Hi Ed:
Thank you for posting. As much fun as it is for me to build, it is even more fun to share. I started construction of the track plan in November of 2015, and the catenary installation commenced in early April of 2016. The first overhead-powered train ran on 2/17/17, around 8:45p according to my camera. Remember that my current system uses 'simple' Euro style catenary, not the more complex Pennsy compound catenary. When I built a system using that style in the mid-2000s, it took me almost 4 years. I took almost no photos of that install, but I did get 1 or 2.
I am glad to hear you are building your own system; the world can always use more 'live-wire guys', as Marty Fitzhenry puts it. I would enjoy additional details on how you are doing it, prototypes (if any), etc.
For me, a large part of the fun includes the trials, tribulations, etc., that you mention. I am trying to model / replicate the operation of an overhead electrified railroad, similar to that which could be seen in the Pennsy era and onward. The engineering challenges and maintenance issues are part of that operation, and I embrace it all fully. Don't forget that the pantographs and underside of the wire often have more than enough silver conductive grease to make a mess on anything if you aren't careful! I do try (within reason) not to get that stuff smeared all over the locomotives, but it is of no consequence if it does. Real heavy electric locomotives were filthy. The system can be 'troublesome' at times. However, it is all worthwhile and very rewarding when it works, especially at speed, (see the YouTube links above).
It is a labor of love, but if you take the time to do it right from the start, and design effectively, then the problems you experience will be fewer and easier to remedy. I have yet to experience an operational derailment or pantograph damage of any kind. I have had two support structures fail, (as I detailed in the main post), but the wire remained intact due to the collective effort of the nearby support structure. Sometimes things have to fail in order to learn what works.
You may or may not need help, but I would encourage you to try to do as much of your own work as possible. I might also respectfully suggest that if your friends are always commenting on the 'brightness of your lights' (or the lack thereof), then perhaps you just need to be plugged into a different outlet, or acquire new friends.