# Stringing Wire On Utility/Telephone Poles



## NAJ (Feb 19, 2016)

I have started the task of stringing wire on my telephone poles.
First I considered using black thread but it is too thin to be seen and too hard to work with for me.
Then I tried a thin black crocheting yarn but it did lay well without sagging so I tried brushing on white glue to harden it but it did not look right to me.
Now I am trying a 20 gauge black copper craft wire.
(20 gauge is .032" which equals 2 1/2" cable in real life)
It is easier to work with, it can be seen, however...
It does not lay evenly or symmetrical as the prototypical power/telephone lines do but I am am sure I can work with and manipulate them to make them look more symmetrical once they are all hung, so...

1)I would value everyone's opinions on how it looks or what can be done to improve the look.
2)What have others done to string wire on their telephone/utility poles.
PICS would be GREAT!!!


----------



## Dreadnought (Apr 19, 2016)

In my opinion, the wire is much too loose to resemble telephone wires, and looks more like string. I would recommend finding some kind of wire that can be strung very tightly to resemble real telephone wire. A quick google search turns up this:

http://berkshirejunction.com/ez-line/










It's around $11 for 100 feet of wire, which might be worth it depending on the size of your layout.

Dreadnought


----------



## LateStarter (Mar 12, 2016)

Good for you for trying this.
I don't know of anyone who's successfully managed it.
One of the after-consequences is dust accumulation. Another is unintentional snags when reaching for something.
That said, I still encourage you to to try everything that pops into your mind.
The time and patience alone are worth a round of applause.


----------



## NAJ (Feb 19, 2016)

Dreadnought said:


> In my opinion, the wire is much too loose to resemble telephone wires, and looks more like string. I would recommend finding some kind of wire that can be strung very tightly to resemble real telephone wire. A quick google search turns up this:
> 
> http://berkshirejunction.com/ez-line/
> 
> ...


Although your layout and power lines look very nice...
I left slack in the wire on purpose, that is the way real life power lines are run although as I stated, more even and symmetrical to each other.

Here is a video i found on YouTube of where I live and you can see the "droop" in the power lines on the poles.


----------



## Dreadnought (Apr 19, 2016)

NAJ said:


> Although your layout and power lines look very nice...
> I left slack in the wire on purpose, that is the way real life power lines are run although as I stated, more even and symmetrical to each other.
> 
> Here is a video i found on YouTube of where I live and you can see the "droop" in the power lines on the poles.
> ...


That's not my layout (I wish!), it is an example photo from the website I linked.


You are right about that 'droop', but I still think that the way the wires look is a little too stringy - but that's just my opinion. If you like how it looks, then keep it the way you want it.


----------



## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Check out the product called EZ-Line ... made for model railroad telephone wire ...

http://berkshirejunction.com/ez-line/

TJ


----------



## NAJ (Feb 19, 2016)

Dreadnought said:


> That's not my layout (I wish!), it is an example photo from the website I linked.
> 
> 
> You are right about that 'droop', but I still think that the way the wires look is a little too stringy - but that's just my opinion. If you like how it looks, then keep it the way you want it.


I am looking for other opinions so I welcome all constructive criticism as well as compliments.
Problem is that with my OCD I am very hard on myself and never satisfied so I need to do the whole thing and then when all of the lines are strung I can manipulate the lines to make them look more symmetrical and then step back and take a look and a deep breath and see how I feel about it after a few days to a week or two, however...
That takes time and patience and for me, that is easier said than done.


----------



## NAJ (Feb 19, 2016)

LateStarter said:


> Good for you for trying this.
> I don't know of anyone who's successfully managed it.
> One of the after-consequences is dust accumulation. Another is unintentional snags when reaching for something.
> That said, I still encourage you to to try everything that pops into your mind.
> The time and patience alone are worth a round of applause.


Thank You.

Dust will be a problem for the entire platform not just the wires.
This setup is in my apartment right off of the living room and this time of year I have the windows open and pollen season is almost on top of us when everything in the apartment gets covered with pollen.
I resist closing the windows and turning on the A/C until the last possible moment, I look forward to this time of year all winter long, sunshine, comfortable temps, low humidity, windows open, fresh air, etc.


----------



## Cycleops (Dec 6, 2014)

Dreadnought said:


> In my opinion, the wire is much too loose to resemble telephone wires, and looks more like string. I would recommend finding some kind of wire that can be strung very tightly to resemble real telephone wire. A quick google search turns up this:
> 
> Dreadnought


The pic you posted was of what I would term a fine scale layout. I think the OPs wire looks just about right considering the whole.


----------



## HOMatt (Feb 14, 2016)

I've driven on that road _many_ times!! In HS we used to drive road that to find a street race, or 2 almost every night!!

Back to the topic, I noticed all of the poles had different size wires, not just the power lines. Are you planning on adding that feature?
Matt


----------



## 2869ral (Dec 15, 2015)

My last layout i used very fine wire. I used to be an automotive technician and i saved all the bad relays. You can also get them from a salvage yard. I take them apart and use the windings from the inside. I also powered the lights in my buildings from my utility poles. You just beed to run a feed line up through the bench about every 10 poles or so because the wire is so thin it looses voltage. I wired them fairly tight though, no droop.


----------



## lajrmdlr (Apr 25, 2014)

Real wires hung between poles have a sag to the them from their own weight so they should not be straight between the poles on models. Just go outside & look to see how the real ones hang. But if there's any on my layout they won't be on the front edge to keep my flailing arms from ripping them up. >)


----------



## Shdwdrgn (Dec 23, 2014)

Last time I tried stringing telephone poles was when I was a kid... However what I used at the time was *heavy-duty* black cotton thread (typically used for denim and other heavy fabrics). Still not as thick as your 20ga wire, but by the time I had a few lines strung up I had no problems seeing them on the layout, and this was in a poorly-lit basement.

Also keep in mind that you may have both telephone and power wires strung along the poles, and the power lines would be closer in thickness to your wire, while telephone lines are much thinner.


----------



## NAJ (Feb 19, 2016)

HOMatt said:


> I've driven on that road _many_ times!! In HS we used to drive road that to find a street race, or 2 almost every night!!
> 
> Back to the topic, I noticed all of the poles had different size wires, not just the power lines. Are you planning on adding that feature?
> Matt


Not planning on it, that would be extremely tedious and time consuming but when this whole thing is done who knows how I will feel?

While riding around today I was actually looking at the poles and lines in different areas, never really paid attention to what a mess the mass of wiring really is.
The smaller lines near the top have less slack than the larger/heavier lines at the bottom of the poles (Well No DUH, Gravity) and I also noticed the larger lines do not seem to be as prevalent in residential areas.
The other thing I noticed was that the lines that run into homes and business's are not all run the same.
Even though the wire size is very similar some have large amounts of slack/droop and others are taunt.

The scale of the cable I am using is 2.5 inches in diameter in real life so that is a very heavy cable and would have a lot of slack.

Took these pics today to show the slack/droop of the heavy wires.


----------



## higgsbosonman (Nov 17, 2014)

The thicker wires are actually the telephone wires. From the top of the pole, you have the transmission wires (3 phase at a high voltage), which is dropped down by pole pigs (the big grey transformers hung on the poles) to a lower voltage single phase. these are the wires that are run to your house, and are halfway between the transmission wires and the communications cables. Below the power cables are internet and telephone cables, which are the thick, heavy looking bundles of wire with the things that look like car mufflers attached to them near the poles. If you look at the huge bundles, you'll see that they are actually a ton of individual wires all wrapped together with bailing wire or something similar.

On the particular pictures, it has 3 phase transmission, a static cable (i think, i may be wrong), then the single phase power, then internet and phone cables.


----------



## higgsbosonman (Nov 17, 2014)

Sorry duplicated post


----------



## Shdwdrgn (Dec 23, 2014)

Erg, you're right... that makes a lot more sense about which wires are which. Thanks for the clarification!


----------



## NAJ (Feb 19, 2016)

higgsbosonman said:


> The thicker wires are actually the telephone wires. From the top of the pole, you have the transmission wires (3 phase at a high voltage), which is dropped down by pole pigs (the big grey transformers hung on the poles) to a lower voltage single phase. these are the wires that are run to your house, and are halfway between the transmission wires and the communications cables. Below the power cables are internet and telephone cables, which are the thick, heavy looking bundles of wire with the things that look like car mufflers attached to them near the poles. If you look at the huge bundles, you'll see that they are actually a ton of individual wires all wrapped together with bailing wire or something similar.
> 
> On the particular pictures, it has 3 phase transmission, a static cable (i think, i may be wrong), then the single phase power, then internet and phone cables.





Shdwdrgn said:


> Erg, you're right... that makes a lot more sense about which wires are which. Thanks for the clarification!


+1

That actually does clear things up so Thanks for that.
I am using a larger than scale wire so it can be easily seen on the layout and I tend to like a nice lowered arcto the cables/wire.
If it does not work or look right when I am done I will have to purchase new poles and try again.
That will be like real life, spend month's detouring traffic while widening the street, laying new curb work, and then nicely repaving the road and two weeks later dig it up again for whatever reason, that seems to be the norm, at least in South Jersey.


----------



## HOMatt (Feb 14, 2016)

NAJ said:


> +1
> 
> That actually does clear things up so Thanks for that.
> I am using a larger than scale wire so it can be easily seen on the layout and I tend to like a nice lowered arcto the cables/wire.
> ...


LOL How true!!


----------



## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Just for reference, I'm looking out of my 10th floor office window at the utility poles on the street below.

The telephone and cable wires show up clearly; the electrical ones are effectively invisible, except where there is a sharply contrasting background (the crosswalk).

Just something to consider.


----------



## JNXT 7707 (May 5, 2013)

As a fellow OCD-type, I have decided the best route is to ignore stringing electric/telephone lines altogether and just 'see' them in my mind's eye.
I say this because I know I will never achieve that perfect line diameter/droop that is realistic enough for me to buy into. Additionally, the issues with keeping the layout clean and dusted look to be a nightmare.
But my hat is off to you, I imagine once you do get the kinks worked out (no pun intended  ) it's going to be impressive!


----------



## NAJ (Feb 19, 2016)

JNXT 7707 said:


> As a fellow OCD-type, I have decided the best route is to ignore stringing electric/telephone lines altogether and just 'see' them in my mind's eye.
> I say this because I know I will never achieve that perfect line diameter/droop that is realistic enough for me to buy into. Additionally, the issues with keeping the layout clean and dusted look to be a nightmare.
> But my hat is off to you, I imagine once you do get the kinks worked out (no pun intended  ) it's going to be impressive!


Here's hoping.

I would like that when I am done it just blends in with the entire layout.


----------



## NAJ (Feb 19, 2016)

Just an update.
Still stringing the black copper craft wire on the poles.
It is a long tedious process, I can only do one at a time, I run from one pole to the next, a drop of glue, allow it dry.
I do one in the morning and another when I get home.
I have watched a few video's on straightening craft wire so after it is all run hopefully I can get the little bends/kinks out of the wire and make it look uniform.
I purchased 50 more trees so If I place them under the wire like real life you may not even notice any imperfections.


----------



## JNXT 7707 (May 5, 2013)

Sounds like a good strategy. I'm looking forward to seeing it.
BTW, the tree idea sounds good too, should trick the eye a bit.


----------



## johnfl68 (Feb 1, 2015)

Also, don't forget that the lines sag more in the hot summer, and less in the cold winter. The metal in the cables expands in warmer temperatures, and contracts in colder temperatures. Sometimes extra sag is intentional so the lines aren't ripped off the poles when they contract in the cold. The larger Cable TV lines often put in expansion loops to help with this.










Not that I expect anyone to manage this effect in model scale, but may be relevant to the climate modeled in your scene. If you have a winter scene, the lines should not sag very much. If it is a hot summer scene, they should sag a bit more.


----------



## Cycleops (Dec 6, 2014)

JNXT 7707 said:


> BTW, the tree idea sounds good too, should trick the eye a bit.


Would think the utility company might not be too pleased.


----------



## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

When adding trees, remember that trees growing near utility lines tend to have unusual shapes.


----------



## Ace (Mar 30, 2016)

Overhead wires can look good, but it is certainly tricky to do a credible job. I have to agree with the comments already made that overhead wires on a layout make access and maintenance more difficult, and become unsightly if they accumulate dust. I prefer to just have the poles and imagine the wires. For the amount of effort involved, I think there are easier ways to enhance a layout.


----------



## NAJ (Feb 19, 2016)

At this point I am almost done with the layout other than a couple of items I cannot currently fit into the budget so stringing the poles gives me something to do on the platform so I stay actively involved.

If I get a chance I will take some pics of the trees growing through the power lines in this area.
When they get really bad then the tree people come out and trim them back.


----------



## NAJ (Feb 19, 2016)

Here is a pic of where I am currently at with 3 of the for wires run from pole to pole and a preliminary shape/bow to the lines.

When it is done I will use Nylon Jawed Round Nose Crafting Pliers to "attempt" to straighten the wire.
By straighten I do not mean straight across from pole to pole without a sag or bow but to remove kinks and small bends in the wire.

Right now the sag/bow in the lines is what I find appealing to me even if it is not prototypical.










NYLON JAWED CRAFTING PLIERS


----------



## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

Nice job on the pole wires.


----------



## NAJ (Feb 19, 2016)

MtRR75 said:


> Nice job on the pole wires.


THANKS



Cycleops said:


> Would think the utility company might not be too pleased.





MtRR75 said:


> When adding trees, remember that trees growing near utility lines tend to have unusual shapes.
> 
> View attachment 179777
> 
> ...


These trees are near me on a rural road, right across the street are the tracks for the S.J./Beesleys Point Rail in Magnolia/Somerdale N.J.

As you can see these trees have not been trimmed back and the lines are running right between the tree limbs and you lose sight of them as they go.
If anything, my layout would be considered to be in a rural area.


----------



## Patrick1544 (Apr 27, 2013)

I feel the 20 Ga. is a little too heavy for scale. try 24 or less.


----------



## NAJ (Feb 19, 2016)

Patrick1544 said:


> I feel the 20 Ga. is a little too heavy for scale. try 24 or less.


20 gauge figures out to 2.5" diameter wire so yes it is large for scale but I wanted to be able to see without having to get right on top it with my reading glasses on.


----------



## Patrick1544 (Apr 27, 2013)

I'm with you. Got reading glasses all over the house.


----------



## jlc41 (Feb 16, 2016)

Wires look good, nice layout.


----------



## MtRR75 (Nov 27, 2013)

NAJ said:


> THANKS
> 
> These trees are near me on a rural road, right across the street are the tracks for the S.J./Beesleys Point Rail in Magnolia/Somerdale N.J.
> 
> ...


As a professional botanist, I can assure you that those trees were trimmed at some time in the past -- most likely by the power company. The power wires (the top lines) go through the gaps in the trees -- gaps created by trimming when the trees were smaller. The lower lines (telephone and cable) do go through the trees. The phone and cable companies apparently would rather replace lines than prevent outages.


----------



## NAJ (Feb 19, 2016)

jlc41 said:


> Wires look good, nice layout.


Thanks


----------



## SBRacing (Mar 11, 2015)

So tips for guide/ support wire or cable (the cable from the pole to the ground usually with a yellow sheath). to make the wire or cable look tight soak it in glue and let it dry vertically. Now your left with a tight or taunt looking wire/ cable.


----------



## LateStarter (Mar 12, 2016)

Why not just use wire?


----------



## NAJ (Feb 19, 2016)

LateStarter said:


> Why not just use wire?


Which is what I am using, 20 gauge black copper craft wire.


----------



## NAJ (Feb 19, 2016)

Reviving my old thread.
One of my 7 year old Grandson's wanted me to wire his telephone poles on his HO layout so I decided to try EZ Line so I can at least say I tried it.
I chose to use the Heavy Line.
Probably my age but for me it was a little difficult to work with, it is almost like using thread (except it is streeeeeeetchy) and my 61 year old short fat fingers were having issues handling it and I could not see it that well.
I was able to use Black thread 40+ years ago with no issues but not now.
He is happy with it so that is all that matters.


----------



## jlc41 (Feb 16, 2016)

Looking good, glad your grandson likes it. To me that's what it's all about.


----------



## mjrfd99 (Jan 5, 2016)

jlc41 said:


> Looking good, glad your grandson likes it. To me that's what it's all about.


Absolutely!! Best thing about model trains was the time spent with my kids and now my grand kids building and running the layout.


----------



## beepjuice (Sep 17, 2014)

I used black fishing line to make a large horse pen on a previous "O" gauge layout. Brown fence posts and the fishing line made a nice fence. A lot of strong line for short $. Not sure how many smaller sizes the line comes in but it's just an idea. I'll probably try it eventually on my telephone poles on my new HO layout.


----------



## NAJ (Feb 19, 2016)

mjrfd99 said:


> Absolutely!! Best thing about model trains was the time spent with my kids and now my grand kids building and running the layout.


My Three 7 year old Grandson's are the reason I am back into trains.
Yesterday Tucker (the one with the telephone poles) wanted to look at trains and train stuff online and when he started talking about "I want this and this and..." his twin brother and cousin who were nearby came over and started saying "I want one, what can I get"?
I know it is only August but with the Holidays only 4 month's off Trains will again become a hot topic with the boys.



beepjuice said:


> I used black fishing line to make a large horse pen on a previous "O" gauge layout. Brown fence posts and the fishing line made a nice fence. A lot of strong line for short $. Not sure how many smaller sizes the line comes in but it's just an idea. I'll probably try it eventually on my telephone poles on my new HO layout.


Please post pics of your telephone poles when you are done.
That was one of the reason's I started this thread, to see what others have done with theirs.


----------



## beepjuice (Sep 17, 2014)




----------



## beepjuice (Sep 17, 2014)

That was my fence pen on my "O" gauge layout. I used fishing line. Sorry for the "drive-in movie" screen!


----------



## NAJ (Feb 19, 2016)

beepjuice said:


> View attachment 217986


I am liking that, very nice.
Do the horses get spooked when the train comes by blowing its whistle/horn?


----------



## beepjuice (Sep 17, 2014)

The layout is gone. I'm building an HO layout now. The horses ran off somewhere when hammer started falling.


----------



## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

on my first layout I used a similar fairly soft black wire for telephone and power pole lines .. 
to get rid of the kinks that didn't belong, I used a bamboo skewer and just dragged it side to side 
along the top of the lines ... it also let me know which glue joints were on the weak side


----------



## Patrick1544 (Apr 27, 2013)

Fishing line looks really good.


----------



## LateStarter (Mar 12, 2016)

So how does anyone model an overhead catenary system? Or _does_ anybody model them?


----------



## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

Lots of people use catenary systems. Here's one places that sells parts
http://www.proto87.com/Overhead_catenary_poles_and_wires.html
Pavement rails and catenary wire make for a great "switching" railway!


----------



## Stretch (Aug 10, 2016)

Black thread has always been my go to for telephone lines. It looks decent and photographs fairly well (in my mind anyway). The only downfall is it accumulates dust after a while.


----------



## NAJ (Feb 19, 2016)

Stretch said:


> Black thread as always been my go to for telephone lines. It looks decent and photographs fairly well (in my mind anyway). The only downfall is it accumulates dust after a while.



Looks really good, I like it.
40 years ago I used thread but do not remember what it looked on the layout I had.
When I was looking at what to use back in Feb/March I looked at the thread and my eyes said that was too thin, I guess thats what 40 years does.

Gotta ask even though it may be obvious to some...
Is the bottom picture Real or is it Memorex?
(The older guys will understand that)


----------



## Stretch (Aug 10, 2016)

I remember the telephone pole kit I bought came with a spool of "wire". It didn't seem to hang very well so the black thread was used in place. The stuff you used on your grandson's layout looks really good!

The second picture is a diorama that was photographed outdoors. The train and poles are models, the trees and sky are real.


----------



## NAJ (Feb 19, 2016)

Stretch said:


> I remember the telephone pole kit I bought came with a spool of "wire". It didn't seem to hang very well so the black thread was used in place. The stuff you used on your grandson's layout looks really good!
> 
> The second picture is a diorama that was photographed outdoors. The train and poles are models, the trees and sky are real.


I used Heavy Black EZ Line on my Grandson's layout.
It was suggested by a couple of members on the site so I figured I would give it a try.
I used 20 gauge black copper wire on mine so I could actually see the lines.
The downside is that because it is metal it does not lay/hang evenly from pole to pole or on the individual crossarms.
Because the lines are sloped downward when you look at them it creates an optical illusion that they are much more uneven that they actually are but...
I am very critical of myself and they may be just fine to the "normal" person.

Your second pic is Great, I enlarged it and could not tell if the train was real or not.


----------



## time warp (Apr 28, 2016)

NAJ, it is extremely important to remember that nearly any aspect of model scenery includes some degree of deception. Also different elements in a given scene or picture will invariably have different importance to the viewer.
You stated that you are somewhat critical of your power lines, however in my opinion when viewing your photos they are only a small part of the 'window dressing' if you will and are not the focus of the scene.
Truth is, just the presence of power lines in your layout photos makes me want to install them on our own layout.


----------



## NAJ (Feb 19, 2016)

time warp said:


> NAJ, it is extremely important to remember that nearly any aspect of model scenery includes some degree of deception. Also different elements in a given scene or picture will invariably have different importance to the viewer.
> You stated that you are somewhat critical of your power lines, however in my opinion when viewing your photos they are only a small part of the 'window dressing' if you will and are not the focus of the scene.
> Truth is, just the presence of power lines in your layout photos makes me want to install them on our own layout.


Thanks for the reassurance.


----------



## time warp (Apr 28, 2016)

Great work, Stretch! Looks nice.
What in the wide,wide world of sports is lurking behind that pillar? That ain't Barney!


----------



## Stretch (Aug 10, 2016)

That's some sort of European wooden doll. You pull on the string dangling between his legs and he flails his arms and legs about. The picture was taken on an old layout at my parents' house so I'm not entirely sure what everything is.


----------



## time warp (Apr 28, 2016)

Funny!


----------

