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New to G Scale... interests are steam and electric radial or commutor

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  • Member since
    December 2014
  • 1 posts
New to G Scale... interests are steam and electric radial or commutor
Posted by TorontoBuilder on Thursday, December 4, 2014 6:26 PM

I just found out that the railway museum that I am a member of has created a G scale layout inside a boxcar on their grounds... so that saves me having to build a track to run what I build. But I do hope to create my own layouts, so I'm curious if anyone is running electric layouts with an overhead catenary wire system?

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Shire Counties UK
  • 712 posts
Posted by two tone on Tuesday, January 6, 2015 11:06 AM

Hi, I dont know ware you are based, but if you have any sort of live stock tame or wild your over head could be damaged all most every day.   I run track power and am based in the UK.

                Age is only a state of mind, keep the mind active and enjoy life

  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: North, San Diego Co., CA
  • 3,092 posts
Posted by ttrigg on Tuesday, January 6, 2015 1:47 PM

I must agree with two tone. When I first built my streetcar route at the instance of my wife I added a non-functional overhead. I spent 3 weeks modifying the catanary poles on the trolly so they would maintain contact with the wire. In the first few months I must have repaired the damaged wire and broken poles at least a dozen times. One morning as I let the dogs out, a neighbors cat was flailing in mid air on the fence. Somehow the cat had the wire wrapped around its neck and the wire was stuck on one of the fence boards. Even though it was a friendly cat who loved to romp and play with my dogs I still needed 6 stiches after freeing the cat from the wire. If you are planning an indoor system, then by all means build and enjoy the catanary system. I have had catanary systems on many of my HO and N scale systems (all functional with power). Outdoors, I would reccomend not doing it for the animal safety.

Tom Trigg

  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: North, San Diego Co., CA
  • 3,092 posts
Posted by ttrigg on Tuesday, January 6, 2015 1:49 PM

The cat survived after a 4 day stay at the vet and continued to play with my dogs for many more years.

Tom Trigg

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