Re overhead power lines

Re:Overhead power lines

trammayo said:
Pole diameters also increased to take the strain of the pull-offs. Traction poles for tramways used to have the designations, A, B, C, D et al. from 6" to 12"! One such 90 degree turn on the Bradford tramway system was nicknamed 'cobweb corner' and was said to block out the light:rolf:

As for four bolt fishplates, there was some discussion about them and observations on the forum quite a while back. The manufacturer provide one oval and one round hole either side of the rail joint - negating any expansion or contraction possibilities!
Click to expand...

Would this be the suspect?
http://choochoostuff.homestead.com/NMSDJ.html
 
Re:Overhead power lines

Madman said:
trammayo said:
Pole diameters also increased to take the strain of the pull-offs. Traction poles for tramways used to have the designations, A, B, C, D et al. from 6" to 12"! One such 90 degree turn on the Bradford tramway system was nicknamed 'cobweb corner' and was said to block out the light:rolf:

As for four bolt fishplates, there was some discussion about them and observations on the forum quite a while back. The manufacturer provide one oval and one round hole either side of the rail joint - negating any expansion or contraction possibilities!
Click to expand...

Would this be the suspect?
http://choochoostuff.homestead.com/NMSDJ.html
Click to expand...

That would be it Dan!:thumbup: Despite my comments on expansion, its still a good idea.
 
Grootspoor are also AZB stockists and a lot easier to deal with. BTW, although the AZB stuff is compatible with the LGB OHLE, it is different - for example, they produce catenary in 900mm lengths (LGB only 600mm), as well as some useful spans and the curved mast arms for use on curves - all useful items in reducing the Mastenwald effect that you get in multi-tracked stations using just LGB equipment. I think AZB have been in business, to judge from the pages of Eisenbahn Amateur, for a good many years - certainly before LGB went into difficulties. Did I say it was cheap? I did not!

GH
 
what sort of overhead you want?

Certified for 415 volt, 6k, 11.5k and 18k and live line transformer changes. lol lol:bigsmile::bigsmile:
 
Les had a look for 8mm ali tube 5metre about 10 quidll

Should get about 16 masts from the length
 
Re:Overhead power lines

I have learned quite a bit today.
1) Variable focus glasses are a waste of time when doing fine work; yes it?s taken me till now to work that out! From here on I?ll take the magnifying lamp out with me?
2) Plastic overhead fittings do not make the grade, my nifty little plastic Section Isolator, herein after referred to its common name of a ?Cut Off? broke the instant I tried to put some tension on it..

So lessons learned I made a new cut off and used some stainless steel that I scrounged from the stuff that stiffens windscreen wiper blades; I just knew I would have a use for it. It?s still a ?copy? of the really old type that was made from porcelain way back when trams were just hitting the period of electrification. I had some nice pictures in an old catalogue (which of course I cant find now) basically a U shaped length of porcelain upside down so the trolley wheel ran inside it, the trolley wire went up through a hole and was terminated so that the 2 sections of wire were insulated by the porcelain. They were not particularly successful; the porcelain proved too fragile and had poor tensile strength. There is only one of these in the LVET to separate the eastern and western sections and I?ve substituted the porcelain with a plastic channel. I?m not actually sure what is going to happen when in use, as the Pulse Width Modulated controllers seem to modulate the negative supply so as the trams have at least 4 wheels the 2 sections will be ?joined? while the car passes over the joint, marked by a marble strip between the rails. This as we have discussed before is a hang over from the days of cable trams where marble strips gave the Gripman a visual clue when to drop the cable. They eventually were all replaced with signs suspended from the overhead. Sydney Light Rail has the word ?Coast? on signs where they don?t want current drawn?.

Anyway it?s another major milestone getting the overhead work started on the Eastern Section. Enough ears are in position to support the wire; more will have to be placed to hold the trolley wire central over the bends. Some of the span wires may appear slack too, simply because there is no trolley wire there to provide some tension?.
I decided after much agonizing that I would not solder any of the support wires as it would make repairs difficult, and I?m sure repairs and adjustments will be essential.
​
d89f8130766949fca09604934f823a48.jpg
a12d2c88be6646c7b3fc106992000dcd.jpg
6c33f2a1991e4e67a535278ab7520ea2.jpg
ea2a14b5b01d4100be54588f2f65732a.jpg
0f4701af533446258606feb885c462a6.jpg
7f738829d2f948a7817266172e670cb6.jpg
 
Re:Overhead power lines

I love this thread. Appeals to all my geeky bits! The G Scale church is a wonderfully accommodating one: long may it stay so. :thumbup:
 
Re:Overhead power lines

i think i was lucky to get mine by shopping arround . i got 12 catennary masts with hangers and all the wire for 50euros . its only single line but thats all i need.
 
Re:Overhead power lines

A change of plans.... I was going to use multi strand brass wire for the Trolley wire; I have lots of it and its very flexible. But it tarnishes quickly. Soooooo I decided to bite the bullet and buy some 22 ga Nickel/Silver wire. It has good electrical properties and does not tarnish thus solving to a greater extent the cleaning of the trolley wire.... It's stocked by my local bead shop. I could have used tinned copper wire but its stiffer than the nickel silver and the tin plate could be worn off.....

I'm almost ready to run the trolley wire only have to install a frog first.... But I'm pleased with the visuals of the ears they will soon dirty up and look more natural.

b7122326a0974cf59eb81037ce7aa0a5.jpg
ef59e46d79c44d84911902377bd24992.jpg
​
 
Re:Overhead power lines

So how do those webs appear overnight, everywhere? Nice work Trev.
 
Re:Overhead power lines

We have spiders that come out at night..... but I've fixed em... sprayed with an outdoor surface spray will keep them off for "around 6 months" yeah or untill it rains....
 
Re:Overhead power lines

Looking through your pictures in post #27, I was freightened off my seat when I got to the sixth picture :nail::rolf:
 
Trev,
You say you fixed the Spiders with 'an outdoor surface spray' what do you mean by this as we have massive problems with the little blighters in UK.

Superb overhead work by the way. Have you tried the Model Boat Rigging Turnbuckles, not cheep but here and there make very good Tensioners. I reckon that you could even use them in Live Wire unless you are to use Poles rather than Pans.
JonD
 
Re:Overhead power lines

Just finished of the last batch of frogs for the overhead..... This would have been an ideal job for a CNC engraver, alas that is still a dream for me so it was done by hand using Dental burrs as cutters..... finish of with a fine file then a quick grit blast to create a "cast bronze" look.... the square tubes that are soldered on will take the support wires.... Now I have to put them somewhere I can find them again.....

58893fae2f8a4ff1b3f6c19834893d77.jpg
 
Yup Trev, similar to them. We use ones from Squires in Bognor UK. Our overhead lives under different conditions to yours I think. We are in full Sun so there is quite a bit of movement which I am sure you must get. We just found it very difficult to get Tension right in all area's without some sort of additional help. We also use the big Garden Fence Tensioners in hidden locations to get wire straight. We have wire runs in excess of 40ft so just getting it right without these would have been near impossible.

One day I must write up how we did it all on the Ruschbahn.
JonD
 
Hi guys,
Very interesting thread!
I just wanted to throw this one out there because I thought it was a good idea when I saw it: one of the guys in our train club has an outdoor LGB rack line with catenary, and he used either N scale or HO scale rail for the contact wire (sorry can't remember which it was) but it worked very well. I'm pretty sure it was nickel silver rail in about 3' sections.

Keith
 
Keith RhB said:
Hi guys,
Very interesting thread!
I just wanted to throw this one out there because I thought it was a good idea when I saw it: one of the guys in our train club has an outdoor LGB rack line with catenary, and he used either N scale or HO scale rail for the contact wire (sorry can't remember which it was) but it worked very well. I'm pretty sure it was nickel silver rail in about 3' sections.

Keith
Click to expand...
I've seen this idea used before, can't remember where though. It was 'N' gauge rail used for the contact wire with the fishplates soldered to the mast arms. A catenary system can be made very simply and cheaply with this method.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom