Telegraph Poles and electric fencing...

[Mrs F Controller]

Having lost a few bits and pieces of lineside buildings etc through our over-sized dog running wild in the garden, we decided to adapt our heron scarer to go round the railway and not just the ponds. Mr F C came up with the idea of telegraph poles carrying electric 'cables'. The cables are the same electric heron scarer wires. Very simple idea, all we did was get some lengths of dowling from b&q and soaked them in creosote substitute. We left them very long so that they would be well in the ground and not knocked out easily. Before he put them in he fixed a short length of old track as a bar across the top of the pole. This was nailed in. The wires are then run at 90 degrees to each end of the bar and fixed by small cable ties. I think he put a cable tie onto the bar first so the cable is insulated from the metal. The scarer is wired up to our outdoor electrics so that it can be switched off at any time.

But, we have forgotten from time to time!! Ouch! Seems to have worked very well so far and it would be good height for cats as well even without the electric bit. It runs all around the outside of the railway.

[Dr. Bond of the DVLR]

Excellent, thanks! Any better pics?

[Narrow Minded]

Great stuff, but do you know, I was previously convinced from the photo's that they were for carrying voltage around the line for your various lights!

[Mrs F Controller]

Yes, I will get some better pics for as I meant to do some anyway. There are slightly shorter poles carrying the 12v lighting cables to the various buildings and station lights as well but they run across the bridge etc. We only just did the high voltage wire recently about Easter time.

[Steven.T]

I almost cringe at the prospect of 240v running open next to a garden railway, at least you will know when you have touched it

[Hancockshire]

I almost cringe at the prospect of 240v running open next to a garden railway, at least you will know when you have touched it  :shock:

I'd love to see a clumsy cat go up & before you know it, you hear a frying sound with a MREEEEOOOOOW & when you go out to investigate, you just see a pile of fur & ashes & a collar with "Mr Jinks" on it rested on top
I'd put it on You've been framed & get some cash for rolling stock

[Mrs F Controller]

Don't panic guys it gives a low voltage pulse and makes a very satisfying little 'crack' sound when you touch it! It is quite safe but does make you jump. If you are near the transformer you can just hear a clicking sound as it pulses. The one we bought some years ago (pre MPLR) came with 40 metres of double strand wire which you can double up, and lots of plastic sticks to attach the wires to. It doesn't come with a 3 pin plug just a transformer. So we pulled it up from round the pond where it had been protecting the koi from heron and moved it to the outside edge of the railway and bought some extra length of the same wire to o all the way round.

I've managed to find a few pics....
You can just see the poles along the edge by the grass


This is runs all along and round the corner...


and along the edge of 'Chafford Gorge'

[Narrow Minded]

A most elegant solution to the problem which adds a great piece of scenery to the line as well as its practicality!

Shame it's too tall to stop the ASBO hedgehogs we have

[Hancockshire]

Don't panic guys it gives a low voltage

Awww I was hoping it could turn next door's moggie into a smoldering pile of ashes

[Mrs F Controller]

S'pose you could always lower the poles (make fencing) so that it catches the hedgehogs! As the for the cats well, could try cranking it up a bit! Actually the dog we had previously to Inca peed on it and you've never seen a dog move so quick! He the spent the rest of his years avoiding the ponds, trotting wide of them every time he was out in the garden.

[Mrs F Controller]

I know it's taken a while to do this but for those of you interested I have finally gotten round to putting a more detailed article of how we made the electricity poles under the 'How we did it' page of the MPLR website!That is www.mplr.co.uk not the other one someone mentioned the other day!!

[METHSSNIFFER]

Telegraph poles for further reading