Gerry Leone, host of Spaces to Places, works along the streets of Westcott, a Bona Vista HO scale layout town site he thought was previously “finished.” Here, he shows how to add a key missing element – telephone poles (aka utility/power/line poles)! Follow along, and you’ll see Gerry’s process for building, painting, and installing the poles, and how to string realistic wires using Berkshire Junction EZ Line material. Discover how this simple detail adds realism to the town!
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Jim,
In Australia the three wires on the top crossarm were the high voltage conductors, usually at 11,000 or 22,000V. these would connect to the HV side of the transformers. Back in the mid-1900’s the lower crossarm would carry the low voltage 240/415V conductors (only by about 1980 or so would new low voltage conductors be combined in a bundled insulated conductor cable). There were 4 x conductors – conventionally referred to as Red, White and Blue phases, plus a Neutral conductor which was earthed. These were connected at the transformer to the secondary low voltage terminals of the transformer. In a town which had streetlights there was a fifth wire, the ‘switch’, which was connected to one of the low voltage wires via a timeclock. (There was a regular monthly evening patrol to change the switching times as the seasons progressed! This ceased as streetlights were upgraded, connected directly to a phase wire, and the fifth conductor was removed.
An industrial or commercial customer would usually be connected to three phases plus neutral, but a domestic customer was only connected to one or two phases plus the neutral – initially by individual phase wires, but later by an insulated service cable.
Great info, Mike. Thanks!
Two questions, Gerry: Did you install any transformers on the poles in Wescott? Also, I noticed you had a “holder” to keep the Crafter’s Pick bottle upsidedown down. How did you make it?
Jeff Schumaker
Hi, Jeff — I did indeed install some transformers in Westcott…I guess I didn’t show that, did I? Sorry! But I made some single transformer poles and double transformer poles near the larger industries. As for the Crafter’s Pick holder…it’s extremely high tech. 🙂 I found a screw-on bottle cap that was about 2″ in diameter and 1″ tall (I can’t remember what it was from…a gallon of apple cider, maybe?) and used a step drill to make a hole in it, then glued it to a piece of plywood with hot glue. Works great. Thanks for watching!
Gerry,
Even having been model railroading for 30+ years it seems like I am always learning something new from you. I am ordering some Easy Line soon.
Thanks, Mike! I’m sure you could teach me a thing or two! The website is at http://www.berkshirejunction.com/ez-line/ If you do a search, remember it’s “EZ Line.” I love the stuff!
Mike, I’m sure you could teach me a thing or three! The website is: (it won’t let me post a link here but it’s:) berkshirejunction dot com / ez-line (take out the spaces, too) . Remember if you do a search, it’s “EZ Line” rather than “Easy Line.” I just love the stuff.
Gerry,
I couldn’t see it, but since you are modeling in the 1950’s, do you string wire between poles along the railroad? I could see having the poles along the railroad and placing wire in rural areas, but where you have to switch, would wires get in the way unless the poles were on the side away from the structures. Keep up the good work as I love watching Places to Places.
Hi, Jeffrey — No, there aren’t poles alongside the tracks. I know it would look great, but that’s one of those details that I have on my “once the layout is finished” list of things to do. Too much larger stuff to get done first!
Another great video and added details. But where is the pair of sneakers hanging from the wires – maybe a pair of Keds 🙂
HAHAHA — I love that idea, Artie! I’ve gotta figure out how to do that so you can actually SEE them!
Love the new look with the lines in place. Here’s a question that perhaps someone in the audience might know. At some point telephone poles and power poles were merged with the three power lines top of the pole and a single phone line lower down (of course now days we have cable and fiber and so forth as well). I’m modeling the late 50s and all I recall from my childhood in the 70s is the power and phone on a single pole except for some stretches of railroad that still had a lot of above ground lines. Thanks everyone.
Hi Gerry, I love all the episodes of Spaces to Places!!
Mark, I love that you love ’em! Thanks for watching!