# height of lgb engines with pantograph lowered and raised



## tdonnellyem (Jul 8, 2012)

hello all,
i inherited my dads lgb train set a few years ago and decided the last few years to expand it. the layout i built has a couple of tunnels on it. i built the height of the tunnels based on the height of the 2 engines he has. both engines are stainz/started set sized engines. i am going to layer 2" foam for the body of the mountain to make the actual tunnels. i got to thinking this morning that if/when i purchase more engines/rolling stock, will the tunnels be tall enough? i figure the tallest engine would be any with a pantograph on top. so i am curious, what is the height of an lgb engine with the pantogaph both raised and lowered? thanks for your help and time.

tim


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## BigRedOne (Dec 13, 2012)

Will you actually be using LGB's catenary system? 

The pantographs are sprung against the catenary, and therefor will not reach their full extension. However, you will need to allow for the height of the catenary itself too. To be safe, I would allow enough clearance for the height of the catenary mast (305 mm.) 

Prototype practice often used lower catenary in tunnels, though model catenary systems often need to be modified to replicate this.


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

The height of th the pantograph on my LGB Crocodile is down 7", up 10". In the down position it is 1/8" higher than the top of the smokestack on my Stanz. This was measured on a shelf, not on track, so you will have subtract a little for the height of the flange. If you are going to run using the overhead, the height will be less because you will need some spring in the pantograph. Chuck


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## tdonnellyem (Jul 8, 2012)

thanks guys for your replies. as of now i dont plan on running a catenary system but you never know down the road. just if i ever do- plus the fact ive always wanted a crocodile engine i just want to make sure i have the proper height. after posting on here i found the answer in the explore the world of lgb book. it recommmends 208mm (9.1) inches for the height of the catenary system. i see that without the overhead wire the pantograph will spring up to 10 inches. thanks again for the help! tim


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

I have done this with a Faiverly pantograph in HO, and do not see why it should not work in large scale. I took some black thread and tied the pantograph shoe to the pantograph base to limit its travel. That way it appeared to be raised, but still cleared bridges and tunnels. I used a small drop of ACC glue on each knot to "freeze" it. The knots can still be cut with an Xacto knife.

I suppose that a sturdier thread, such as buttonhole twist, would work in our scale. Buttonhole twist can be found at any good fabric store. JoAnne's is the local chain, but the names may vary in your locale.

Just a thought,
David Meashey


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Tim:

The springs on the pantograph put some pressure on the cantanary wire. Many years ago I ran the LGB cog engine on a slope at my Lakewood, Colorado layout. In this case I was powering the engine from the overhead wire. The wear would be there whether or not you used the overhead for power.










I noticed that the top of the pantograph was starting to wear. The chrome (?) plating had worn through and the metal below was showing. To prevent having to replace the entire pantograph, I soldered a heavy gauge copper wire to the top of the pantograph.



















If needed, I could easily replace the copper wire without having to replace the entire pantograph.

Chuck

PS, the two bottom pictures were taken this morning and uploaded to my 1st class space here on MLS using FileZilla. It was a simple process.


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## Dave Meashey (Jan 2, 2008)

Chuck;

Good Idea! I will have to file that one away. Still not sure how many of my sparkies I will keep once I get deeper into live steam, but I do love electric outline power units.

Best,
David Meashey


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