Catenary Question

[Suffolk Rob]

Thanks again for all the replies and options. With so few masts required a (relatively) cheap test and learn seems to be the place to start so have ordered a dapol pack this morning.

@njee20 thanks for the idea of adapting one of these into a terminating mast, I'll make that part of the test

Rob

[njee20]

OHLE masts can be fitted using magnets glued to the base (Or some soft iron with the magnet on the baseboard). If they're knocked they just fall over rather than breaking.

Not so great if you want to model the wires.

Obviously it depends how much tension you put in the wires. That's what I'm planning to do; with magnets in the bases. It's a long time since I did a mockup of the wires, using EZ-Line, but I don't think it'll exert more force than the magnets.

Also just bought some Ntrain Realflex wires (on the back of a reference by @ntpntpntp), which use etched droppers and a clear filament, like fishing line. It's stiffer than I anticipated, so I may use the etched droppers with EZ-Line.

[Trainfish]

OHLE masts can be fitted using magnets glued to the base (Or some soft iron with the magnet on the baseboard). If they're knocked they just fall over rather than breaking.

Not so great if you want to model the wires.

Just a thought as I have no intention of installing OHLE but could you not do similar with the wires if they're steel/piano wire? Maybe a magnet fixed to the underside of the mast 'hanger' and the overhead wire being held by that?

[njee20]

You could, theoretically, but it's probably more fiddly and complex than it needs to be. Superglue works well to attach the wires to the masts; given the tendency in the UK is for closer to scale equipment and posed pantographs. European brands tend to use over scale components, but have the pantograph actually riding on the wires.

[montyburns56]

There's a company called Rhuddlan Models who make some 3D printed items which can be used to supplement the Dapol masts.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224973923086

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224973922820