The standard catenary wire measuring system measures the position of the catenary wire at rest. With the pantograph the catenary wire position can also be measured under dynamic conditions.
The pantograph simulates the same dynamic loading normally applied to the catenary wire by a locomotive travelling along the track. The actual pressure applied by the pantograph to the catenary wire and the accelerations are measured. Additionally the catenary wire voltage is measured. The loss of voltage also indicates when the dynamic forces will cause the pantograph to rise from the catenary wire.
All measured data are transmitted to the central server, synchronized with the distance measurement and stored.
