robgregson1 Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 hello. just about to purchase some new Dapol catenary masts and i need to know what the official spacing is for them on a straight piece of track. obviously at tighter curves and point work they have to be positioned to ensure that the wire is in contact with the panto. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jim s-w Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 Hiya Max spacing is 70 meters although usual spacing is 60 meters. For more info see here http://jsmithwright.demonweb.co.uk/other/articles/Resources/Update%2038%20ole.pdf HTH Jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robgregson1 Posted May 10, 2010 Author Share Posted May 10, 2010 cheers. that is fantastic. really useful. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeTrice Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 hello. just about to purchase some new Dapol catenary masts and i need to know what the official spacing is for them on a straight piece of track. obviously at tighter curves and point work they have to be positioned to ensure that the wire is in contact with the panto. I would certainly be interested in your experiences of these. From what I understand no wire is provided so if you leave this off, the pantographs will need to be limited in reach to stop them fowling the arms. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robgregson1 Posted May 10, 2010 Author Share Posted May 10, 2010 just done a quick mock up to see what the mast look like. i have used a piece of white cotton to try to show the wires but i don't know yet whether to model them or not. very pleased with the masts. they are very brittle though. good job i got plenty of spares. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ste234 Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 They look quite good Rob, where did you get them from? Ste Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwin_m Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 I saw these on show at Leamington last autumn and they really are excellent fine mouldings. As suggested by Dapol they do have to be treated as dispensable as they break so easily, but fortunately are also cheap and easy to replace. Fishing line has been used to good effect to represent catenary on N gauge layouts, see Kinlet Wharf for example. But that layout fixes the pantograph just below wire level, which is impossible to see unless you look for it To be honest I can't see any catenary in this scale achieving scale appearance and also having the pantograph in contact with it. Therefore it is necessary to fix the pantograph and accept some compromise at overbridges where the prototype wire normally reduces below the standard height. Anyone with a supply of carbon nanotube is welcome to prove me wrong - but how do you cut it to length?! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike at C&M Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 The masts come in a 10-pack with a retail price of £4.95. Any good Dapol stockist will now be receiving these along with their Class 86s. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Nile Posted May 10, 2010 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 10, 2010 I wonder if EZ line would be of any use as the wire? EZ line Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete the Elaner Posted May 10, 2010 Share Posted May 10, 2010 very pleased with the masts. they are very brittle though. good job i got plenty of spares. Weakness is an unfortunate trade-off for good appearance. & they look good. For N gauge, I'm impressed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robgregson1 Posted May 11, 2010 Author Share Posted May 11, 2010 i got mine from hattons ste. £4 a pack. 95p cheaper than rrp but if you pay postage this can be as much as £4 per order. luckily i live in the northwest so getting there in person isn't a problem. i am going to have a play around with various threads etc to see if i can make it look realistic. if not, i will leave them bare. as far as i am aware, the new Dapol 86 pantograph is restricted so that it only rises to just below the masts.my dad has one on order so i will check when his turns up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trains4U Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 At 49p each, they really are outstanding value... At that price, does it really matter if a few get broken now and again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucazone Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 Hiya, Not to cause any inflammation, but with 'advice' like that, whose going to buy a product with the tag line - expect to break a few - written on it. Might be cheap, but im not keen on buying something known to break unless you have the hands of a brain surgeon. Regards Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PaulCheffus Posted May 11, 2010 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 11, 2010 I wonder if EZ line would be of any use as the wire? EZ line Hi I was planning on using EZ line for my Woodhead layout. I just haven't got that far yet. Cheers Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rope runner Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 Hiya, Not to cause any inflammation, but with 'advice' like that, whose going to buy a product with the tag line - expect to break a few - written on it. Might be cheap, but im not keen on buying something known to break unless you have the hands of a brain surgeon. Regards I mean, first of all "hands of a brain surgeon" is completely OTT Secondly, they're no more delicate than a working signal or yard light, which if you break one, are tricky/time consuming to replace, unlike this product. Plus, the caternary is bound to be at risk, lying next to track (which is occasionally cleaned by hand?) and presumably in an area of the layout which is flat, with little to protect it in terms of robust buildings etc This product can only advance N gauge influence, allowing the average modeller to run Electtric stock and increasing spending which can only increase the market = encouraging the development of more products Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwin_m Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 I think it shows a refreshing honesty and innovative thinking by Dapol. Making them cheap to buy and easy to replace means it doesn't matter much if a few get broken - and they sell more because everyone will buy some spare ones. Attempting to make them stronger would result in something very much overscale, probably still quite vulnerable to damage and more costly to replace as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucazone Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 Hiya, Brain surgery was somewhat intentionally OTT, so my apologies if that was not obvious. I was expressing dislike to the discussion that buying a product expected to break even if handled with the usual care. With regard to re-enforcement causing over scaling and reduction in fidelity, Dapol could be the first to engage in use of Carbon Nano-Tubes? Regards Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robgregson1 Posted May 11, 2010 Author Share Posted May 11, 2010 i am very pleased with the catenary. they are definately worth buying. the most realistic product of the type.i hope they expand the range. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jim s-w Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 Hi All Even in 4mm scale and working in metals catenary is a bit fragile. The thing is the system as a whole is strong but take away any element and it becomes weak. Its unrealistic for any manufacturer to supply a complete system that will meet anything more than 1 individuals requirements ergo Dapols cheap and replaceable approach is very clever IMHO. Cheers Jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
the fuzzler Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 Hi All Even in 4mm scale and working in metals catenary is a bit fragile. The thing is the system as a whole is strong but take away any element and it becomes weak. Its unrealistic for any manufacturer to supply a complete system that will meet anything more than 1 individuals requirements ergo Dapols cheap and replaceable approach is very clever IMHO. Cheers Jim Agreed - it wouldn't look right if it was beefed up to make it stronger, and we'd all be moaning about it "not looking right". A good compromise seems to have been reached - they look right, but are delicate, but are cheap enough to be replaced. Looking forward to picking up some packs with my FL 86..... Just going back to the above pictures (looks very good) have you threaded the cotton through the registration arms ? Didn't look like there was a gap to thread through. I hope they introduce some randomly angled washers to place between mast and baseboard, to recreate the jaunty angles found on the Styal line's masts.......some of which have a wire strung between them to stop them splaying apart further ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robgregson1 Posted May 14, 2010 Author Share Posted May 14, 2010 the thread does go through the masts. there is enough room for it. the part of the mast that would carry the wire in real life is the most delicate part of the model ones. the thread has actually cut through the pastic on one mast. i must be more gentle when it comes to wiring my actual layout. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robgregson1 Posted May 15, 2010 Author Share Posted May 15, 2010 just a word of warning about the masts. do not be tempted to over tighten them the wing nuts are a lot stronger than the threaded part of the mast. the mast will just shear if you overtighten. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
the fuzzler Posted May 15, 2010 Share Posted May 15, 2010 Saw a pack in my local shop today. Look most impressive and we couldn't see how they're making money on these. Compared to the established brands (sommerfeldt etc) they're ludicrously cheap. My shop had them at full RRP, I've added them to an existing Hattons order to save £5 ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted May 29, 2010 Share Posted May 29, 2010 Saw a pack in my local shop today. Look most impressive and we couldn't see how they're making money on these. Compared to the established brands (sommerfeldt etc) they're ludicrously cheap. They aren't really comparable to the Sommerfeldt system, that's like comparing a working system based on a number of European electrification designs that have to suit the majority of layouts, as opposed to the single type, plonk and play Dapol product. However, I think they are something the N gauge market rightly deserves, having done just about everything with modelling overhead electrification, i'd say they are just about all the modeller needs to represent electrification in this scale. I wouldn't even bother with the wires, as they'd always look overscale from the average viewing distance. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahame Posted May 29, 2010 Share Posted May 29, 2010 I was expressing dislike to the discussion that buying a product expected to break even if handled with the usual care. Yes, there would be dissatisfacton if that was the case, but no-one is saying the product is 'expected' to break in normal use, although, like with any other fine-scale model product, some care with handling is needed - and that, if you do accidently clatter one and break it, the cost is reasonable enough to replace it without too much upset and financial worry. G. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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