Heavy Electric Modular Group
#16
UGH! I feel like I lost the knack for catenary for a bit there! I let my rails get rusty.

It took forever to assemble the second and third pole. The fourth pole I banged out in no time. Practice makes perfect applies here!


So far, there is still a lot to do and there is little time. Here is the plan-

1.) Finish Cross-span assemblies
2.) IF THERE IS TIME, build the Hand Place Overpass "Skeleton", If not, skip to 3
3.) Construct the actual catenary spans. If the skeleton is in place, the catenary profile will need to be modified.
4.) fill in with REALLY basic scenery


My thinking here, is that if I can get the poles done, and there isn't time for the overpass, at lease I can string the catenary, and people will still have something to look at apart from a bare table.

In theory, there is enough time to get this done within a week, if I can sit and focus long enough (not an easy thing to do!).


Steel Wire Concerns

I've learned through past experience that Steel wire does not hold up well. Its hard to make a good solder joint, and it rusts easily. THAT SAID.... I've also been having problems with keeping the catenary stiff enough. Part of it is a lack of tension. The other part is the "super-powered' pantographs on most HO scale electrics.

In this case, that stiffness might be extra important. Since I'm using wire cross spans across FOUR tracks and prototypical pole spacing, I can see this easily becoming a situation where the pantographs will lift up the catenary severely. I might be able to modify my electric locomotives to no press so hard on the wire, but there is still some worry here.

While this is also a problem with a "K-Brace" span (where H columns and T beams are used to make a solid structure), Wire-spans will be even more inherently flexible, and putting to much tension on the wires will deform them. It is also very difficult to really apply tension to the cross spans themselves. This pressure generally does not agree with solder joints, even when the joint is VERY strong. Its a sure fire way to end up with a broken wire.

Steel wire is stiff enough to hold, but then the week solder joints could be its undoing.


Does anyone have any suggestions?
Modeling New Jersey Under the Wire 1978-1979.  
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