How to disguise Basement poles in layout?

I was going to suggest 1 to 1 scale pole dancers, but I guess that depends on your budget.  And I'm sure you'll get better ideas than that.  Good luck

Cheers

I have constructed water tanks and buildings around them from some of my customers. If you look up Bill Elliotts' posts on this forum, and find pictures of his refinery, you will see a tall rectangullar building around one of his columns.

Alan Graziano

Flat black paint.

Depending on layout height, just be concerned about the first 30 to 36 inches then finish off similar to your walls or ceiling.  Model RRer's eyes generally do not go to higher points. 

Negative folks will beat you up no matter what you do.

I've used two ways:

Tall buildings:

Rocks and sky:

In the second scene, the effect would have been better if the rocks around the post were taller than the cliffs in the background.  It will be corrected on the next re-build.

Jim

My wife LINDA, said NO...and **** NO!!!

Paint it flat black.  It just never looks right having a pole coming out of the top of a building in my opinion.

I have a pole in the middle of the floor area. I painted the pole bright silver so I could see what I am running into.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.  I appreciate the responses.  I may try a tall building on one and a rock form on the other.

I wonder what it would be like if you wrapped the pole with a flexible mirror material?

Just a thought...

True, Mark.

IMO, the trick is to have as little pole as possible visible, and to blend that building in with others in the area so it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb.  A grouping of grain elevators/silos would work also. 

Jim

OK NASCAR hasn't started yet so let's have some fun.

Top Ten Ways to disquise a pole in your basement (is that politically correct before we even start?) 

10.  Tall building

9. Wizard of OZ railroad and make a very tall scare crow!

8. Tall Rock.

7. Tall Shell Oil tank.

6. Brewery with a six pack on end!

Your Turn!

Russ

5. A row of factory chimneys and a really good smoke generator.

Look what the venerable John Allen did with his Gorre & Daphetid RR.

Complete with a winch that pulled up folks in a basket to dine at the "Eagle's Nest" restaurant. What a view! 

Well, a lot depends on the perspective of the viewer.  If the view is positioned reasonably close to the pole, all you have to do is get the scenery/structures/etc slightly above your line of sight and then paint it you choice of "sky" or "flat black"...

But since we do have the "top ten list" going...

4. Paint it like a Tootsie Roll wrapper and model a candy factory.

Alternate to above:  

4a.  Build a "flying saucer" or other space ship near the ceiling and paint the pole as if it is either a death ray or the flame from "blast off"...

and along the same lines, but different still...

4b.  Make a large "mushroom shaped cloud" at the top and paint the pole the same color as the cloud.  Build a factory on the benchwork around the pole.  Name the factory...wait for it, I thought it quite clever..."Acme Atomic Power Plant, Wile E. Coyote, prop."

Thh...tth...th...that's all, folks!

Hmmmmm, pole dancers-wish I had a basement!!  

Seriously, I've seen poles covered by a mountain and it looked great-all the way to the ceiling but thought has to go into it so it looks correct.

Pete

I've been thinking about this.  Forget the pole dancers.  Bad idea.  All I ever managed to do was sit there and blush.  I would wrap it with 1X6 and corner trim so it looks finished-not just an obvious round lally column-and paint it the same color as the rest of your walls.  If in an unfinished space, maybe a neutral to dark tan.  Or the color of the fascia on the edge of your layout.   

One of the best ways to hide them is design your benchwork so the poles run down the center of a pennisula. Put up a pair of backdrop panels in the center with the poles sandwiched between them. This will make the layout seem larger and make the poles disappear for the best design flexibility.

Peter

Model the Cape and dress it as an Atlas Missile.

Alan Graziano made a Building to hide a pole on our layout.

Model a space elevator as described in some of the Arthur Clarke science fiction models.

I turned one of mine into a telegraph line pole the other one I painted flat black.

Very clever, Al.    Talk about forced perspective!!  

All you need is a crow on that telegraph pole...

Thanks guys, great idea about the crow