Erinhorn Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 Hello all. I've just started in tram modelling and I'm building a table top sized layout (Just more or less an oval) to try my skills before, hopefully moving on to something more ambitious. ? I'm following David Voice's book - 3rd Edition. I made sleepers from PCB welded, code 75 rail and have a motorised a corgi tram(I realise it is overscale) which is running fine. ? I'm moving on to Das clay for the sets and then landscaping but eventually I want a working overhead. From what I have read it is only possible to purchase HO scale traction poles which will not work with OO scale. ? Can anyone tell me if there is a commercial OO gauge supplier for traction poles or if I have to make my own, any tips. ? Many thanks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thirty2a Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 Hello all. I've just started in tram modelling and I'm building a table top sized layout (Just more or less an oval) to try my skills before, hopefully moving on to something more ambitious. I'm following David Voice's book - 3rd Edition. I made sleepers from PCB welded, code 75 rail and have a motorised a corgi tram(I realise it is overscale) which is running fine. I'm moving on to Das clay for the sets and then landscaping but eventually I want a working overhead. From what I have read it is only possible to purchase HO scale traction poles which will not work with OO scale. Can anyone tell me if there is a commercial OO gauge supplier for traction poles or if I have to make my own, any tips. Many thanks. Hi, You can or could get them from Tower Models, I think they have a web site, I dont remember the make at the moment though. Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Devil Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 I'm pretty certain you can still get the Tramalan traction poles from John at East Lancs Trams. I made my own from k&S brass tubing with a section of 3mm rod threaded into the outer sleve, this allows you to bolt it up on the board. I've developed that further now, as I want some of them to have lamps attatched at the top as some poles did, the cheap chinese made street lights will telescope into the K&S section, might be of interest. I tried Das for the surface, but struggled horribly with cracking, I ended up using ready mix plaster, which is grey in colour scribed and then light washes of thinned black paint, others have used tile grout which is probably very similar. Some info here which might help http://www.rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=91&t=34681 http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?app=blog&module=display§ion=blog&blogid=172& Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erinhorn Posted November 13, 2009 Author Share Posted November 13, 2009 Many thanks for your replies. ? ? I e-mailed John Whitehouse who replied that he has some plain poles and a few bracket arm poles left so I think that this solves my query. I thought Grime Street was a fantastic job and it has given me a few more ideas. ? I have enough room on my base board to lay a second oval outside the first which will add much more interest without over complicating the layout or overtaxing my modelling abilities. I'm also not so far advanced with my sets that I can't abandon the das clay in favour of plaster or tile grout. ? I haven't had any cracking with the clay yet but my main mistake is that, being concerned about track cleaning, I have moulded the sets too low between the rails. ? That Das stuff is really hard to work with and I feel I could do a lot better. About myself, sorry about the name 'Erinhorn'. ? It's my on-line gaming name and as I've used it a lot it seems easier to use it for all my on-line activities, I'm actually Pete. ? When I retired I built quite a nice N gauge model railway layout with working sections, points and uncouplers but no sooner had I finished the landscaping I found my heart wasn't really in it. ? ? Then I hit on the idea of trams because they used to run day and night past my house when I was a child and I travelled on them regularly and I remember them fondly. When I've read the forum rules and found out how to do it I will try to upload a jpg or two! Once again many thanks for the advice Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johna Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Pete, Welcome to the world of tramway modelling. Do you know there is a society called TRLS (http://www.tramwayinfo.com/) that produces a bi monthly magazine full of help and information to help tramway modellers. Just follow the above link for more info. If you need any help with you modelling just post away and I will try to help you. Regards johna Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted November 22, 2009 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Note - these are trackside poles and NOT street spans http://2guyz.info/Content/pa=showpage/pid=29.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Devil Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 As mentioned in my previous post diy traction poles This one is one with the cheap chinese style road lamps grafted onto it to form the top section, the bottom two sections are K&S brass tubing, the wire on the chinese lamps has some sort of coating on it that stops shorts, it needs rubbing of to solder a length of insulated wire to it, then insulate up again (I've used nail varnish in the past), drill a small hole below pavement level and feed wire though, the other wire is attached to the traction pole to complete the circuit. For plain poles I use brass rod rather than tube, bit stronger, I think the Tramalan poles are drilled for the span wire, I found that I preferred twisting the span wire round and soldering up (I made a jig in the end). The threaded brass section is 8ba ( I got it from Eileen's Emporium but not sure if they still list it), the bottom sleeve of brass tube can have a thread put on it by a hand tap, you can even just about put an m3 tap in there but that's harder as it distorts the brass tube, then just solder it up, it does give you the advantage that you can pretty much do what you want, and they do work out a fair bit cheaper. Dimensions for traction poles are on the tlrs website, but I measured mine up of some still in situ Huddersfield Trolleybus poles (and they've been gone since about '69!) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadtramman Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Red Devil, The cheap Chinese lamps - where can you get these? I've never seen them. Thanks, Sadtramman Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Devil Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Ebay, something like these http://cgi.ebay.co.u...=item5d270c6451 I got 10 for about ??3.54 plus post, I think I paid about ??10 for 6 in the uk. Only problem with the latest batch is that the post diameter is a little greater than the K&S tube, but a few file strokes sorts it out ok. I'll see if I can find a picture of one in situ on 'Grime Street' Post with figure has a street lamp head, sorry I can't get a better one but the layout is packed away. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erinhorn Posted November 24, 2009 Author Share Posted November 24, 2009 Thanks for all the help here guys. ? ? I have now received my traction poles from East Lancs Trams but it will be a while before I get as far as working on the overhead. ? I have now used plaster for my roadway, ? actually ready mixed polyfilla to which I added PVA. ? I just about got the rail grooves cut before it went off and I'm now about halfway through etching the setts using a Dremel. ? There's such a lot of useful advice, here in the trams section and in the railway sections on scenic modelling etc Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadtramman Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Ebay, something like these http://cgi.ebay.co.u...=item5d270c6451 I got 10 for about ??3.54 plus post, I think I paid about ??10 for 6 in the uk. Only problem with the latest batch is that the post diameter is a little greater than the K&S tube, but a few file strokes sorts it out ok. I'll see if I can find a picture of one in situ on 'Grime Street' Post with figure has a street lamp head, sorry I can't get a better one but the layout is packed away. Red Devil, Ta for the info. Will order some and see how they work out. Even at the current price of ??11.99 for 10 they seem good value. Sadtramman Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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