Single-wire railway overhead system

A mathematical investigation of the static characteristics of a single-wire railway overhead system is outlined, and a computational method of obtaining the displacements of a mathematical model of the equipment, when excited by the passage of a pantograph, is described. The aims of the paper are limited to those of a preliminary investigation, namely to ascertain whether or not the system is feasible, and to obtain information concerning the suitable choice of certain parameters. Hence the mathematical model employed is a simple one, and a thorough quantitative analysis of contact-loss figures is not attempted. The results of the computation suggest that good practical results may be expected from the system at speeds up to at least 100 mile/h, if suitable parameters are chosen.