I do not have any place to run model streetcars with an overhead electric wire. I am trying to remedy that situation by constructing a short test track. It will be quite some time before my layout will be a reality enough to have operation with overhead wire, so I want something to be able to test my models as I repower them. My models will be set up for overhead wire power only, thus the need for this test track.

The photos show the current progress of that test track (it's the same track, just with different models on it). I used two 3 foot lengths of Atlas code 83 flex track and one Atlas code 83 No. 4 switch (turnout). The stretch of single track is 10 inches long, followed by the switch, and the rest of the distance with double track. I used standard Atlas track nails to attach the track to the board. The board is a pine 1"x8" cut to 3 feet in length, and I placed the soft side of multiple pieces of Velcro on the underside of the board to prevent scratching whatever the board is set on.

The track design was strategic in that it will allow me to construct the overhead wire over different track arrangements. The design incorporates single track, double track, a switch, and a curve. Although I did not actively think about it when designing the track arrangement, it turns out it is the same kind of arrangement as the depot area at the Minnesota Streetcar Museum (where the full size Twin City Rapid Transit 1300 resides). 

Resources on Hanging Overhead Wire

As there are excellent resources out there about hanging overhead, I will not be creating a step-by-step guide here. Rather, I will narrate the general information about my experience hanging the overhead wire. My favorite resource is the Traction Guidebook, which is a valuable resource about all aspects of hanging overhead wire in HO scale, S scale, and O scale. In addition to the chapter on hanging overhead wire, there are many other chapters about planning interurban/streetcar layouts and building equipment from scratch. The book is on the internet archive, but the version there is not a quality scan, so some parts of the book are unreadable. As such, I highly recommend buying a physical copy of the book (although it is out of print, copies can be found secondhand online). Nevertheless, if you prefer the free digital version, here's the link to the digital copy on the internet archive: Traction Guidebook.

Many versions of the Suydam catalogs from the 1960s and 1970s also provide a good overview of the process of hanging overhead wire, but are not as detailed as the Traction Guidebook. Some of the Suydam catalogs can be found here: HOseeker Train Literature - Suydam.

All of the resources I have mentioned, if you have noticed, were published in the 1960s and 1970s. It seems not much has changed about the process of hanging overhead wire, so these resources have not needed an update. However, the popularity of modeling interurbans and streetcars in any scale has been a niche area of the model railroad hobby, and its popularity has declined in the recent decades, so this may explain the lack of updated materials. Some individuals and businesses have manufactured parts that did not exist when the resources were written, such as different versions of overhead wire hangers (although, the Suydam sources discuss their own wire hangers), so anyone who does not want to make hangers the old fashioned way can search for and purchase materials on the secondhand market. Notice how I said secondhand market. A caveat, however, is that (as of June 2025) many of the manufacturers of overhead wire parts have gone out of business, so there are very few active manufacturers of overhead wire parts. Personally, I do not want to rely on a secondhand market and the potential of inflated prices on scarce parts, so I elect to learn how to make parts from scratch whenever possible. This is yet another reason I recommend the Traction Guidebook.

A final note: For our friends who would rather use the Metric system, you may need to find another resource to use in addition to the Traction Guidebook as the book uses the Imperial system of measurement.

My Experience Hanging Overhead Wire on my Test Track

Before I discuss the process of hanging overhead wire, here is a partial list of materials (a full materials list can be found in the resources I discussed above):

• Line Poles: 1/8" diameter brass rod, 3 foot length (to be cut to desired length)

• Overhead (Contact) Wire: 26 gauge Phosphor Bronze wire

• Span Wire and Pulloff Wire: 26 gauge Red Brass wire

• Wire Hangers: I made these the "old fashioned" way using bronze wire and glass beads as the faux insulator

  • Glass Beads: Czech Seed Beads, Black, size 8/0

• Overhead Wire Frog: River HO scale overhead wire frog

Another note: As this is a test track, I am not too concerned about appearances. I will be much more concerned about appearances and making things look prototypical when I actually get to building a layout.

This experience is my first foray into hanging overhead wire, so it is a learning process for me. After reading through the Traction Guidebook, which included multiple readings of the chapter on modeling overhead wire , I went ahead and determined where the overhead line poles should be located. Following the recommendations, I measured out where to put each pole and also determined the length (height) of the poles I would need to use. I cut my poles to 4.5 inches, which meant I got the 7 poles I needed out of one 3 foot length of 1/8 inch diameter brass rod (with a little left over). The measurements of poles are based on the materials used in building a layout and the thickness of the "foundation", so 4.5 inches is not a universal measurement for HO scale line poles. 

After drilling 1/8 inch diameter holes in the respective spots for the line poles, my test track looked as shown in the photo just above and to the left. I made sure to put a slight lean into each pole in an outward direction from the respective tracks. This is called "rake". Additionally, as I used a hack saw to cut the line poles from the brass rod I made sure to file sharp edges away from the poles. As the poles are energized on a model layout (unlike on the real interurbans and streetcars lines, because that would be very bad), and I had drilled holes all the way through the wood, I place electrical tape on the underside of the board to cover where brass rods would stick through. I figured this additional level of insulation would be helpful. Finally, when inserting the poles, I used a little bit of wood glue to help secure the poles in place.

Next, I put up the span wires, which can be seen in the photo above and to the right. The span wires were made using the 26 gauge red brass wire. The wires were wrapped around the poles, but other methods of securing could be used as well. Note how the wire is tightly wrapped around the pole closest to the camera, but not to the pole furthest from the camera. This is because I will wait until the whole overhead is constructed above both the main track and side track before fully securing that side of the span wire. In the photo, you can see the black glass beads that were used as faux insulators for the ends of the span wire and for the hanger.

I made the hanger from scratch using 26 gauge phosphor bronze wire (the same wire used for the overhead wire). This wire was cut to just about an inch in length, bent into a tight U shape, the U placed over the span wire, both ends of the wire run through a black glass bead, and the ends of the wire bent out to be parallel to the track below. Once the overhead wire was put up, the wire of the hangers were soldered on top of the overhead wire itself, as seen in the photo above and to the right. The hanger wire had to be in line with and above the overhead wire, otherwise the trolley shoe/wheel could be knocked off the wire (also, make sure no excess solder interferes with the movement of the trolley show/wheel.

To put up the overhead wire, I used 26 gauge phosphor bronze wire. As the test track is only 3 feet in length, I cut a piece of wire long enough AND with plenty of excess for each end. The photo above and to the left shows line poles immediately at the end of the tracks. Those poles were placed in that position because that helps keep the overhead wire in the proper tension and centered over the track. I wrapped one end of the overhead wire to the pole at the end of the single track section and properly secured it with the glass bead as the faux insulator. The full wire was pulled taught and the remaining end wrapped around the opposing end pole many times to keep the wire taught and in place (but not fully secured as I will need to make a final adjustment after the full overhead wire system is in place). With the overhead wire in place and centered, I moved the hangers into the appropriate position and soldered the overhead wire to the hangers. I also soldered the top loop of the hangers to the span wires to secure them. 

With all of that, the overhead wire was in place over the main track! 

However, I needed to connect my DCC system to the test track. I use DCC-EX, which is an open source DCC system that is "loaded" onto Arduino boards. There are a few different ways to set up DCC-EX to run on a model railroad, and I use the method of connecting it to JMRI on my computer. The connection to my computer is made via a long USB cable, and the connection to the layout is by use of extra Bachmann cables I have. To connect to the test track, I exposed the wires on a Bachmann connector, soldered the positive wire to one of the brass line poles, and soldered the negative wire to one of the rails. With everything connected, I fired everything up and...

It worked on the first try!!!

That is where the project currently stands. I still need to hang the overhead wire for the siding and install the overhead wire frog over the switch. I want to finish my remotoring of my model of TCRT 1300 before I finish the test track siding. As is recommended in the resources on modeling overhead wire, one needs to see where the trolley shoes/wheels "fall off" the wire when entering a siding (take a look at the resources for more information on this). Figuring that out will tell you where to put the overhead wire frog to help with smooth operation. I want to make sure I include one of my favorite models in these experiments.