I pick-uped this post from the General Discussion Forum, and hope the MTH owner will read this: Welcome to the Bipolar electric. I´ve seen it many years ago, made in brass, painted, and there I known that one day, it will be mine (not in brass, but...). The problem is if the MTH model will run with both pantographs down: it is unprototipically (the -common- lack of a catenary in layouts also it is), but I´m affraid that pantographs totally up, will knock any tunnel or bridge !!!. What do you think?
I thought I read where there is a switch to choose from Pantograph power or track power. Perhaps someone else will chime in.
There is. There is also a switch to disable the automatic pantograph raising and lowering, so you cna keep them down if not running under wire. With no wire, they extend to maximum height, which will almost certainly catch on bridges and tunnels. On the real thing, the wire often lowered coming up to a tunnel and raised back up ont he other side, Since the pans are spring laoded, they would follow the wire pressure and lower down to clear then raise back up.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
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