I am in the process of making telephone and power poles for my layout. I have some RIX poles and cross arms and I am also using dowel rods, cut to size, distressed and weathered. My problem is finding something to simulate the wires. I thought of monofilament fishing line, black thread is out because it just doesn’t look right. Any ideas of what I can use that simulates the lines. Thank you for any help.
I would recommend EZ Line. Check it out here:
http://www.berkshirejunction.com/
Here is a picture on my layout:
I haven’t done this. But I can add another issue with thread; i.e., I have some on a cinder tower that is a real dust collector, which makes for a problem to remove the dust without breaking something. So I’d consider the dust attraction and cleaning aspects.
For what it’s worth, I use .01” steel wire (Piano wire). I drill .01” holes in the polls or cross arms for the wire and form a slight dip in the span to look like sag. It can be a bit tedious but they look real and they don’t collect dust as fast as thread. A mini-vac easily takes care of the dust that does collect.
Edit:
I also used .01” steel wire for the guy wires on my communications tower.
I have also used the EZ Line and like the results and reasonably easy application (a droplet of CA on the insulator, touch the EZ Line to it and move on to the next one, but remember to start with the bottom wires and move up not the other way around). The elasticity also means a certain amount of forgiveness if you bump into the wires which is something to think about given Murphy’s Law and all.
I have used thread and did not care for the surface roughness (tiny bits of filament) which shows up in photos and also, as noted by an earlier poster, tends to itself collect dust. But in the June 2015 Model Railroader Lou Sassi has a great article on utility poles (with good hints for using the Rix poles and crossarms) and Lou takes thread and hangs it with a weight at the end, then applies white glue with his fingers. This not only gives the thread a more solid appearance, which I suspect could also help with the dust problem, but he says it makes it easier to use. I intend to try Sassi’s methods next time I need to do this.
Another good article is by Jeff Wilson in December 2001 about improvements to the Rix poles and crossarms. I might also add that from time to time Rix has made clear and translucent green crossarms – where you paint everything but the insulators your wood color, be it brown or gray, and the insulators look great, just like real telegraph pole insulators. Jeff also had a good article on utility and electric line poles in an MR special issue which for whatever reason I cannot seem to find right now.
Dave Nelson
I used thread on mine, but as you can see, I’m modeling the abandoned poles and wires along the CN, former WC. They haven’t been used in decades, but the poles, and broken and downed wires are still there.
I’ve never modeled “live” power lines, for fear that they would get in the way of switching ops. I’ve slowly been rethinking that, as I want add power to the transloading area.
Mike.
I’ve put up the telephone poles, but haven’t bothered with wire yet. Does EZ still hold up when my arm or something else snagged on the wire? My fear is something snagging the power line and the poles start falling down.
EZ Line is elastic and thus can absorb a certain amount of contact. If the line poles are mounted fairly securely, then hitting the line with your hand should not uproot the poles, but again only within reasonable limits: it isn’t like a slingshot. Contrast thread (or, I assume, actual metal wire) which is hardly elastic at all. There it is probably better to mount the line poles rather loosely - better that they should uproot than snap off at the base.
I would say that even with the elastic qualities of EZ Line, it probably does not make sense to put strung electric or telegraph/telephone poles between you the operator and your trains. Trying to reach over or through them to uncouple cars and such is inviting more disaster than you need. They can however be exceptionally effective looking between the tracks and the backdrop.
I just wish I could recall the MR special issue (maybe one dealing with modeling the 1950s?) where Jeff Wilson showed urban and rural electric and telephone lines and how they and even the insulators differ.
Dave Nelson
I read somewhere that EZ Line and similar products are really just lycra thread available at craft shops. Has anyone compared the two products?
I plan to add poles and wires to a new section I’m building. The wires will not cross tracks. I would think that to get the best results, some simple planning to avoid having to reach over, under or through your wires would be prudent.