapidotrains.com/telepoles.html
Do any other manufacturer produce something similar or for the electric lines above the electrified engines?
What are you talking about relatively inexpensive? It more like relatively lazy. $35 plus shipping for just 11 poles. You can use the E-Z Line which only cost $10 a roll and do more poles than that. So that would be called relatively inexpensive to me not the one you are advertising, sorry
http://www.rixproducts.com/6280031.htm
Less.
Walter Clot wrote:I think almost $3.00 per pole is a little high for my railroad!
If they are easy to use and are not a hazzle I think the price is not such an issue. How much do a regular one cost?
Admittedly, an interesting product for those who are challenged by planting poles and stringing wire. I think I'll wait until I see the product, or we get a forum report on it from someone who has, before trying to make a value judgement.
OTOH, overhead wire for electric traction is an entirely different bucket of worms, ranging from a single conductor strung on span wires between roadside poles to heavy double-conductor catenary suspended from miniature truss bridges supported by steel H-beam or concrete poles. That would be a very 'iffy' area for a manufacturer to venture into. (It also comes under the heading, "I'll believe it when I see it." Breath-holding, not!)
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with heavy catenary motors)
loathar wrote:I don't know...Something tells me those would be a pain in the butt to place on the layout. Memories of tangled up fishing poles come to mind.
I also wonder if the lines are those unbreakable,stretchable lycra or ?. If not any bump or rough handling will desroy them. The link to the product doesn't mention anything about the wire itself.
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org