Project - Scratchbuilt Large Scale Utility Poles

Copyright 2022 Nicholas Kalis

 Detailed Description of Model

 These Fn3 models of wooden telephone poles with light fixtures appear in several photographs of the Waipahu Engine House in Waipahu, Oahu (Hawaii). Prototype light fixtures were surely meant to make evening working conditions safer for engine house employees.

 Identification of the Scratch built Features

  Each wooden dowel was cut to length with a saw (extra length was provided for to set each pole deep into the pink foam baseboard

·         All dowels were scraped with a miniature saw to impart grain to each pole.

·         Each dowel was stained and let to dry

·         Built cross pieces of strip bass wood –

o   first cutting and

o   then staining and then

o   attached with hot glue gun

o   used X-Acto® X3254 Craft knife - Black to cut a flat spot for better adhesion

·         Built two diagonal supports for each cross piece by cutting strip basswood

o   staining and

o   installed with hot glue using hot glue gun

·         First I cut off a piece of Miniatur Ivy;

o   then I stretched the ivy; and

o   then I glued ivy on to each pole using Elmer’s White Glue

·         Each Loco-Boose Hobbies light fixture was shortened by cutting the tube with an IVY Classic 19050 tube cutter and

o   then bent each tube section straight and

o   then weathered by dipping each lamp into Bragdon Enterprises rust weathering powder

o   then spraying each lamp with Testor’s Dullcote

o   used paper towel to wipe off excess powder from lamps

o   allowed to dry

·         I attached weathered lamps using a hot glue gun and glue sticks.

·         To simulate four insulators, plastic beads were attached to each of most poles.

o   Each plastic bead was sanded on one end by placing the sandpaper on a flat surface and rubbing the bead back and forth on said sandpaper

o   I then coated each bead with Testor’s Dullcote to remove sheen

o   then let to dry and

o   then attached to cross arms with superglue

·       Some green paint is painted at the base of each dowel to simulate mold growing on the telephone pole in this somewhat tropical climate of the prototype. Final touch was to copy a sign off of the internet, trim it to size and adhere it with some white glue to a bit of styrene that was painted with a silver marker to emulate steel and then weathered with some powdered rust pastel chalk and the affixed to the pole with a hot glue gun.

 List of All Commercial Components Appearing on Model

             1.      Preiser 47084 Pigeon 1:25 scale

2.      Mininatur 936-325 English Ivy O scale

3.      Loco-Boose Hobbies #DBL 10 Depot Lamps w/o light bulbs G Scale

 

Materials Used in Building the Model

  Manufacturer Unknown Dowels, wooden

2.       Manufacturer Unknown Strip bass wood

3.      X-Acto® X3254 Craft knife - Black

4.      X-Acto® No. 11 blades

5.      Testors 1260 Dullcote Clear Flat Lacquer Overcoat

6.      Helping Hand Aluminum Oxide Sandpaper

7.      Bragdon Enterprises Weather System Medium Rust

8.      Custom made stain

9.      Manufacturer Unknown Beads, green

10.  Manufacturer Unknown WT-260 Glue gun

11.  Manufacturer Unknown Glue Sticks

12.  Manufacturer Unknown Paper towels

13.  Elmer’s White Glue

14.  Bob Smith Industries Maxi-Cure (CAA)

15.  Manufacturer Unknown Miniature saw

 

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