I have come up with what I think will pass for N scale power lines. I took some plastic telephone poles and cut off the bits I didn't want. Added some tiny glass beads for the insulators and have found something I think will pass for wire. The tiny glass beads are for making jewelry and come sold in 3 oz. packages. More than I will ever need. The wire will be made with something called "Beadalon" made for stringing beads together. It comes in 60 foot rolls, is .015 inch and is very strong and smooth. I have not started stinging the wires yet and was just wondering if this will pass for wire and insulators.
Here's my impression. The beads are at least about twice the scale size of a typical telephone pole insulator. The color comes off looking a bit too "pearl-ish", though I think using a green sharpie pen on them would probably fix that right up. As for the wire, it might be too big, at least for power line, but I'd have to see it in place. I'd say that it would at least work for the telecom cables, but it'd probably need to be colored black. Good job tinkering though. This is how I do my modeling and it's great how much you can come up with along the way, sometimes even finding something you weren't originally looking for.
The green sharpie is a great idea. I kind of figured they were a little large, but there is no way I could glue the "wire" to anything smaller. The Beadalon is black in color and may be a little thick as well. I have tried using thread before and the fuzz just ruins the look. I know other products are out that are made for this but they cost big bucks. I got this all for less than $10 at the local craft shop. For this little layout I am hoping it will do. I really do thank you for the sharpie suggestion. Dave
Excellent, Dave. I'm a big fan of MacGyver type solutions. Right now, I'm working on perfecting grass groundcover using fine ground parsley flakes. I think I'll check into the Beadalon. Oh, does it drape well? Maybe you could set up a few poles on a piece of spare foam for a quick test?
I use plastic telephone poles by Model Power, then glue on EZ-Line with a dab of CA. EZ-Line, http://www.berkshirejunction.com/, comes in five colors and two sizes, and can stretch up to 700% without breaking. I use Fine size in town and Heavy size between high voltage transmission towers. I also glue leftover pieces of plastic dowel painted gray onto poles representing distribution transformers to the buildings.
Purple1, I think your method works... I just think the beads are a little large. What I've done is simply dab a little gloss medium where the insulator will go. That yields a small glossy blob that seems the right size for N-scale. I also use the EZLine. You can't beat it. You can get a spool of 100' right from Fifer Hobby for less than $8.00 Money well spent.
I just recently picked up some E Z Line .003 Green to try using for some communication lines. I'll be using Depots By John #6006 crossarms on my poles.
First test with the Beadalon. I set up 2 poles and ran some wires. I also colored the beads with a green sharpie as PW&NJ recommended. I think it doesn't look as fine as the thread I used in the past. And it is hard to work with as well. I had to use the curve that it had in it as it comes off the roll to make it droop a little. The green sharpie seems to also hide the oversize of the insulators some also. I will look into the EZ Line for the next layout. But so far I think this stuff will work. Have a look and let me know what you think. Dave
It's OK Dave. I think the three elements that make up the test are a little exaggerated for N-scale, i.e. the size of the insulators, the size of the wire and the amount of droop between the poles, but it sounds like it will work for you on this layout and that's all that counts.
Are these cross-arms commonly available from any source at this time?? I "googled" and it appears they are "out of stock" most everywhere. JJ
I use the Bachmann model 42506 telephone poles and painted the insulators green. EBay for $6.89. http://www.ebay.com/itm/NIB-N-Bachmann-42506-Telephone-Poles-12-Pc-/380326578927 I got some Lagartun Varnished French Tinsel tread and strong it between the poles. EBay for $4.95 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lagartun-Varnished-French-Tinsel-Silver-Round-Fine-x-1-/160442489417 Since the tread is conductive, I ran a single LED ward signal over the wire (thread) and it works fine.
