Did anyone here ever made telephone poles? If so, how? height, techniques... everything... I want to know everything!!!! 
I'm getting addicted to scratch building!!!
I'm getting addicted to scratch building!!!
Telephone pole
- Thread starter Xaniel
- Start date
C
Catt
Hi Luis, That's really a varied subject. It depends on what era you model, location, city or country, type of construction and on and on and on. There's probably as many kinds of telephone/power poles as there are brands of hot dogs They vary by height, shape, diameter and etc.
What might be the best thing to do is to find some pictures of the area and era that you are modeling and most likely poles are going to show up in them because they are so common to everywhere. Then after you get an idea of what you want to model as far as poles go most likely you can make them from the appropriate size wooden dowel or round plastic rod. Also most likely there is a web site that would give engineering data on the size of various poles and their placement.
Hope this helped
BTW...Spitfire's Urban Scene web site might have something on this.
There's probably as many kinds of telephone/power poles as there are brands of hot dogs They vary by height, shape, diameter and etc. What might be the best thing to do is to find some pictures of the area and era that you are modeling and most likely poles are going to show up in them because they are so common to everywhere. Then after you get an idea of what you want to model as far as poles go most likely you can make them from the appropriate size wooden dowel or round plastic rod. Also most likely there is a web site that would give engineering data on the size of various poles and their placement.
Hope this helped
BTW...Spitfire's Urban Scene web site might have something on this.
Hey Luis - that's just another way of saying you can't mess it up too much. If it looks right on your layout, there's probably a prototype out there somewhere.
Luis, I don't have a picture of one but I have tried making a telephone pole out of those round toothpicks for N gauge.
I glued a braced crossbar near the top and glued some of those tiny glass or plastic beads as insulators. For out of the way backround use, I used fine copper wire to join one pole to the next. In the forground, I just put a row of poles without wire and PRETEND that wire connects the poles. It was the effect I was after.
The poles and beads were painted with those crafters acrylic paints.
Good luck making some.
I glued a braced crossbar near the top and glued some of those tiny glass or plastic beads as insulators. For out of the way backround use, I used fine copper wire to join one pole to the next. In the forground, I just put a row of poles without wire and PRETEND that wire connects the poles. It was the effect I was after.
The poles and beads were painted with those crafters acrylic paints.
Good luck making some.
Luis:
Are you talking telephone poles (along city streets) or telegraph poles (along the railroad tracks)?
I'd say the basic rule is the bottom wire is high enough that nothing will snag on it or that kids on bicycles can grab it. It goes up from there as high as required.
Out on the Canadian prairies, the telegraph poles followed the tracks at a fairly low level, but every mile there was a road or farmer's driveway crossing the track and the wires rose high enough to clear the road traffic. It was very clear as the track is straight and the land is flat!
Are you talking telephone poles (along city streets) or telegraph poles (along the railroad tracks)?
I'd say the basic rule is the bottom wire is high enough that nothing will snag on it or that kids on bicycles can grab it. It goes up from there as high as required.
Out on the Canadian prairies, the telegraph poles followed the tracks at a fairly low level, but every mile there was a road or farmer's driveway crossing the track and the wires rose high enough to clear the road traffic. It was very clear as the track is straight and the land is flat!
Yes it does
thanks Vic - in fact there's a downloadable template of a utility pole with measurements provided by Toronto Hydro. Xaniel, I think you're an n-scaler are you not? If so you'll have to scale the drawing down. To get the drawing go to:
http://members.rogers.com/urbanscene/
When you are at the main menu, select "infrastructure" from the list on the left and it will take you to the utility pole template.
I've built quite a few of them (in HO) and use dowels for the poles and scale lumber for the crossarms. I'm thinking of using beads for the insulators as the ones I have appear too large to me.
Hope this helps
Cheers
Val
Luis,
I too have used those round wooden toothpicks for N scale poles, along with a small cut strip of flat wooden toothpicks for the cross pieces. Insulators were created from the tips of sprue I had left over from different model kits, and the transformers were also cut down from round toothpicks. For concrete poles, I have used round styrene with a rough sanding with sandpaper and a coat of grey paint. I do have a rule that I follow with poles following the tracks, don't be perfect and who cares if they are straight. The best scratchbuilding rule that I think all will agree on, if you don't make mistakes, it looks too perfect.
GOOD LUCK!!!
I too have used those round wooden toothpicks for N scale poles, along with a small cut strip of flat wooden toothpicks for the cross pieces. Insulators were created from the tips of sprue I had left over from different model kits, and the transformers were also cut down from round toothpicks. For concrete poles, I have used round styrene with a rough sanding with sandpaper and a coat of grey paint. I do have a rule that I follow with poles following the tracks, don't be perfect and who cares if they are straight. The best scratchbuilding rule that I think all will agree on, if you don't make mistakes, it looks too perfect.
GOOD LUCK!!!
For anyone who might be interested here's a site for making telegraph poles like were used on the D&RGW narrow gauge
http://www.drgwrr.com/pages/Telegraph Poles.html
http://www.drgwrr.com/pages/Telegraph Poles.html
Pete, That photo is great! The pole is very nice. Did you make the transformer or is it detail part? The trees are great, the overall composition is great as well. Love the shadow over the nose of the loco.
Gary
Gary
I model in "N" scale and just used toothpicks and some crossarms from (I think) 'Depots by John'..then painted the insulatiors...will try the small seed beads (from "sig others" hobbycorner)..then planted them along the row, low and kinda crooked because that is what I see around this part of the country..still need more weeds and stuff to fill in but like the way they look......
Attachments
Utility Pole Supplies
Here's a link to Lee Valley Tools (Ottawa, Canada) with some possible scratch building supplies.
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?SID=&ccurrency=1&page=32722&category=1,250,43217
I was thinking about getting these myself.
Does anyone have pictures of 20s - 30s era poles?
Andrew
Here's a link to Lee Valley Tools (Ottawa, Canada) with some possible scratch building supplies.
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?SID=&ccurrency=1&page=32722&category=1,250,43217
I was thinking about getting these myself.
Does anyone have pictures of 20s - 30s era poles?
Andrew
Here's an interesting tool that will allow modelers in smaller scales to resize wood dowels to create poles in the proper or close to it diameter.
http://www.dxmarket.com/micromark/products/50330.html
http://www.dxmarket.com/micromark/products/50330.html
Originally posted by NYCentral
hey there is a Diesel on Shamus' layout!!
QUOTE
That's from a long time ago!
Gary
Yes....before he realized "the error of his ways"!!
Steam Rules!!! 
hello,
i've been kinda busy this past weekend. finishing the frieght station, telephone poles, and scenery. i have to take many pics to show you guys.
i'll probably get my SD7 in B&O tommorrow. anxious!!! i have some news questions to ask you.. but that will be in another thread!
i've been kinda busy this past weekend. finishing the frieght station, telephone poles, and scenery. i have to take many pics to show you guys.
i'll probably get my SD7 in B&O tommorrow. anxious!!! i have some news questions to ask you.. but that will be in another thread!