Double track catenary - current UK outline

[porkie]

I will post some pics of an old layout of mine called hollyoaks junction, I went and used viessman masts and used their wires.
Not 100% sure but I think somerfelt make wires too

[njee20]

Yep Sommerfeldt do wires, but as said previously they end up looking pretty oversize. Most of the most realistic layouts with OHLE I've seen tend to go without wires, and I think it looks better personally.

[EtchedPixels]

The only really convincing wires I've seen have been on a couple of layouts that use the stretchy monofilament - which also means you can pull it aside to re-rail or clean stuff.

[Ben A]

Hello Pendy

Have you looked at any retailer websites?  Dapol catenary posts are around £4 for a pack of 10 - and at a realistic spacing for twin track that's enough for about 4-5' of track.

The Dapok posts are ready painted and weathered and are, in fact, in two different types - long and short arm - and each pack contains 5 of each.  On the prototype arms alternate long and short so the wire zig-zags across the pantograph to even-out wear on the contact strip.

On our club layout Horseley Fields we used Dapol catenary, with no wires, and we're really happy with them.   I think three packs was enough for the whole layout.  In the station did we use Statesman catenary gantries, while to create a bit of realistic "variety" there is also a smaller gantry adjacent to a track junction.

cheers

Ben A.

[edwin_m]

Google Kinlet Wharf for a layout using very convincing overhead wires - fishing line IIRC.  Though the pictures probably aren't anywhere near as good as seeing it in the flesh. 

[Pengi]

Hello Pendy

Have you looked at any retailer websites?  Dapol catenary posts are around £4 for a pack of 10 - and at a realistic spacing for twin track that's enough for about 4-5' of track.

The Dapok posts are ready painted and weathered and are, in fact, in two different types - long and short arm - and each pack contains 5 of each.  On the prototype arms alternate long and short so the wire zig-zags across the pantograph to even-out wear on the contact strip.

On our club layout Horseley Fields we used Dapol catenary, with no wires, and we're really happy with them.   I think three packs was enough for the whole layout.  In the station did we use Statesman catenary gantries, while to create a bit of realistic "variety" there is also a smaller gantry adjacent to a track junction.

cheers

Ben A.

Thanks  that's very useful, I'm definitely coming round to the idea of getting them.

[Pengi]

Google Kinlet Wharf for a layout using very convincing overhead wires - fishing line IIRC.  Though the pictures probably aren't anywhere near as good as seeing it in the flesh.

Thanks I did this and found a picture of Flickr that shows the wires - it is good!

[JosephP]

we used Dapol catenary, with no wires,
cheers

Ben A.

Sorry to be picky about the English language with a distinguished BBC journalist but... that is an oxymoron. You can not have catenary without wires. The wires ARE the catenary.

By my calculations, you should only need a post about every 440mm, so 10 posts is enough for more than 2 metres of double track. I think these Dapol posts are great value and at that price well worth cutting up for some of the components that are needed to make other items.

I can quite see the point of those who prefer "invisible wires" to overscale ones. Certainly looks good on the photos of Horseley Fields.

But I repeat the offer to reduce some HO artwork for etched wires (1.5kV/6.25kV/25kV compound) if anyone is interested.

The monofilament sounds interesting but I have still not understood how one deals with the suspension wire and droppers.

[EtchedPixels]

The monofilament sounds interesting but I have still not understood how one deals with the suspension wire and droppers.

Superglue and scsissors. Take a look at some shots of Mini-MSW.

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/gallery/image/26961-mini-msw-1/

[JosephP]

That looks pretty good. The big plus of making your own is that it is more easily adapted to the many different lengths that you need.

I still don't really get the process though. Would one not need to hold the bits of monofilament in some sort of a jig while applying the glue? And wouldn't the glue then stick to the jig as well?

On Mini-MSW, with its constant curvature, it would actually be quite easy to do etched as one would only need two different lengths of wire.

[Pengi]

Have hit a snag. I have a station that is just shy of a 900mm long. Looking at pictures of layouts and real stations, realise I will need gantries. Have been searching for StatesmaN on Google and nothing turns up although one article said they might be out of business. Can anyone help in locating these?

[red_death]

Have you looked at the N Brass portals: http://www.nbrasslocos.co.uk/catcat.pdf?

Cheers, Mike

[Pengi]

Thanks Mike, that explains a lot of things.

[Lawrence]

Have you looked at the N Brass portals: http://www.nbrasslocos.co.uk/catcat.pdf?

Cheers, Mike

That is a great link Mike, I have put that in the Knowledge Bank 

[EtchedPixels]

On Mini-MSW, with its constant curvature, it would actually be quite easy to do etched as one would only need two different lengths of wire.

Actually not the case. Wire would also be thicker and isn't flexible. Monofilament is very cheap and stretchy so you can pull the catenary aside to clean!

The process is as follows

Run a taut strand between the posts as the contact wire and secure with a spot of superglue or loop round the metalwork.
Run a second slightly slack strand as the supporting wire
Dangle vertically and glue the verticals with superglue to the wire, then trim off.


As the wire is about a tenner for 50metres it goes a long way and is great for telegraph wires too.