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I usually make the line (whatever it is), color it black, duplicate
it  and make the duplicate one printer unit (.003 on most laser
printers) narrower and white.  Then I group those two lines which
gives me the effect of a railroad pen.  Next I do the trick with
short lines.  Instead of using a font, I make a line of the width
and length I want.  Then I duplicate it about a jillion times and
place each individual piece wherever I want it on the grouped lines.
I wasn't too satisfied with the way lower case els worked because
they tended to run into each other going around a curve on the line.
 
HTH.
 
virginia