Join the discussion on the following article:
Red Oak Series: Modeling a pole line
Nicely done step by step video of an important line-side detail. David, I get that the plastic was soft and the knife was sharp, but the shots of the knife cutting towards your fingers still made me cringe.
Burlington Northern and Quincy, I’m not familiar with that RR. Oh the way some modern RR names roll off the tongue. Great episode with some helpful tips.
That was great. It would be good to see how to string it as well, as some poles are on my to-do list for my layout soon.
Very handy info. David, I know you are an experienced professional but didn’t your mommy teach you not to cut towards your fingers? I’ve been building models long enough to see that was the best angle but I’ve been building long enough to know that knives sometimes slip. Anyway, the information was very handy and I have put “pole line” on my rather long projects list for my layout.
David, I must agree with Gary. I had to close my eyes waiting for screams. One other note both you and Cody should consider a manicure for the cloe-ups
Great segment on a typical lineside detail that brings a lot of realism to the layout. One question David, did the railroad install those typically and how did they address crossing other electric or telephone lines at crossings? I assume the railroad linemen climbed those for service with spurs since the poles had no spikes.
I must admit, I did feel the same as quite a few other comments below. I cringed when I saw David slicing toward his other hand. The company I work for uses a lot of hand tools, and hand injuries are the most common form of injury in our workplace. If there is a need to cut toward you other hand, then it should be protected, otherwise always cut away from yourself.
David; Why did put the pole line in on the Red Oak project before the scenery in the middle was done ? Or did you remove them and reinstall later ?
Jeez Louise, change that darn music…it’s so annoying!@
I had just found a bottle of the NYC jade.Going to use it to paint some Boeing fuselages(2 of) on my n scale BNSF.
Just to make the point one more time, Don’t cut toward yourself! Otherwise, great article. I have avoided using telephone poles on my layout because they do look like toys. This is just the advice I needed.
Thanks,
Dear David,
You are using special wire to string the poles; why not use thread, or is it a matter of whether the wire “looks” better prototypically, than thread?
On another topic from the hand safety issue; I might make a suggestion for an alternative to the Jade Green. A friend once showed me about using the “glitter paint” that is sold a major craft stores. It is relatively thick paint, but when dry it adds a neat “sparkle” to your insulators. I apply it with a toothpick - it is easy to overdo it so go slow. I don’t know how this might look in N Scale, but I personally like the look for HO or O cross arms. The paint is fairly cheap and it lasts quite a while.
David, With all the innovations in the hobby, it’s interesting to note that some things haven’t changed. I used the same poles and techniques 30 years ago (I even selected Jade Green for the insulator paint). A couple of differences, however, I used a fine tooth saw to scrape some grain into the poles and since Hunter Line wasn’t around, Minwax did the trick. Thanks for the tips on the more prototypical cross arm configuration, I didnt think too much about that back then and left them as is. Time to do a little updating.
David, Wonderful video with great, easy techniques. I have to admit, I never got so far as the pole lines on any of my four previous layouts. I’m a klutz; so, to mount a line before the rest of the scenery is done would be impossible for me! You are a brave man. How much time out will the rest of the staff get if they clip a pole? …Good luck.
Tamiya makes small bottles of clear green and clear blue which, when mixed, will give you a nice bluish-green. I applied this after painting the insulators silver. Looks like the real thing. I also agree with the safety tips.
P.S. Love the music!
Good video David as I’m working on some Rix telephone poles for my IC layout just this week. Helpful hints to the weathering techniques and modifications to my old Atlas poles as well. Agree with all the other readers that cringed when we saw you cutting towards your fingers with the hobby knife. A scout leader would have taken your ‘totin chip’ card from you until you demonstrated proper cutting techniques. Hope Kent, Benjamin and Jenny are standing by with the band-aids for future segments! Or maybe a stunt double (Cody) do the cutting scenes for you? Really enjoying this series… thanks!
Growing up in Wauwatosa WI in the 50s, there was a C&NW line behind our house. My friends and I always wanted to get one of those green glass insulators; no clue what we would have done with them if we got one. But the poles were oozing with creosote so we didn’t dare trying to climb the poles; those poles were a dark brown to blackish color. Now I understand that people actually collect those insulators.
Wonderful look at a not to often modeled portion of the right-of-way. David please try and use the “x-acto” knife and any other sharp objects in a manner that does not go in a direction to the hands or fingers. I have experienced first hand, as it may be, the damage that can be done with knives.