Looking for advice on materials to use for electric and telephone lines for residential and heavier transmission lines. I’ve used “'E-Z Line” by Berkshire Junction, but that doesn’t cover it all.
Thanks!
Rob
EZ Line is just Spandex thread, which comes in several thicknesses. Go to a sewing store, and look for it in various sizes and colors. You might have to have it special ordered though.
A friend of mine used fishing line, looked pretty good.
Isn’t almost all fishing line clear? I’m just asking, as I have not seen black fishing line, and around NY almost all telephone/electrical/cable lines are black or grey. However, I’d be interested in black colored fishing line.
I’ve used a couple of different things for telephone and electric cables:
Electric cables tend to be much heavier and therefore have much more sag between the poles, a Spandex or Lycra thread for these would have to be used carefully or they would be too straight and tight. I just asked my wife (who’s into cross-stitching) to get me some smoothi***hread. In the end I just used a regular cotton machine thread for utility cables on the club layout module I’ve just refurbished.
For telephone/telegraph lines I used a different approach. A lot of telephone wires back in the 50s (the era I model) were still bare copper. Although there is a slight slack between poles they are much more taught. I had difficulty buying Lycra thread here in the UK so I used a different approach …
I unravelled a section of a lady’s Nylon stockings (guys - get permission before you try this - if your wife finds you pulling a pair of her stockings to bits you won’t know how much trouble you’ll be in !!!)[swg] Although it takes a little while to produce enough thread the Nylon / Lycra mix thread is just right thickness for telephone lines, they come in appropriate brown or grey colours, and the Lycra has give in it so you can catch the lines when your cleaning the track and not have the lines break.
For today, colors/distribution/local. The “gray” primary, and neutral, are aluminum. The neighborhood wires that were copper, are now green. The black wire, is tree wire, and allows trees to rub against it, for a long while, considered “insulated,” but don"t bet your life. Secondary, or wires to the house, are either 3 wire-separated-secondary, copper, or aluminum, or three wire, two insulated, (tree wire), wound around an aluminum neutral cable, called tri-plex secondary. Transmission line is aluminum. There is an era differential, you’d need to do field research, catch and old timer, before he retires, on service work, storm work, and so. The utility, is trained to be helpful, and make for great conversation! They would clue you in to what was before. Enjoy Your Energy! ACJ.
Pcrr4627,
If you’re modeling the modern era, you may want to acquire some orange Nylon/Lycra stockings to unravel. In some areas, that’s the color of fiber optics cable. Don’t forget that cable TV lines may also be on the same poles, although if you want to be picky they aren’t telephone or electric lines.
Bob
NMRA Life 0543