OldSchoolScratchbuilder richhotrain You need to move that pole farther away from the mirror. The mirrored pole is too close to the adjacent pole. No I don't. This display case is a piece of artwork, and like art, it needs to be viewed from different angles with various interpretations. Everyone will imagine something different when they look inside. For example, the engineer in a locomotive looking back through a mirror might see this.
richhotrain You need to move that pole farther away from the mirror. The mirrored pole is too close to the adjacent pole.
You need to move that pole farther away from the mirror. The mirrored pole is too close to the adjacent pole.
No I don't. This display case is a piece of artwork, and like art, it needs to be viewed from different angles with various interpretations. Everyone will imagine something different when they look inside. For example, the engineer in a locomotive looking back through a mirror might see this.
I have to agree with Rich on this one. If you want the effect of the lightpoles in the mirror to look evenly spaced with the poles in the display case, the pole nearest the mirror should be half the distance to the mirror as it is to the pole to the right of it. That way it looks even throughout. Does that make sense?
It's kinda like planting trees on your layout offset from but too near your backdrop and lighting them from the front. The shadows cast on the backdrop spoil the illusion, which is what I thought was the intended use of the mirror in your display. But, it's artwork - as you label it. And one "interpretation" thinks that the lightpole too close to the mirror will spoil the effect it was thought you were trying to achieve.
So, no - the engineer looking back would not see this. He would see lightpoles that were generally evenly spaced from one another.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Now that I can build poles of various types with ease, I will focus on developing a clip-on wire to connect them. I'll give a few of my spare poles to Maritime Hobbies next week with the connecting '3-phase' wires.
OldSchoolScratchbuilder Power pole is completed and operational. Once the power lines are attached the mirror will make it look like the lines continue into the distance. The power pole by the tunnel will be a different design since the power lines have to pass through the tunnel To the power sources behind the fused glass back plate.
Power pole is completed and operational. Once the power lines are attached the mirror will make it look like the lines continue into the distance. The power pole by the tunnel will be a different design since the power lines have to pass through the tunnel To the power sources behind the fused glass back plate.
Alton Junction
Easy clip-on lines (4 of them) will be designed next.
OldSchoolScratchbuilder As I said before, the three phase terminals on each pole will be live with the neutral line electrical ground. The wires between poles will be clip-ons so easily removed or reconfigured. The power poles on my street are not hollow.
As I said before, the three phase terminals on each pole will be live with the neutral line electrical ground. The wires between poles will be clip-ons so easily removed or reconfigured. The power poles on my street are not hollow.
From your earlier post it was difficult to determine if you meant real '3-phase', or merely nominal (i.e. mimicked) '3-phase'. Thanks for the clarification.
One high line will be 3 volts dc to drive the power pole lighting. The other two high lines can be different voltages, ac or dc to drive other devices of interest.
Used my butane torch on the heat shrink tubing, then connected the 3-phase neutral line to the LED negative with the current-limiting resistor disguised as a small transformer or inductor By painting it black. Painted the pole brown. The positive lead from the LED will be connected to the (empty) high terminal on the crossarm.
To ask the question again that someone queried about on pg 4:
Housings are painted and glued to both the safety pin and LED.
Now the heat shrink, LED and housing are put in place at the same time.
Before gluing the housings in place, the heat shrink tubing needs to be cut to length.
Safety pins are cut and shaped into lamp mast arms and small pieces of wood are carved into lamp housings and fixed to the ends of the mast arms.
Three poles with crossarms, crossarm supports, safety pins, and four holes for the '3-phase' lines. If you can get this far without splitting the wooden pieces, you're doing well.
OldSchoolScratchbuilder My power poles will carry real electricity and that is a project filled with creativity.
There is no fun in buying a bag of plastic power poles. Three commercial power poles with lights at my hobby shop for $35+tax CDN. Mine cost me less than $2 each! My power poles will carry real electricity and that is a project filled with creativity.
SeeYou190 I don't think I could even build one.. That pole is really good. I have never had power poles on any of my layouts. To me they look silly without wires, and wires get in the way, so I do without.
I don't think I could even build one..
That pole is really good. I have never had power poles on any of my layouts. To me they look silly without wires, and wires get in the way, so I do without.
A power pole is really nothing more than a horizontal piece attached to a vertical piece, plus some other minor attachments. But, why even build one when there are so many varieties of HO scale power poles available from several manufacturers? In fact, Rapido has manufactured one with power lines attached.
What the OP is building is fine because it is part of a diorama for all practical purposes. He has a somewhat unique interest in designing a working power pole setup that most of us would probably not spend the time necessary to design and build for our own layouts.
But if you really wanted to build your own power poles for your layout instead of purchasing commercially available power poles, that would seem to be among the more simple forms of scratch building.
Rich
Everything I need for three more power poles. I use a large needle nose for two reasons: I have a hard time using smaller ones because of advanced arthritis in my fingers, and the extra weight makes it easy to push stiff wire into the wood (at least for me). The masking tape also makes it easier for me to hold on to the doweling because of arthritis.
OldSchoolScratchbuilderBuild many and prosper ya'll.
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I don't think I could even build one.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Used my router to make some soft fluffy softwood sawdust from a piece of kindling. Some of this sawdust will be used as fall ground cover.
BisWhat size lumber did you use for the pole and cross bar
My little wooden power pole is my free contribution to the model railroader community. Build many and prosper ya'll.
OldSchoolScratchbuilder Also got an offer from the hobby shop for a quantity of my wooden power poles. Think I'll opt for a store credit in return.
Also got an offer from the hobby shop for a quantity of my wooden power poles. Think I'll opt for a store credit in return.
Picked up two of the three router bits I need for the base and 100 grit sand paper recommended for Douglas fir. Also got an offer from the hobby shop for a quantity of my wooden power poles. Think I'll opt for a store credit in return.
LEDs installed on both poles and shrunk tubing with hot blow feature on my butane torch. A little more work and the poles will be ready for the '3-phase' lines.
Junction box platform completed. Includes part of a safety pin, copper decal wrapped around the safety pin, hookup wire loop for strength, and solder. The platform was smoothed on a grinding wheel then painted.