I have a question after much time spent stringing copper thread from tele pole to tele pole, now I’m not even sure if this is normally done or not, but after sitting back looking at my layout progress it was lacking some realisium so I thought about what was missing and my answer was…there’s no telephone wires to connect the town, my question is…are the poles supposed to be wired together, is this normal, now that I’m typing this I can’t recall if the pics I’ve seen had the poles wired, a small detail that I’m unsure of as I write this?
I wired all the poles using fine gold colored thread from insulator too insulator (I tried black thread but couldn’t see the lines and kept hitting them with my hands while working on the layout) and then from the poles down too the buildings also, I wanted my town to look real as my skills would allow me.
Which reminds me…To the gentle man that PM’ed me, I took your accusation that I’m a long time builder posing as a new bee to be a compliment and there is nothing I could say to convince you other wise so I’ll stop trying but believe me, everyone who knows me will tell you that I have indeed never done this before BUT I do have some basic artistic training, but thanks just the same, and besides what would be gained by POSING as a new bee!!!
Well I’m off to turn my wife’s’ hair pieces into weeping willow trees…LMAO, just kidding, I don’t like brown weeping willow trees other wise I would be…LOL
Stringing the wire between power or telephone poles is really up to you and if you like the look. I can’t tell you to go one way or the other. However, I can suggest you might want to use an elastic or stretchy thread to represent the phone and/or power lines. That way if you happen to bump the lines you won’t break them or snap a pole off. Fingers and hands are HUGE and have a way of damaging things on the layout when they enter the scene. [:-^] If you have lines crossing the tracks it could be a problem if you or your operators forget they’re there if you have to re-rail, decouple or remove a car/loco. It’s also tricky to get wire or thread that looks the correct scale. Most telepone lines are about 1" to 1 1/2" in diameter. That’s about .010" in scale. That’s not too bad. Check your local craft store to see what they have.
There’s special thread you can buy that looks and works best and doesn’t collect dust. It’s stretchy and doesn’t break EZ. I can’t think of the name right now. (anybody?)
I would recommend doing it last after everything else is finished. (less chance of hitting it)
I’ve seen some really nice layouts with all the rigging\wiring of telephone\power poles done, looks nice, but these layout were an oddity, they are ones that are actually finished! In as much as they won’t have anything else added to them.
My layout[s] are never finished since I’m always adding or deleting scenes and scenery. I suspect most layouts are in a state of flux and never really 100% finished and because of this, I don’t add wires to my poles, they get in the way of even routine maintenence and like stated above are dust collectors.
If you want to wire those poles it can add some more realism, but it will also cause you headaches when you try to do more construction and maintenence on your layout.
Someone offers pre-strung poles, it’s a new product advertised in MR, just can’t think of the company. Anyhow, all of the layouts I’ve seen with wires strung with the lycra don’t look good to me because it’s strung tight and in the real world, it has a sag of several feet, in smooth downward arcs. Those wires strung tight don’t look good to me so I’d leave them off. It’s a personal preference, so it if you like. It does look impressive, just not photo realistic. But then again neither does ‘empty’ poles. That’s why I don’t have 'em on my layout at all.[:)]
EZ line works well. If you are really careful, you can even get it to droop a little if that is what you want. It is hard to get all three wires to droop the same amount, so it is actually easier to install them all tight. So far after a week, the lines all snap back perfectly when touched. I’d like to figure out a way to get the tight ones to stretch and droop a little, but I’m afraid to pull too hard on them.
I tried elastic thread from the sewing store, but it is too thick.
In this picture, the three lines holding up the pole attached at the top are the thick elastic thread. The thinner lines that connect to the middle of the tree are EZ line.
I like the green, bare wire look it has. I see the sag in the middle wire, and understand the trouble of getting them all to sag the same. Looks very nice, I like the colors used on the rest of the layout, it all blends nicely.
Ditto with two t’s. This is one of my pet peeves. [soapbox] Even most of the layouts in MR that have lines have them strung way too tight. In the real world the poles would be pulled over at the first small drop in temperature. I guess I notice this because of decades in the electrical business. Nothing ruins the look of a fantastic layout for me more than too tight wires. I’d rather have empty poles.
What we need is a repeatable method / material that will droop realistically. Are any manufacturers listening?
There have been several threads about wire vs no wire in the past. Some say “why bother, you can’t even see them from normal viewing distances” others find them absolutely necessary. It really is a matter of choice - just PLEASE add some realistic sag if you choose to use them. Thanks for letting me rant. I try not to do it often.
Hey, It’s all good…Mine started out taunt but after catching the cuff button on them a few times they are sagging just enough…LOL!
I like the look of the poles wired it adds a “finished” touch and since I’m building my layout in removable sections I can get away with wiring them, when I add a section a simply snip the lines and reconnect them when the new module is in place.
Happy Rails my Friends, I’m off to work a 48hr shift to support my MRR Habit.
Anybody know how to get EZ line to droop AFTER it is installed tight? I know it stretches and deforms if you pull it hard enough, as I did this a few times by accident during the initial installation. Now though, I’m afraid to pull it too hard and risk breaking the line or poles. Any help?
Check the latest MR for advertisement regarding pre-wired T-Poles and the article by Pelle Soeborg. His pictures have wired T-poles. Looks great. Patience, patience.
I see these differences quite frequently and quite dramatically.
Where I live it can be -30 degrees Celsius during the winther. During the summer can reach around +30 in the shade and of course a lot more in the sun. This have a dramatic effect on all wires and it’s really easy to see it. The companies that put up wires must have fun when making the slack just enough.
Ditto with two t’s. This is one of my pet peeves. [soapbox] Even most of the layouts in MR that have lines have them strung way too tight. In the real world the poles would be pulled over at the first small drop in temperature. I guess I notice this because of decades in the electrical business. Nothing ruins the look of a fantastic layout for me more than too tight wires. I’d rather have empty poles.