Telephone Poles On Layouts

February 21, 2012

Razza a keen member of my online Model Train Club posted this idea in the members area.

You can either buy telegraph poles from a hobby shop or you can make your own. The bought ones are usually molded in one color so you might need to paint them a bit so they look more real. The ceramic insulators on telegraph poles are not usually vivid white and on a real pole they are likely to be off white or greyish in color. So touching them up with some paint will take away the unreal starkness.

You can also add more details. For example (depending on where you live), the poles might have a band around them to stop possums climbing the poles and causing a power failure. Some poles will have a guard to stop mice and other rodents climbing or attacking the poles. The telegraph poles might have a styrene plastic sheet wrapped around towards the base of the pole to stop vermin climbing up. You can replicate this by wrapping on a small piece of heat shrink insulation and then lightly applying heat to help it grasp the pole. Have a look at some telegraph poles in your area, or search images on the net, to see what details you can include to add realism.

There are hundreds more helpful ideas in the members area at the online Model Train Club.