I tried the idea of using them for an electical feed to power the lights on the underside of my passenger train sheds. I used coil wire that I thought was insulated. Because the wires weren’t of a large enough gauge to handle the load they burned the roofs. Not a good idea. I add lighting to buildings from feed wires under the layout. Each building has two wires that drop down through a hole and are spliced to the power bus. If you want to light each building separately you need direct wiring of each to a control panel. I have given some thought to designing a device that would allow the lights to come on in differant buildings, and even differant rooms in a building to come on in random pattern rather than all at once.
That is what I’ve heard from many people. At this time in my modeling, I’ll just let the viewers imagine the wire if they want to see it. With several grandkids helping, I don’t need something else to need repairing afterwards. But my hat is off to all you who do have wires. The pictures were impressive. Thanks for your imput.
the E-Z line rocks dude!
“go have a cigarette”!!! Now there’s a bad idea!! (from a reformed smoker!)[xx(]
I have a power pole not more than 20 feet outside my apartment window (I live in a Long Island neighborhood which allows above-ground power/phone lines). Looking right at it in bight sunlight:
Top level is 3 HV power cables (neighbourhood distros) - 3 across, thinnish cables flat black, supported by white cermanic insulators on a horizontal cross bar near the top of the pole.
These cables feed 2 light grey ‘trash-can’ style step-down transformers mounted on this pole; they in turn feed the 120/208V household-level cables (3 cables mounted vertically above each other, on brown/black insulators attached by metal brackets to the pole - individual house feeds drop from these mount points to the individual house/building weatherheads). Color of these cables are flat black and silver (albiet the flat black seems weathered enough to be a bit brownish).
Finally, mounted at mid-point on the pole, are thick (~2inch) cables for phone and cable service - note that these lines are mounted one above each other, and in-fact consist of two or more cables per line - the cables are again black, with silver/grey guys/supports for what I believe is the Verizon phone line (the Cablevision line is below this, thinner, and doesn’t have a support). Not entirely sure of the actual use of the upper two cables, which I believe are both Verizon and have been around since well before Verizon offered digitial services (Cable/FIOS) - they date back to NY Telephone days Well, the bottom one does feed into a light green telephone junction box, so that’s obviously for individual phone service, but the top-cable - I don’t know.
Summing up, to model such a system effectivel
Cliff,
Not to get off topic, but I have to ask. What do you use for grass in the pic you posted. It’s amazing. To be honest I was so taken by the grass that it took me awhile to notice the fantastic job you did on the building and the fence. Great job!!
Not too thick, not too tight,thats al, you need to know, if you can see the wires from across a large room, they may be a little too thick.
Wow, thanks Dave! What a compliment! For the grass around my Wharton County Courthouse, I used two Silflor grass sheets which are available from Scenic Express. They are available in varying heights of grass blades as well as different colors. I believe mine was a late summer color with the shortest height available…it looks good for HO scale.
You may notice there are no power lines in the photo, which were the original subject of this thread. Somehow the photo got changed when the forum switched over this summer (my reply is dated March of this year). If you are interested in my power line details, there are many many photos which feature them on my MA&G website.
Thanks again for your comments!!
I think it is called EZ Line and it comes in copper green, black and brown. Not sure where you get it, but I am hoping for the Springfield show next month.
The last time I used braided fishing line . Even has the wrapped look like the real tension lines . You can get different diameters too. I think you want the electrified wire more than the smooth telephone wire always below the electrified . And for the cables that come off the poles for support ever so often I used steel leader with the plastic stripped off . Took mini shrink tubing not heated for the plastic type wrapping at the bottom of cable . If you want the old steam era don’t put the shrink on the bottom. Also if you want to add some steam era guard rails ---- wood and cable type — you can pull the line through a rag with grey or silver paint — with rubber gloves on — and cut dowel rod for the guard rail posts . Everyone forgets the guardrails on a layout ! I made the eyelets out of tig welding wire . If you don’t have any ---- any welding shop will run a few feet off the tig welder for a dollar .
Maybe I’m getting blind in my old age, but I do not see EZ line in this pic, maybe you can point it out to me, I purchased a roll a while back and plan on using it on my poles.
The details look great, oh, is that me walking by?
Tom
I beleve I know what you’re refering to, the wire is really not “wire” but looks very good, and
it is called E Z Line Stretch, is is sold by Berkshire Junction www,bershirejunction.com,
or info@berkshirejunction.com (413) 743-3960. They are the people that go to shows with the
bare that comes down and stretches the"wire". Hope this helps
Richard - Connecticut
G’day, Y’all, Wish I had read this thread about two months ago. Before I got my violin bow’s 24-year-old horsehair replaced! I would have had plenty. As slow as they are about re-hairing bows, maybe they haven’t thrown out the old horsehair yet.
I am in N-scale, where one would be hard put to “see” uninsulated (or, “open” wire) even up close. I just space the poles so one can see the “line” of the pole line. There is one “out”, however. When doing telephone lines, you can use black waxed thread or “EZ” line to simulate the more urban practice of cable runs. These are 1-1/2" in diameter, give or take, and are readily visible. Cables were developed to replace ten-wire open lines when crossarms got to be too much. Cables can pack 150 “pairs” (two-wire pairs needed to make telephones work) into a single condensed package. with five “pairs” per ten-pin crossarms . . . well, you get the idea.
Cable is usually hung just below the crossarms, and gives the impression of continuity between poles. You can have three or five, or more, cables bound together if you in an urban area. Some of these cables spread out from a “central office” to all the areas served by that office. Others are “trunk” lines between offices. For added interest, have a worker up a pole, strapped in, of course, working at a pole terminal where individual lines to customers’ structures are connected to the system.
ardenastationmaster
After careful consideration, I have come to the conclusion that telephone wire, and even catenary wire, doesn’t meet the 100 meter test. I’ll erect the poles (and the catenary support bridges) and let the viewer imagine the wires hanging between.
The alternative would have had a web of catenary over a throat including several double slips - a totally unsatisfactory situation. And if I’m not going to hang catenary, I’m not going to call attention to its absence by installing phone and power lines which, in the prototype, are far less visible.
As for powering structure lights from modeled power lines, you MIGHT get away with a couple of LED’s, but I doubt it. Subterranean connections are simpler, safer and far more robust.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Maybe this page can be of interest to you?
I would say if you can not see it from 1 foot away,(hardly) it would be the right scale. also remember all wires sag, and some a lot more than others.
My sentiments exactly!!!
I tried to string wire utilizing black thread on one of my early N Scale layouts over twenty years ago - this is HO Scale twenty years ago there riogrande5761; N Scale twenty years ago is considerably smaller and inferior; I sure wouldn’t want to confuse you - and I was forever snagging the stuff so I decided to forestall stringing telephone or electric wire on future layouts - at least until I had things far enough along that I wasn’t going to have to be reaching across them to do layout work. I have never reached that point and perhaps never will. N Scale poles are only spaced about 6 5/8 inches apart and they can hardly help but getting in the way.
After all, it does take a little bit of imagination envisioning that a twenty car bobtail - that’s an HO Scale bobtail there riogrande5761; an N Scale bobtail is considerably smaller and inferior; I sure wouldn’t want to confuse you - is, in reality, standing in for a one hundred car manifest - that’s an HO Scale one hundred car manifest there riogrande5761; an N Scale one hundred car manifest is considerably smaller and inferior; I sure wouldn’t want to confuse you - rolling eastward from LaLaLand to Chickytown - that’s HO Scale LaLaLand to Chickytown there riogrande5761; N Scale LaLaLand to Chickytown is considerably smaller and inferior; I sure wouldn’t want to confuse you. For those with repressed imagination - that’s HO Scale imagination there riogrande5761; N Scale imagination is considerably smaller and inferior; I sure wouldn’t want to confuse you - who might ask about why I don’t have wire strung between my poles I will respond with the following
What kind of wire or thread would you use for logging rigging? You know, wires supporting poles, steel cable for dragging and lifting and unloading logs. Stuff like that …
I don’t think I want much sagging at all.
… Modeling 1920 logging in the Sierras on the Oakhurst Railroad …
Thanks,
Marty