Overhead Line

At the beginning of the construction, following the advice of the Buzzaceto model builder, I had considered using the kit-size mast system produced by Lineamodel. They are beautiful and very realistic, but I later realized that, although these masts offered extremely high levels of precision and realism, they would require considerable effort on my part to assemble. Furthermore, an expert pointed out to me that this realism had a trade-off: fragility. At that point, I explored other brands and my attention fell on the Sommerfeldt system.

I'll probably try this challenge in a future model, but for now, I've limited myself to assembling a few LS poles produced by Lineamodel that had been used on the main line.

The first masts I assembled were the "LS 1970" type from Lineamodel (item LM1030-31). This is a kit containing 10 pieces to assemble and paint.

The kit is made of photo-etched brass and requires soldering with a sufficiently powerful soldering iron (at least 100 W) and suitable flux. It was while assembling these first masts that I realized the commitment it would take to use them for the entire layout.

The three photos below show the final result. Note that the masts in the third photo are not from Lineamodel, but 3D-printed ones purchased from Modeltrain. These are inexpensive, but very fragile, even more so than the brass ones.

As previously mentioned, I used Sommerfeldt system for the main and secondary stations.

To construct the masts, I created a plywood template and used nails so that the arms were always at the same height. I started with a bare pole (item 226) to which the two lateral arms of the desired width were joined using a joint (item 201). The two arms were made using two pieces of 1.5 mm rebar (item 93) cut to size. For soldering, I used a 100W soldering iron and wetted the surfaces to be soldered with Sommerfeldt flux (item 082) using a small brush. Once I had a T-shaped pole, I cut the stays to size, which I then welded to the top of the pole using another joint (item 201) and to the arms at appropriate distances. The number of stays depends on the span to be covered. At most, with a single pole, I limited myself to covering four parallel tracks with three stays on each side.

Now that the mast structure is defined, the brackets and the support for the track rope insulator (item 206) need to be positioned. The correct position is determined using the template (item 158). Typically, the track rope insulator is fixed to the center of the track, while the bracket is fixed in such a way as to ensure the lateral offset required by the polygon. Both the insulator support and the bracket are fixed to the arm by first tightening them with tweezers and then soldering them using flux.

Once the poles and components (brackets and insulator supports) have been soldered, it is very important to wash away any residual flux using isopropyl alcohol and a small brush. If this is not done, the part beneath the solder, which is made of steel under the copper layer, will oxidize over time. Washing also removes any residue from the pole and prepares it for subsequent painting.

Before painting, the insulator for the load-bearing cable must be secured with a drop of cyanoacrylate glue. The insulator must be pre-assembled by inserting the small metal eyelet through which the load-bearing cable will then be passed. The same procedure is used for the spider's leg. It is tightened with tweezers around an insulator (previously threaded through a small nail to avoid over-tightening) and then inserted into the bracket pin and secured with a drop of cyanoacrylate glue, but not before checking the position with the template. To make the Sommerfeldt spider's leg a little more realistic (it is originally a straight piece), I made two folds to simulate the prototype. Note that all the necessary parts are included in kit art. 206, which contains 5 complete brackets with all the necessary parts.

Now that the mast is mechanically ready, it needs to be positioned and, using the template, the excess spider leg section can be identified and cut off with wire cutters. To do a good job, the spider leg should be bent before gluing it to the shelf and after cutting off the excess.

For painting, I used Sommerfeldt's RAL 7035 paint (item 085). This is a nitro paint, so it's a good idea to wear a protective mask to avoid breathing in the fumes. Once the poles were painted, I added the warning sign, which I printed on A4 paper and carefully thinned with a razor blade. I added a black ring around the base and painted the insulators white to reduce their shine (they were already white). As a final touch, I dry-brushed a rust color onto the areas that typically rust.

The Sommerfeldt catenary modules come in different lengths, which should be chosen based on the distance between the poles, which in turn varies depending on the radius of curvature. For the curves, I used item 181 (200 mm long), while for the station I used all the other available items. The products I chose have a diameter of 0.5 mm for the contact wire and 0.4 mm for the load-bearing cable and hangers. Although they are the thinnest Sommerfeldt products, they are still thicker than they should be to scale. Nonetheless, once installed and painted with Sommerfeldt RAL 7012 paint (item 084), they are barely visible and, frankly, have a very attractive visual effect. It's important to paint them, otherwise they tend to rust.

The load-bearing wire is attached to the spider legs by creating a small eyelet at both ends. The most critical part is cutting them to size. The load-bearing cable is less critical; it is threaded through the eyelet above the insulator and can be cut to length after attaching the contact cable. Before installing the modules, it's a good idea to file down the underside of the hangers, as slightly protruding ones can cause the pantograph slider to jam.

The load-bearing cable can be attached to the spider legs using either soldering with flux or cyanoacrylate glue. I used both methods for the model; glue was easier in the more difficult-to-reach areas, but welding provides a stronger bond. The load-bearing cable, however, must be secured with cyanoacrylate glue, otherwise the insulator will melt.

A critical aspect of securing the catenary is the fastening sequence; on the switches, the correct track line takes precedence and must be secured first and properly tensioned using tension springs that I hid inside the tunnels. Each branch line must (in theory) have a start and end anchor with tension springs (post item 209). I mostly met this requirement, but not in all places (especially in the main station, where I made some simplifications).

In both the main and secondary stations, the pantograph could come into contact (the test was successful), but I decided not to do this systematically to avoid the risk of damaging everything in the event of a derailment.

Aside from some poetic license to prevent the pantograph from derailing in some places with somewhat sharp curves (I created unorthodox masts, similar to those used on the Rhaetian Railway), the final result was very satisfying. The layout is now very close to the final result I wanted, as you can see in the following photos.