Telephone pole "old" glass insulators

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Anyone out there that can tell me how to make or purchase realistic looking poles/ glass insulators in N.

I have seen several pics but no articles that I can find to do so.

Thanks

2

Hi!

The commercial telephone poles work just fine, if you weather them with “dirty brown/black” flat paint, and dab the insulators with metallic blue or green paint (like the kind used for model autos). I have a few of the real insulators from the 40s/50s and they are a light green glass, but when the sun hits them they really shine. Soooo, on my layout the dab of metallic paint looks pretty good - in my opinion of course.

Mobilman44

3

might go to Michaels or hobby lobby and check in the bead section. Seems like they would be so tiny in N scale, that you wouldnt notice they were beads. Just a thought.

4

Bill,

Rix makes some very nice looking 30’ and 40’ poles in HO that are only $6/pack. However, I’m not sure if they come in N-scale though. They come in poles-only kits, crossarm-only kits, and pole & crossarm kits.

Tom

5

I’ve heard of using light green nail polish to make insulators glisten like green glass. I haven’t tried it, but I think it might work.

6

Green, blue or white pearlescent nail polish is what you want. A local HO modeler who strings “wire” on his pole lines uses that on commercial plastic poles with crossarms and insulators and it looks very good.

7

I used Gunze Sangyo “Aqueous Hobby Color” H89 - Metallic Green. I found it in the model car department of my LHS. It applies easily with a brush, and, in my opinion, looks pretty decent on these Atlas HO scale poles:

Wayne

8

I paint them white, and then coat them with Green Stained Glass Paint.

That gives them the translucent look and glow of the real thing.

These are in N

and HO

9

hey Guys,

I thought I would chime in on this, in anwser to your question on the Rix telephone poles, they ONLY come in HO scale, I"m a Nscaler and I called them last week on the very same matter, I wsh they would make them in Nscale.

Trainsrme1

10

Dr Wayne & River Eagle,

Not only do your glass insulatore look like the real thing, but your scenes are oustanding. I couldn’t resist commenting.

Bob

11

Thank you for the kind words, Bob. I have to agree with you about River Eagle’s scenes, too: both are very well-done, but the one in N scale is particularly impressive.

Wayne