Catenary Construction Begins at Midnight...

[ljudice]

Ok, so how exactly do you go about building PRR catenary in N-scale these days? (for your GG-1, that is).

Seriously is there anything out there? I am very familiar with the major Euro n-scale catenary products, in particular Somerfeldt, which is pretty incredibly durable. It is more likely you would slash your hand open if you build it properly than damage it while handling cars and locos. But neither the DB/OBB or SBB systems look ANYTHING like the PRR system.

It would seem as if the solution is to do masts that look PRR-ish to hold the Somerfeldt catenary itself, which I think is pretty generic and a well tested system.

Any garage shops out there doing kits - or am I thinking of HO?

Is there a market with the new Kato stuff, or will most folks just not care??



Lou

[nscalesteve]

you were faster - I was ready to start a thread with similar questions...
...I have to build a diorama for the GG-1 !

...the GG-1 in "all black" with a PC or a small CR on the side - so geil !

isn't the PRR catenary build like a triangle ? which actually have three wires between the masts per trak (instead of two like SBB/OBB/DB ?)

ok, what is out there beside the stuff from NCat ?

[ljudice]

Steve, no the New Haven catenary was triangular...


The wire and the supports - is pretty close to the European type. However, the supports are totally different and distinctive. It's sort of like a simplified SBB system - without those crazy ZZZZ bracings on the horizontals...

Lou

[ljudice]

From Jerry's PRR site - this tells all!

http://broadway.pennsyrr.com/Rail/Prr/Documentation/catenary.html

[nscalesteve]

From Jerry's PRR site - this tells all!

thank you Lou - that really looks similar to the SBB ones - shouldn't be that difficult to build then...
...some brass, some solder, a good saw and ready to go   

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Check this out too.

This is Hiroe's. He's around here occasionally:

http://darn-ntrak.com/html/drew.html

[Hiroe]

Man, i really need to edit that page. Disclaimer up top makes me sound like a jackass.

Anyway.
Most of the cat i've strung was actually made up as subassemblies at the bench, then woven together on the module. The primary thing to keep an eye on is the actual underside running surface; as long as it's clear of obstructions/snags/solder blobs, you should be able to run with pans up. Poles are mostly made from round brass stock, and/or the smallest brass H column they offer for the uprights, with code 70 rail for the horizontal framing, and 55/40 used for the diagonal bracings.  Use the small fabric pins (1/2" long) for putting 3x tiny glass beads on, then solder to the horizontal members so the pin has the leftover tail on the other side of the solder joint (which you can then trim off with flush-cut xurons). Span wires supports between upright poles are another jig-built subassembly; usually a 4-track width can be stretched to 5 or 6 tracks with the addition of one drop-wire for each track. Compound bracing and x-links between running wires over switches is typically built on-site, after the spans and running wires have all been installed.

It's been about 3 years since i had these modules set up and running with the wire energized; lack of workspace has been a real killer. (Can't wait till my housemates and i actually buy a place. I get dibs on the basement.)

[Mark5]

I ride under the wires daily.

The structures are rather imposing - you'd need a really large layout to not to be overwhelmed by them:



You can see more angles of them here:

http://www.trainweb.org/oldmainline/pa1.htm

If need be I can take more pix if you are insane enough to want them. 

[Bob Bufkin]

Those Marc cars listed with the keystones are ex PRR sleepers which Kato should be doing on their Broadway Limited.  PRR converted them to coaches and Marc and other transit agencies bought them for commuter use.  I believe a few even made it back into the PRR (Panama Railroad).

[Mark5]

Those Marc cars listed with the keystones are ex PRR sleepers which Kato should be doing on their Broadway Limited.

Some them are ex-N&W. There used to be a nice site with roster info at various points but it seems to be gone.

[Mark5]

Those Marc cars listed with the keystones are ex PRR sleepers which Kato should be doing on their Broadway Limited.  PRR converted them to coaches and Marc and other transit agencies bought them for commuter use.  I believe a few even made it back into the PRR (Panama Railroad).

Bob,

Did PRR use the Budd sleepers on the Limited (potential good news for ... ME!)


http://imagebase.lib.vt.edu/search.php

[Bob Bufkin]

Yes they did. I already have the Chambersburg Inn done up by Union Station Products for me.  Wasn't cheap but since I was born in Chambersburg, PA, I had to have it.
Bob

[brokemoto]

You would think that I would have paid more attention to this, since I live here, and have ridden AmTRAP up and down the NE for so long, but.......................

When AmTRAP changed the voltage on the PRR line and went to AC, did it keep the same catenary configuration that PRR had?  I know that the masts and towers are the same, but what about the wires?

[3rdrail]

You would think that I would have paid more attention to this, since I live here, and have ridden AmTRAP up and down the NE for so long, but.......................

When AmTRAP changed the voltage on the PRR line and went to AC, did it keep the same catenary configuration that PRR had?  I know that the masts and towers are the same, but what about the wires?

What made you think Amtrak changed to AC? PRR was always 11 KV, 25 Hz AC., as was New Haven. Think Amtrak still uses that, and the catenary is the same.

[ljudice]

Gregg you are correct, there was a plan afoot to change to 25kv AC 60Hz, which would have allowed the use of commerical power. But by the time they got to that point it was easier to put new solid state switching gear into the existing substations and convert from utility power to the traditional 11 kv AC 25 hz.

If I recall, this caused a lot of problems for NJ Transit, who bought equipment for the new system that was never implemented, though most newer stuff just requires throwing a switch during one of the "phase breaks" - I guess it would be a frequency break - where the NJT Morristown Line ends and the AMTK NEC begins.

Lou