Dynamic characteristics of a catenary that supplies electrical power to high-speed railway is investigated. The catenary is a slender structure composed of repeating spans. Each span is in turn composed of the contact and messenger wires connected by the hangers in regular intervals. A finite element based dynamic model is developed, and numerical simulations are performed to determine the dynamic characteristics of the catenary The influence of the structural parameters on the response characteristics is investigated. The structural parameters considered include tension on the contact and messenger wires, stiffness of the hangers, and the hanger and span spacing. The hanger characteristics are found to be the dominant factors that influence the overall dynamic characteristics of the catenary.