Swissrail Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 (edited) Am I the only one who thinks the new Roco pantographs fitted to the latest Re4/4 and Re6/6 models don't look half as good as the older wire-made ones do? The new ones look like coarse castings or may even be, God forbid, plastic. Does anyone know of a high end etched replacement? The Sommerfeldt ones aren't very accurate for this prototype as the bow is too long and is the wrong shape. Edited May 23, 2020 by Swissrail Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelE Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 I'm not impressed with them either. The diameter of the arms look to be slightly out of scale. Since mine is still relatively new and under warranty I wasn't going to make any alterations until out of warranty. I haven't yet shopped for any replacements. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swissrail Posted May 23, 2020 Author Share Posted May 23, 2020 Hi Mike What are they made of? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelE Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 (edited) I'd have to check, I've never touched them except to raise and tie the one you see in the photo. I use tweasers and a small needle nose to tie them down. Well, I can't really tell. The arms don't flex in the slightest so I think they may be metal, but I can't be certain. They have a matt finish on them, unlike the first photo in your post, and I don't see the slightest amount of casting flash or parting lines. They might very well be metal. Edited May 23, 2020 by MichaelE Info added Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swissrail Posted May 23, 2020 Author Share Posted May 23, 2020 (edited) I may have to resort to Corel Draw to run up the artwork on scratchbuilt etched ones. I can't find a decent replacement anywere. The old ones I have are limited in their travel by a 14BA nut soldered to the underside of the frame and a screw inserted and adjusted to prevent the pantograph arm from rising too high. It means I can have only slightly tensioned OHLE and no overly deflected contact wires. Edited May 23, 2020 by Swissrail Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelE Posted May 23, 2020 Share Posted May 23, 2020 Is there any way to simulate the carbon strip found on the top of the contact arm? I thought about just using flat black paint, but that will wear off with contact on the wire. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swissrail Posted May 23, 2020 Author Share Posted May 23, 2020 You could try chemical blackening. It's more robust than paint. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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