Telegraph Poles

[Keith Hayes]

Time to make some telegraph poles. A while back, I picked up a couple of bags of 3/16" diameter dowels at Michael's. These are 12" long, so cut in half the result is a 32' long pole.

I clamped my drill in a bench vise and proceeded to sand the dowel to a taper. I used 50 grit sandpaper to taper the top to a tip 4" to 6". The idea is that these are trees with a 12" butt (base) and a 4" tip.

It took about an hour to cut the dowels to length and sand them. I used a glove to hold the sandpaper and get the taper.

I cut some of the dowels to shorter lengths to use as dead men for patched poles.

The lot are sitting in a bath of stain.

Next up will be installing insulators. I did some research and the telegraph between Como and Leadville had only 2 lines. There were 4-6 lines between Denver and Como, which Western Union upgraded, but routed the upgraded line over Trout Creek and thence to Tennessee Pass as the shortest route. With only 2 lines, the insulators will be mounted to the pole without a cross arm. If there were more lines, a cross arm would be necessary.

I am channeling a photo of EJ Haley on a pole near Selkirk on Boreas.

[Chris Walker]

I'm channelling Mac Poor....

[Mike Trent]

Hi Keith, my poles were inspired by a real pole that my Dad and I rescued from the ground about two miles East of Golden. He had a real interest in all things C&S and telegraph equipment. We somehow got this pole back to Boulder sticking it through and out of a '64 Corvair.

He cut the top 24" off the pole and cut the cross arm off on both ends so he could display it on top of a file cabinet in our basement.

I used this to compare what I saw in pictures of the Highline and made what I think are pretty decent poles.

Mine are 6" diameter, not tapered at all with full sized 2x4 Crossarms. They stand 21' above the ground. The poles are angle cut at the top. The cross arms are 66" long and hold two insulators and two wood towels near the end. The cross arms are secured with two large lag bolts, and there is a bolt on one side below the crossarm to secure a ground wire. Almost all poles I've seen along the C&S in life and pictures have crossarms, but some do have dog ears like you're doing.

My insulators are Clear San Juan, painted with green or blue Tamyia translucent paint.

The poles are notched for the crossarms.

Not sure, but I may have posted this before.

[Chris Walker]

http://c-sng-discussion-forum.254.s1.nabble.com/Telegraph-lines-tp11980.html

[Keith Hayes]

Chris,  thanks for the link. A reminder to ALWAYS do a search before a new post. Here is progress on my poles:

And a detail of the insulator.

I need to add some NBWs to the cross arms.

Banta poles are on the left with my cross arms and insulators. Based on the previous discussion,  I will plant these at 15" to 18" (actual) intervals. I am thinking of using a system with a thread and fish weight so that large hands won't cause damage.

[Chris Walker]

Keith,
I linked that thread not only for newbies, but on account of the great information posted in there by "SouthPark".


C&Sn3 Thread Revivalist.