When operating a Electric Train Under Catenary, do you have to power the rails along with overhead wire? Because In the Future I plan to Power from overhead with my Acela Express, but I don't how to power the interior lights inside the passenger cars. [ 11 May 2002, 17:45: Message edited by: AcelaExpress2036 ]
I would power the Catenary wires for the motor to power the motors to pull and then also power the rails for the passenger cars! Only thing is, make sure the motor is separete from the lighting sources in the loco's and all. And if done right you can control the dimness or brightness of the lighting with a power pack connected to the track power terminals, same with the loco's head lights and all as well and be isolated from the motor and its power being electicfied through the Catenary system... Also most like DCC. But with Cab Controls. I've ran a Pennsy GG-1 similar to this! The AHM GG-1's have the 2 pantographs, well both pick up the same polarity from the overhead, (positive) and the negitive polarity was picked up by the left rail and sent to the motor. Isolating the motor by cutting the wires from the motor that goes to the opposite electicified right wheels from the ones that supply power to the motor, run that wire to one side of the lighting system. Then take the other wire and connect it to the other lighting system wire. After this is done, take the rail supply wire that puts electric to the bulbs, the wire powering the lights and put in a Reostat, "dimmer switch" between the right power feed rail and the SAME power pack! Then you can turn that up or down to control the dimness or brightness of the head light or reverse light. And can also control the loco speed separetely without the use of DCC! And this also allows you to run any normal diesel on that same track being you have both possitive and negitive feed wires on the rail, just turn the reostat all the way up, to control the train by the power pack or, you can turn the power pack all the way up and use the reostat to control the speed of the train, But the Catenary wire will always be possitive! and have one negitive wire and one posstive. So the GG-1 or "Electirc" locos cab have controlable head lights or reverse lights separete from the controls to the motor. [ 11 May 2002, 21:42: Message edited by: 7600EM_1 ]
