SBB  , FS and NMBS catenary

SBB CATENARY

First a few pictures, then the explanation of how we make our catenary. You can probably have more details, but we have to change our layout to exhibitions, so... concessions have to be made.

Since we represent a Swiss railway, an overhead line is required. There is no compromise: it will be a one-piece contact wire. To make this possible, both the contact wire and the support wire must be tensioned at both ends. The overhead line masts are integral with the overhead line and must be removable. The brass tubes from K&S can be pushed together without play. The pipe with the largest diameter is fixed in the landscape using 2-component epoxy adhesive. The contact line mast is attached to the other pipe, also by fixing the fastening screw with 2-component epoxy adhesive. So that the glue doesn't flow down the bottom, I first filled the tubes halfway with acrylic paste or silicone paste. It is important to use quick-drying glue and make sure the poles are vertical in all directions. At first I thought I would make my own catenary pylons (see picture), but then we contacted Art-and-Trains.it and the decision was quickly made. In the long term we will also change and use the Märklin masts a little. The advantage of this system is that you can use the overhead line e.g. B. can change. from SBB to DB or even to FS. We will probably install FS masts somewhere in the future. The wire I used is 0.3mm and 0.5mm, Phosforbronze wire from the company hO-fine. This wire is available on a roll and the vertical connections must be soldered when tensioning the contact wire and the support wire between the two tensioners on the track. (These are located in the two technology boxes on the left and right of the track.

The clamping devices are just 2 threaded rods on which 2 brass tubes can be moved. A brass plate is soldered to the pipes, in which a bolt is fixed. The end of the thread can be hooked onto this plate and tensioned. If the overhead line is removed, the 4 poles will need to be stored somewhere along with the wire. For this purpose, a holder was made into which the pylons fit. This is then pushed into a transport box so that everything is well protected during transport. Here you can clearly see the brass tubes in which the pylons slide. The rope is also attached between 2 poles to prevent the vertical suspension ropes from coming loose. The soldering points are additionally reinforced with a thin layer of 2-component epoxy adhesive. In the new part of the landscape in the curve we are somewhere on the border between Switzerland and Italy. In this part of Italy the overhead line pylons are of Italian design. The electricity is still SBB electricity. We bought masts again from Art&Trains.it. But I would also like to put the modern masts on the route. So I will make the mast myself. I found a film on YouTube about the installation of the overhead line on the FS railway. I also made an estimate of the dimensions in 1/32 based on other documents. First, a mold has to be made to bend the bent wire between the two halves of the mast. Using a drill stand, I drilled holes in a wooden board with a slightly smaller diameter than that of the nails I will use. I then hammered the nails into the floorboard and then cut them shorter so that the bent wire can be removed more easily. The bent wire (0.8 mm) needs to be soldered. The shape has the following dimensions (once the mast is finished it will be clear whether the overall impression of the mast is good, otherwise the Dimensions can be changed).The bent wire makes a complete movement over 53.2 cm or +- 1.7 cm. I used 17cm or 5.2mm as the distance between the 2 U-profiles (5x2mm). Since the diameter of the Wire is 0.8mm, the nails in the form must be 3.6mm apart. Basically, the short side of the U-profile should not be 2mm, but only 1.5mm. I used 2mm here in the first test and will see if the mast looks acceptable. We are now at the end of November 2022, plans have changed slightly in that the entire turnaround will take place in Switzerland. After the fall of the Wall, the small train station was built, now with NMBS overhead lines, which will be provided with an Italian-style station building and FS upper section

Spur 0 catenary pole

First a few pictures, then the explanation of how we make our catenary.You can probably have more details, but we need to convert our facility to exhibitions, so... concessions will have to be made.

What started as a joke has now developed into a massive work.First of all, we wanted to convert the “retirement home” facility to a Belgian facility without overhead lines. Then I thought it would be fun to put a “catenary under construction” on it. I made some poles out of polystyrene profiles. However, since these were not nice and straight, I decided to place brass poles. And since brass was still used, the step to complete overhead lines was quickly made.After some research and photos, I started making the poles. As you can see in the photos the bars were made from 8mm H profile. I will list all the dimensions again. Several molds were made to solder everything as cleanly as possible. In reality, the masts are mounted in multiples of 7 meters from each other, with a maximum distance of 63 meters.The main route is finished for now. Tensioning masts still need to be erected for the overhead line of the diversion track. The intention is to bring this railway to an exhibition one day. The system measures almost 9m x 80cm. The contact wires initially consist of 1 piece. Therefore the masts are removable and a solution for transport still needs to be found.

First part : scale 1:1

Second part :scale 1:32

FS Catenary

FS catenary

Some photos of Italian railway infrastructure (2008-2024)