MisterBeasley How big a Free-Mo module are you building? You can probably get away with simple cosmetic catenary, or you could actually wire it easily enough to the same track bus as the track connection. The only difficulty might be trolley connection, which might be harden to keep continuous between modules.
How big a Free-Mo module are you building? You can probably get away with simple cosmetic catenary, or you could actually wire it easily enough to the same track bus as the track connection.
The only difficulty might be trolley connection, which might be harden to keep continuous between modules.
No idea yet, its still very much in the planning stages right now. I don't know what the Free-Mo standards would think of live wiring the catenary to the track power, but it could be a cool thing to do considering some locomotives are built for taking overhead wiring. For simplicities sake, I think cosmetic wire would be better than functional wire. Of course... with the Bachmann S70 I really have no idea what that product's specs will be, not even a render yet. All I know its been announced! So no clue if it will support overhead wiring or just traditional track wiring.
The only difficulty might be trolley connection, which might be harder to keep continuous between modules.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
My layout isn't free-mo but, I do plan to have removable catenary, 'PRR style' so I can take some believeable photos.
IMG_5578 by Edmund, on Flickr
My thought is to sink some hi-strength neodium magnets into the sub roadbed and cement flat steel* onto the bases of the catenary so they can be removable or they can be bumped into without damage.
*I had 'deconstructed' an old transformer and saved the iron core plates. Handy for car weights and loads plus other RR uses.
IMG_5517 by Edmund, on Flickr
I thought about threading some Berkshire Junction EZ-line onto them, they make a green color that looks like oxidized copper. Not enough to get tangled in but just enough to look convincing.
IF you were careful enough you could string the catenary wire and set the poles in sequence. Remember the "pre-strung" Rapido telephone poles? Kind of like that.
IMG_5507 by Edmund, on Flickr
My catenary poles came from a Shapeways designer.
Good luck, Ed
With Bachmann's recent announcement of upcoming Siemens S70 LRV's, I have started considering the possibility of incorporating a bit of modern light rail into a future free-mo layout. I have rode on the S70s on UTA's TRAX system quite a few times and see them nearly everday in my commute, so its a prototype I am familiar with. However, while I have seen modular railroads incorporate overhead wire before, I have never really seen any explination of how to do it. I don't need it to be functional overhead wire, but something that would be believable between module to module of were the S70's would be running. Any tips on how to make overhead wire fit into a free-mo set up?