Model Railway Forum

Wow! That's expensive.

Thanks Brian - I had seen it used on a layout in Railway Modeller - I remembered it stretched seven times it's cut length.
Rog (RJ) If you spool down the link it only appears to be £5.85 for a 10 metre reel. Barry

Rog (RJ) wrote: ↑Sat Aug 17, 2019 8:41 am Wow! That's expensive.

It made my eyes water! And the really isn’t an alternative product available.

While I was researching this project I did find someone on line making comparable poles (rather than the standard mass produced brown plastic versions) and to have used their versions would have cost nearly £200 + the cost of the wires.
All I paid out for was a pack of bamboo skewers and some square hardwood for the arms - about £4. Even paying out for the wires kept me well in budget.

As for the amount needed two posts at ‘normal’ spacing and eight insulators would need just under 5 metres of thread - the short reel would just about do three poles on my layout - I fitted nearly 20 poles in total.

I have enough poles left over to extend the telegraph pole past the goods shed on the other side of the layout from the engine shed - they will be located at the back of the layout so it may be easier to take that baseboard out of the shed for better access.

But before that I have another job to do. I always fit a crew, usually the Bachmann figures, to my locos but they all seem out of stock locally. I have looked at the 3D figures from ModelU but personally I think they are a bit pricey but having heard about the 3D range from Hardy’s Hobbies I thought I’d have a look.

Single figures start of cheaper but they also sell a ‘lucky dip’ pack of five - worth a punt. In fact this lot work out to be only slightly more per unit than the Bachmann figures.

I guess I’ll be painting tomorrow.

Dapol workmen figures make good loco crew.

Walkingthedog wrote: ↑Sat Aug 17, 2019 1:00 pm Dapol workmen figures make good loco crew.

True, and I have used them in the past, but the variety of poses available from Hardy’s is exceptional IMHO.

And I knew you would post that comment long before I typed mine.

Just looked at Hardys, they are great, think I’ll get a few next time.

Opportunity for you to get a Labrador to stand under your man up the pole.

When I was working for BT many, many moons ago I had someone trying to pinch my ladder while I was at the top of the pole! Good job I'd lashed the top of the ladder to the pole.

Oh blimey that never happened to me. Did drop a screwdriver once and it buried itself in the tarmac up to the handle. Didn’t have safety barriers in those days.