Hook Line and Sinker...
Originally posted by interurben
Most good hobby stores carry brass for the constuction of support poles.
I know that most hobby shops and hardware stores carry brass stock. It's just a little pricey...
For O scale poles, 3/16" and 1/4" brass rod at Rona runs nearly $6 CAD for 3' lengths! That can add up when you need a couple dozen poles...
I need to find an alternative to the brass, or a cheaper source. Maybe a welding supplier.. I'll have to pull out the Yellow Pages and start calling around.
Originally posted by interurben
What gauge are you and friend thinking of working in with Traction?????????
You need to ask?! LOL!!!
On30 of course!
I know that you use the pantographs for the Traction in action. If I was going it alone, I'd go the same route.
But there is the nice little Bachmann On30 Trolley....
Paul and I will be kitbashing and scratchbuilding a lot of freelanced On30 Traction for both passenger and freight service.
Paul's rational for sticking with the trolley poles instead of pantographs is to follow prototypical practice. Low budget short lines and industrial railroads couldn't afford the heavy-duty overhead needed to withstand the pressure and wear and tear of pantographs. So they went with the less expensive trolley poles and light weight overhead. We won't be operating any high speed equipment either. No Acela or Ice trains here...
Just home built narrow gauge work horsed hauling ore from the mine...
I took a look at the
Urban Scene - Scratchbuilding Traction Poles - By Chris (Traction Nut) Walker And I have been taking careful notes.
I've also been collecting some other how-to material on the subject of hanging overhead.
Originally posted by spitefire
Very cool Ron. I think you will find that there is tons of stuff available in O scale for the traction/trolley modeller. Being a committed HOer I'm totally jealous! Here are a couple of links to get you going.
Val, thanks for the links... Come over to the dark side... Hee, hee, hee... On30 traction gives you the best of both worlds.
Sumpter250, I have seen a lot of talk about how the HO stuff tends to be oversized. It's good to know that there is a good supply of O scale traction parts. I may use HO scale stuff anyway. Since it is oversized for HO, it should be just right for On30... Unfortunatly, Chicoland Hobby, on Northwest Highway in Chicago is a little out of the way for me...
PJB, the EAST PENN website is very cool. I printed out the module standards to read. I am interested in how they work the overhead on modules, since that's where I'm putting mine.