Hello I hva made a small diorama today, to test out some technices. There is really not much to say about it, eccept that i think the poles is too thick and that i need finer sand and ballast than WS, any ideas? I will use this as a diorama for new trains, so more pictures to come! Now i am back to my main layout to do the final benchwork!!!
I Agree with Kim This is a nice diorama!!! Makes me want to make a diorama of my own, especially to show off trains!!! Very nice job Henrik!!!! Hobo Tim
Quote: "There is really not much to say about it, eccept that i think the poles is too thick and that i need finer sand and ballast than WS, any ideas?" My comments might be taken with a "grain" of oversized rock salt because I usually only model in big clumsy N scale and larger. Great looking little scene, locos and trees and terraine and texture. Would not hurt for ballast to be smaller if you can find it, but it is certainly acceptable. Yes, power poles look somewhat thick. Could you use brass rod and be plenty strong enough but much smaller? I noticed in one place the power lines seem to be "standing up" in the middle, higher than the end support. Are they nylon fishing line? I have had good luck using a product called "E Z Line" from a firm called Berkshire Junction in Adams, Massachusetts. (home town of my great grandfather's fourth cousin, Susan B. Anthony) It has a very slight stretch and zilch stiffness so it hangs naturally in realistic arcs. When I got it years ago, it cost $10 for 100 feet. (About five scale miles in Z scale as I computer...) I think the pictures in this composite show some of my utility lines using E Z Line. Disclaimer: I have no proprietary interest in E Z Line.
the wire is just my hair it ended up looking a bit odd so i removed it. I will also remove the poles and add some brass or similar. The advantage you get if you use wood, you get a wery realistic pole, instead of brass witch it just straight and smooth. But i have not found any smaller wood stick than this. thx for comments
Nice work Henrik! You might be able to find some bamboo skewers or bamboo toothpicks somewhere that are thin enough. I think bamboo is one of the few woods that will be strong enough to use as telephone poles.
Henrik, Very nice. Don't be too worried about the use of plastic or brass poles. Just brush paint them virtically with flat finish paints. In 1:220 scale, a power pole would look incredibly smooth. The right shading and flat finish can look very good. As for ballast size, around where I live, if the tracks run near a drop-off or ledge, heavier stone is laid against the roadbed to help retain the ballast. When I say heavier, I mean sones that are 6" or larger. Most modern railroad ballast is 3" on the extreme, or smaller, depending on application. But, the ballast is not always visible from the profile view. Dan S.
E-Z Line is a nice product. Another source for the same material is magic shops. Magic elastic thread can be found easily on-line or in magic stores. It is generally white or "natural" colored but can be colored with a felt tip marker. The EZ Lines is available in color. Actually, with the diameter of all of these, there's not much need to color them. Dan S.
Henrik, the model looks very good. If you want, N scale telephone poles trimmed down work pretty good if you are looking for another alternative. Either way keep up the good work!
henrick, just my two cents, try oak dowel rods. you can scuff them up before painting and they look realistic. they also come in different sizes, (diameters).
Looking better and better Henrik. Like the color blending. If you are planning on making the rest of your layout like this you are on the right track it seems. PS: You can get the E-Z Line from Truls at http://www.norskemodeller.no/ I made my poles from a matchstick that i sanded down. They look okay in RL on the module I think. I used a steel wire for my lines. They looked good at first until they become warped from all the travelling with the module.
