The LNER Encyclopedia

thought I would ask the wise people here.

is anyone making anything even closely of resemblance to early NER/LNER catenary in OO gauge?

ive got a EE1 and EF1 that will be the star attractions of a layout in planning, so looking for options

Hi Conemaster, I don't know of any. Do you have a copy of Shildon-Newport in Retrospect by Ken Appleby? There are some good photographs of the OHLE. It looks like it would be pretty simple to scratchbuild.

Worth casting the net a little wider, lots of catenary the other side of the North Sea, so there could be suitable HO product. A quick tour of what's online showing Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg might show something suitable?

And another thing: you have to be very keen to have it on your layout. Many compromise, just the masts, or the masts only on the far side of the tracks. When you are getting to the stage of putting in the catenary, perhaps try operating just one section with the whole thing to see how you get on?

There is also the mast that's to commemorate the ECML electrification on the central station.

Trestrol wrote: ↑Fri Oct 20, 2023 5:39 pm There is also the mast that's to commemorate the ECML electrification on the central station.

It's a while since I've been to Central Station, but if I remember correctly that is a 'modern' mast.
The 1915 OHLE was quite different.
Best reference is the Ken Appleby book mentioned above.

Depends what you mean by modern. The one I am talking about has a final on top and painted a brown/red colour. It was recovered from the area around Manors at electrification. There was at least two at the time. I know this as I worked for BR at the time.

The Quayside catenary was much different from that of the later more powerful Shildon/Newport system and was provided as a safety feature as the 3rd rail was not practicable in the yards. The main function was to transfer freight between Trafalgar Yard by Manors and the Quayside where a tank engine worked the yard, this short route was largely in tunnel on severe twisting incline which mitigated against the use of steam, the tank loco was ferried down and up each day by one of the electrics, they being shedded at Heaton and also visited S Gosforth hence their longest running was on the 3rd rail system of course. The catenary was more akin to the tram than the Shildon masts which were 100 yards apart.

thanks for the advice guys

will sort out getting a copy of that book as a good bit of reference material.

starting to think that its time to get a laser cutter and start scratch building a little more