Utility Poles

[Santa Fe Guy]

It's for that very reason (breaking poles) that I have placed all of my poles at the back of the track. I even stepped out the distance between poles whilst traveling around Chicago (Coal City if I recall) many years ago and scaled that down for my SFRSD.
Rod.

[mark dance]

It's for that very reason (breaking poles) that I have placed all of my poles at the back of the track. I even stepped out the distance between poles whilst traveling around Chicago (Coal City if I recall) many years ago and scaled that down for my SFRSD.
Rod.

Interesting...all my line poles are in front of the main (because I wish to recreate prototype photos and they were down slope on the prototype ).  Never had a pole broken.  Maybe because they are plastic or are lightly glued in place so if they are struck they just come loose at the scenery?  An easy fix if this happens...

md

[OldEastRR]

There was an article in MR a while back that described how a guy attached a fishing line to the bottom of his poles, drilled a hole through the layout, strung the line thru then crimped a lead fishing weight to the end of the line. So if the pole was hit it just flipped to the side then automatically righted itself.
Another consideration about what composition poles will depend on whether the layout is for show  and train running, or used for operations with switching, card cards, etc. The operations layout has more chances for poles getting hit by an elbow or hand.

[up1950s]

Utility Poles ....... our own Ed

[peteski]

Utility Poles ....... our own Ed

There are more Poles around here than just Ed.  I'm not sure is I consider my self as "utiliity" though. 

[nscaleSPF2]

There are more Poles around here than just Ed.  I'm not sure is I consider my self as "utiliity" though. 

Hey, I resemble that.

[w neal]

There was an article in MR a while back that described how a guy attached a fishing line to the bottom of his poles, drilled a hole through the layout, strung the line thru then crimped a lead fishing weight to the end of the line. So if the pole was hit it just flipped to the side then automatically righted itself.
Another consideration about what composition poles will depend on whether the layout is for show  and train running, or used for operations with switching, card cards, etc. The operations layout has more chances for poles getting hit by an elbow or hand.

Was that an O scale layout or was that the April Issue?

[peteski]

Was that an O scale layout or was that the April Issue?

Not sure about single poles but I have done this to a roadside advertising sign on friend's N scale layout. That sign is located in front of a switching puzzle in the back of the scene.  Sign has a 4-leg footprint.  I drilled small holes through the layout under each leg then glued a piece of string to each leg.  Threaded the string through the holes and hang a large metal nut on the ends of each string (for weight).  This works really well - the sign will tilt is snagged but it rights itself when released.