Tips, Tricks and/or Tutorials for Working With Catenaries?

[NJCurmudgeon]

I'm creating a passenger line based on the New Jersey Transit ALP-46 - an electric locomotive. So, I need to include a catenary system for all my tracks. Finding ones that will work with the height of the ALP46 pantographs has been trial and error and I haven't really found one I like yet. Ideally, I would like to find something that has versions for single, double and quad tracks. But my real problem has been trying to wire up the yards.

Is there a good tutorial for selecting and laying out catenaries? I think I understand the basics, but could use some tips and tricks to make this go easier. I've read that NJT has been using a system based on the Long Island Railroad (LIRR), so perhaps there are catenaries modeled on the LIRR?

Thanks!

 

[JCitron]

Your biggest problem will be the height, which I found to be a pain because US catenaries are much higher than those for our European counterparts. I found I had to get the height of each spline and then raise it up by that much needed so the pants didn't run through the wires. The other issue to is many of the European ones come with a gazillion little tiny, itzy, bitzy parts that are needed to build the catenaries. They look really nice, but for me, I'm not sure if you have this issue, but those tiny parts are really difficult for me to manipulate partly because I can't see them. I think some are about the size of a fly leg.

Since you're working on an NJT route, you might want to go over to TrainzPro Routes and search for catenery there. You need to sign up for downloading. George Fisher also made some and put them over on US Locomotive Works. You'll need to look for George's catenery there. He did a bunch of Pennsy NEC type with the big power lines on top as well as some used by the old New Haven (the black ones with heavy metal power poles and frames). The New Haven style would be good for the New York end near Penn Station where the Long Island Railroad and the New Haven shared tracks into the station out near Sunnyside yards.

Here's a link to the TPR download for the NEC 6-track http://trainzproroutes.org/tprdownloads/index.php?act=view&id=2577
Here's a link to USLW http://www.uslw.net/


I hope this helps.

John

 

[NJCurmudgeon]

Thanks. Yeah, getting the spline heights just right is the trick. And getting those wires to line up so they look "natural" is hard on the eyes and patience too!

I'll check out your links. Thanks!