Telegraph Poles

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Telegraph poles are one of the easiest things to build. They have an amazing ability to create dimension and depth on a layout because they are installed in a row and they can be located behind or in front of the tracks and buildings. I advise locating them in front in some areas because it creates this illusion of depth.

Although the following description is based on 1:48 scale, the idea can be applied to any scale. There are several manufacturers of poles and there are details for them in various scales. Poles are available in plastic for military models and I have used them and their components successfully in the past. However, the plastic parts such as insulators are delicate and break easily, especially when you start attaching wires to them. As a result, I searched for a method that would be strong, easily constructed and that could have lines attached.

Pole

I like to use birch dowels because they are strong and will not break as easily as basswood. I buy ¼” diameter birch dowels in 24” lengths from the lumber yard. This is suitable for the approximate 12” diameter of the pole. Anything larger tends to make the poles appear heavy. Before cutting the dowels to length, I taper them on a belt sander by laying them flat with more pressure to the end and slowly rotate them. I slightly taper approximately 8” on one end of the dowel, then flip it to the opposite end and repeated the operation. This allows a bit of a handle to hold onto to keep my hands clear of the sander. I cut the poles to length later. I use approximately 8” on average for the pole height, but you can determine yours accordingly. I cut a point on the top of the pole on each side at a forty-five degree angle to shed water.

After I am satisfied with the contour, I apply the texture and graining, including a few knots here and there. There have been many methods described in the past to grain wood and any of these is acceptable. As the poles may not all have the same degree of distress, I vary them. I like the added touch of texture created from the lineman's boot spikes when scaling a pole. These I create by judiciously hacking the pole with a razor saw at an angle into the grain. When done, I lightly wipe in one direction with fine sand paper. I cut the poles to the desired length adding enough to bury a minimum of ½” in the scenery.

After deciding the type of weathering the poles are to have, I stain the poles. As I have mentioned, there are many excellent techniques for weathering. Remember, birch is a hard wood that doesn't take staining as well as basswood. I first stain the poles using Floquil “Grime” full strength as a base grey. Any other medium will do also. Then I apply various washes when the stain is completely dry to suit the degree of weathering desired. You can create the look of freshly creosoted poles with brown shoe dye. I like to take the gray weathered poles and dip the bases into the dye and then turn them upside down allowing the dye to run up the pole. This has an interesting effect and simulates the added dipping poles often receive before they are buried.

Cross Arm