@John Sethian posted:Thank you everyone for the kind words..and encouragement! It’s always rewarding to hear praise from fellow modelers. As anyone who has built any kind of catenary knows, it’s more an act of perseverance than anything else. I am sure Andy Rubbo, Drew McCann, Elliot Scher, Bruce Webster and Marty Fitzhenry (who hasn’t weighed in here, but who has built a very impressive operating Lionel-like system) would attest, it’s not that hard, but it does require precision, and it does take time. It also helps if you are not afraid of making mistakes. My friends will tell you that I have been threatening to get some type of catenary up for quite awhile. I finally did it, and I am glad I did. So for those of you still considering it, I hope this post inspired you, and above all…GO FOR IT!
John,
Do you have to have much (or any) horizontal tension on the messenger and auxiliary (contact?) wires to prevent the pantographs from pushing them upwards when they touch?
