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Shouldn't the catenary wires lean over the other way, so the droppers pull the contact wire out to the curve?

 

I could not find a clear enough image of a tight curve on the RhB on the 'net, but logically I would say your setup would pull the contact wire further away from the track centre.

 

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58 minutes ago, Ian Morgan said:

Shouldn't the catenary wires lean over the other way, so the droppers pull the contact wire out to the curve?

 

I could not find a clear enough image of a tight curve on the RhB on the 'net, but logically I would say your setup would pull the contact wire further away from the track centre.

 

 

To be honest this is my first time setting up catenary. I've done my posts as per the RhB example in the Sommerfeldt manual which seems to have the posts on the outside of the curve and the wires doing likewise

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What is the radius of that curve and the mast spacing/wire length, Dan....? I haven't got the full manual but from my Sommerfeldt catalogue I'd deduce that 380 masts on the outside is correct but you might have to use an intermediate 382 pull-off mast- such is the issue with model railway geometry dictating mast spacing. 

 

Does the Sommerfeldt manual also suggest using the same 35mm track centre to mast standard on curves? From what I've seen on a brief cab ride video on YouTube the contact wire is below the catenary wire with no cranking needed, but that'd mean moving the masts outwards on the curves so the position of the wire on the upper arm was within your track gauge and the lower arm position fitted to suit. 

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I think the lower arm may have misled you a bit as it's overlength to cut to size for the zigzag on straights. The RhB catenary is mostly upright from what I've seen, and on google RhB view, on all but long 'unsupported' curves like the Landwasser where they use pull offs. There are masts to go on the inside of a curve with the curved over end, still quite a few in use, and some modern ones with cantilever type arms. They only tend to use them when the view is on the outside, there is insufficient space or unstable rock to site a mast there so I think you have the right masts but the wire would probably be upright rather than pulled over. When it is pulled over the top wire tends to be the outside one so the droppers tension the contact wire outwards. The mast for the inside is 381

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@46.6753525,9.6899965,2a,75y,132.22h,100.34t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1saHthv5X3quggqPyZ7rHP3w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

 

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For those that didn't understand my tongue in cheek previous post, the Santa Maria Valley Railroad is real and is still operating, in Santa Maria, about 25 miles South of my home on the Central California coast.  See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria_Valley_Railroad

 

Santa Maria is now a large modern town, but has a rich railway history, including both standard and narrow gauge, steam diesel and even electric. The song celebrated "Ventura Highway" runs through, and the SP (now UP) and Amtrack West Coast Main Line run close by.

 

One of the other short lines through Santa Maria was the "Pacific Coast".  I have a G scale Box and Flat Car made by Aristocraft/Bachmann Spectrum that are modelled on Pacific Coast wagons..

 

Andy

 

 

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Thanks for the various inputs on my gerry- rigging :wacko:.

 

To answer a couple of the questions possed the radius of the curve is around 18inches (IIRC) and I did install 2 pull offs as well as one mainline post.

 

After dinner I had another look a the set up and remeasured the gantry post to track centre distances. While the pull-offs were correct at 29mm I'd got the mainline mast wrong so this was moved out to the correct 35mm. This together with some "adjustments" on the wire alignment have produced a less tilted look (see below). With one week to go this will have to suffice but I'll look at replacing the pull offs with mainline masts, which I took to be the gist of Paul's advice post- Warley

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5 hours ago, PaulRhB said:

 so I think you have the right masts but the wire would probably be upright rather than pulled over.

 

 

I think I waffled too much and confused you. The essence should have been the bit quoted on the angle of the wire not the use of pull off masts :maninlove:

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  • 2 weeks later...

So back from a great weekend at the Warley show. With the first trip out with the full catenary it proved to be a bit of a voyage of discovery with the much discussed return curve at one end of the layout proving to be somewhat troublesome. After some "fetttling" on Saturday morning all but one of the loco roster was able to run pan up but a more permanent solution is now planned with adding a minimum of one extra post and shorter links to be able to run the wire upright over the curve and maintain contact on the pantograph.

 

Other than that bit of stress the layout ran well and it was great to chat to an good number of Swiss railways enthuiasts and swap knowledge and tips both prototype and model. While the layout has pushed forward operating at the show as highlighted a few more jobs to do inc light displays to show the throw of the points and the addition of the small details around the station.

 

http://49123860488_93d41568e8_z.jpg2019-11-24 14.49.47 by Dan Spalding, on Flickr

 

http://49124543772_356590948c_z.jpg2019-11-24 14.48.56 by Dan Spalding, on Flickr

 

 

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

No progress on the snag list arising from Warley due to client work, Christmas and the garage being too cold! However I did treat myself to a set of 4 Uce cement tanks off Ebay at a very reasonable price (water damaged boxes). Now they are weathered I can thinks about that 'to do' list

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No progress on the snag list arising from Warley due to client work, Christmas and the garage being too cold! However I did treat myself to a set of 4 Uce cement tanks off Ebay at a very reasonable price (water damaged boxes). Now they are weathered I can thinks about that 'to do' list

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  • 3 months later...

Long time, no post....

 

With no show booked for Santa Maria until Oct I hadnt really pushed on with the work needed on the layout and with Covid-19 I'm balancing the client loco painting / weathering and DCC fitting with the boys home schooling.

 

However......with still a good few pieces of stock needing their details fitting I've started slipping these into the work shedule when there are priming jobs on the go. Currently on the bench a Aussichtswagen and a Ge 4/4 i

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  • 2 weeks later...

With all the accesories painted I have finished off adding details to the open coach, the NEVA set and #606. With details on I went looking on the web for some proto pics for weathering and came up with a clear 3/4 view looking down on the roof

 

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/CH_RhB_Ge44_I_606.JPG

 

Comparing it to my efforts on #605 my first effort aas way too heavy. So out came the thinners and both loco roofs were cleaned up. I started again with a grey brown wash to being out the various panel lines then a blowover with some highly diluted Tamiya acrylic

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I really enjoyed watching your layout come together over these last four pages. Great job.

 

I have yet to start catenary on the HOm line and still need to finish the cat on the DB lines.

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1 hour ago, MichaelE said:

I really enjoyed watching your layout come together over these last four pages. Great job.

 

I have yet to start catenary on the HOm line and still need to finish the cat on the DB lines.

 

Plently more still to do inc relaying the track on one corner and sorting the wires.

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