Utility Poles

[unittraincoal]

Looking for the best currently available line side code line poles... Any ideas?

[nwline]

Check out the one's from Showcase Miniature's , IMO they have the best out there.

[chuck geiger]

Make your own:

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j28/chuckgeiger/IMG_5784_zps647152e1.jpg

Working on do it yourself phone poles with insulators. The line I'm modeling has no signals or phone
poles, but adding them anyhow. A couple of bucks and a trip to Michaels.

Package of small wood dowels (5/64th x  2 5/8) perfect size to replicate the Osborne Models Canadian
poles.


Tube of Toho brand small beads, Emerald green to represent insulators.


Small strips of balsa wood for the cross arms (they were on sale too).


Then dipped in water and Apple Barrel "Pavement" colored acrylic paint.


Finished product with beads super glued to top of cross arm.

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=34641.0



Or Osborn Models (these are great) and cheap....

http://www.osbornmodelkits.com

[draskouasshat]

Fyi if you're making your own pole line, each crossarm from our suppliers is and was a 10 pin arm. 5 trackside and 5 field side.

Lowest arm is always signal circuits. 4/5 field side was AC up to 220v. 4/5 track side was code(if used)  everything else on that arm were our other circuits. If AC higher than 220v was needed,  it was placed on a small 2 pin arm higher than anything else and up out of the way.

When telegraph was used or western union had a contract,  that was a 10 pin above the signal crossarm.

I will be scratching my own as well. I'm very picky when it comes to signal equipment. Kind of have to be when its what pays the bills and buys all this stuff lol.

Adam

[unittraincoal]

I'm more interested in pre manufactured poles as I need quite a few. showcase mixtures look good but I'd need to cut then down since I need code line poles.... Any others out there?

[draskouasshat]

They're not "code line" poles. Its just pole line. I've been up a few of them in the past ten years in the signal department.

If you plan on crossing any roads or other tracks,  you will need 45ft poles to take the line wire up over everything. Also as you get closer to whatever the pole line needs to cross,  the poles gradually get taller. Yes most are short at about 20-30ft following the right of way,  but you will need different heights depending on how accurate you want to be.

Adam

[Santa Fe Guy]

I just used Atlas N Scale poles and removed the base, gave them a spray of flat gull gray and cut the tops off where needed. They suit me and cheap.
Rod.

[mark dance]

I just used Atlas N Scale poles and removed the base, gave them a spray of flat gull gray and cut the tops off where needed. They suit me and cheap.
Rod.

Me too, but I do modify them to have the right number of paired lines on the right number of cross arms (and the right height when the lines are going over obstructions).  It is quite  a bit of work gluing on all the extra insulators but I can tell the difference when I compare to prototype photos...where I always seem to see the line poles standing out.









md

[draskouasshat]

Nice poles Mark! You get the signal construction foremans seal of approval! Lol. One question though. Is that insulator spacing per prototype? If so, those Canadians sure have a weird way of doing things!  Usually they're equidistant to prevent line wraps and possibly adding foreign voltage on other line circuits.
Either way nice job,especially when the pole line is gradually climbing to cross the siding!

Adam

[mark dance]

Nice poles Mark! You get the signal construction foremans seal of approval! Lol. One question though. Is that insulator spacing per prototype? If so, those Canadians sure have a weird way of doing things!  Usually they're equidistant to prevent line wraps and possibly adding foreign voltage on other line circuits.
Either way nice job,especially when the pole line is gradually climbing to cross the siding!

Adam

You know I can't tell you...I assumed they were paired phone/telegraph lines as all the photos show the insulators on the cross arms grouped in pairs.  And the number of pairs at any given spot along the ROW seems to be correlated to the number of TO stations further to come up the line... the number of pairs on a pole at any given point diminishes as the poles get father away from the division point of Nelson and as junctions to other subs veer away.

I can ask a prototype forum should you wish to know.  I am curious but those 100+ poles are done now and they match the photos!

md

[draskouasshat]

It is odd but every area has it's own way of doing things,  even within the same railroad. Ive seen many variations on BNSF of nomenclature,  different ways to wire certain circuits, pole line and all. Sometimes things can get very difficult,  especially on older signal system that have not changed since the 50-70s.
I'm not saying what you modeled was wrong, just something I hadn't seen before. We do have brackets that allow two pins to be grouped like that but it wasn't every pin across the arm. It's almost like they were  trying to save on adding a second or even third cross arm by doubling up on what should have been a shorter 6 or 8 pin arm. Either way very interesting!

Adam

[OldEastRR]

Unless you're sure nobody's hand will ever come crushing down on your poles during a session I suggest brass or steel poles with crossarms soldered on. Then add bead insulators or whatever. I've tried wood and it's too much like the ice storms in the South this winter, with poles smashed to splinters. Maybe pewter can take more bending before failing but not much more.

[arbomambo]

Showcase Miniatures...

[Angus Shops]

The lack of really good line side poles would seem to be a great opportunity for a manufacturer to fill. I could use a few dozen; my layout looks naked without them and I've been holding off on trying to figure out how to do this on my own. I'd like to see photo etched crossarms that could be soldered to brass rod.

Geoff

[wazzou]

I've tried for years to lobby Rix to transition their line of HO line side poles to N.