On the Harpers Ferry to Baltimore route, I installed catenary in the greater Baltimore area on the PRR's main line coming up from Washington, and on to Philadelphia.
I'm using RRsignal's catenary together with JR Dark Gray track. One of the problems that I encountered is that the track radius on curves is not always the same as the catenary radius.
As a result, I found it necessary to add extra spline points on the curves, and adjusting them so that the catenary pick up wires are centered. This is where the “Catenary Height Tool” comes into play. It can be installed anywhere on the track and easily moved to a point where the catenary isn't centered, and a spline point has to be installed.
When you install a spline point, it creates a new catenary support structure, so you will find more supports on curves than on straight sections of track. You will find that this also occurs on the prototype.
Another area where the catenary height has to be adjusted is when going from a level section of track to say, a 1% grade. As you start into the grade the track will drop as it transitions into the grade, creating a smooth vertical curve. At this point, the panto-graph pickup bar will drop below the catenary wire.
There are two ways to resolve this problem. You can install additional spline points to adjust the pickup wire, or you can transition into the grade by adding short sections of track, starting with 1/4% grades, and gradually working up to the final grade.
RRsignal's catenary is very prototype looking, and the wires are not too thick, as with some powerlines. For track spacing, I adjust the spline circles so that they just overlap. This matches the spacing of RRsignal's catenary. This spacing will vary with other types of track and catenary.
When installing catenary in tunnels, I use RRsignal's single catenary wire, one above each track. On my route, I used my brick lined “Dig Hole” tunnels which are spline objects. Since the catenary is also a spline object, I had to install it in separate layers.
All in all, I spent quite a bit of hit and miss time arriving at the finished installation, but I am well satisfied with the results.
I would highly recommend using RRsignal's catenary and the Catenary Height Tool to create a good installation.
Joe
