Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Power Lines: Telephone poles w/wires and High Voltage Power Lines/Towers

7751 views
7 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    December 2008
  • 160 posts
Power Lines: Telephone poles w/wires and High Voltage Power Lines/Towers
Posted by rcato on Sunday, April 26, 2009 9:09 PM

Has anyone ever seen power lines or telephone pole lines cross over above a railroad track?

 

-Ron

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • 3,139 posts
Posted by chutton01 on Sunday, April 26, 2009 10:38 PM

This is a bit of an odd question - of course there are tens of thousands of examples - here's one from Long Island to start with.  The only thing is the wires must be higher at their lowest point than the rated clearance (the 'Plate' clearance pattern - the posted example is Plate C I believe) - actually, there has to be a safety margin too. This example from Bound Brook is probably Plate H (double stack rated).  High tension power lines are way above the clearance limits.

Aha, this example from Linden, NJ has everything you need - regular power/telecom lines, and High Tension lines, crossing over the NEC (Catenary) - and the Staten Island RR is also there too.

  • Member since
    December 2008
  • 160 posts
Posted by rcato on Monday, April 27, 2009 12:07 AM

Thanks.  I know it was an odd question.  I've seen them cross roads, highways and rivers.  Just starting out so I wanted to be sure that my layout doesn't look corny if I string them across above the track in a place or two.

 

Thanks,

-Ron

  • Member since
    September 2004
  • From: Germany
  • 1,951 posts
Posted by wedudler on Monday, April 27, 2009 2:27 AM

rcato
Has anyone ever seen power lines or telephone pole lines cross over above a railroad track?

 

In Model Railroader Oct 1981 there was an article by Gordon Odegard about Railroad line poles.

Wolfgang

Pueblo & Salt Lake RR

Come to us http://www.westportterminal.de          my videos        my blog

Moderator
  • Member since
    November 2008
  • From: London ON
  • 10,392 posts
Posted by blownout cylinder on Monday, April 27, 2009 5:44 AM

We have a few up here in a more rural part of my area where one sees that there are two powerlines---and we are talking the poles with only two lines here---that have poles next to the tracks a little taller so that the lines go up and over double stacks.

Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry

I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...

http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/

  • Member since
    February 2009
  • From: Enfield, CT
  • 935 posts
Posted by Doc in CT on Monday, April 27, 2009 7:41 AM

 At some point the power lines and phone lines have to cross the tracks (just like roads, highways etc).

I've noticed phone, low voltage power goes underground at overpasses in urban areas.  don't forget the orange balls on the long cable runs.

Co-owner of the proposed CT River Valley RR (HO scale) http://home.comcast.net/~docinct/CTRiverValleyRR/

  • Member since
    November 2002
  • From: Winnipeg, Manitoba
  • 1,317 posts
Posted by Seamonster on Thursday, April 30, 2009 4:07 PM

Doc in CT

 At some point the power lines and phone lines have to cross the tracks (just like roads, highways etc).

I've noticed phone, low voltage power goes underground at overpasses in urban areas.  don't forget the orange balls on the long cable runs.

If I'm not mistaken, the orange balls on power lines are only near a farm where the farmer owns an aircraft and are there so he doesn't fly into the power lines.

 

..... Bob

Beam me up, Scotty, there's no intelligent life down here. (Captain Kirk)

I reject your reality and substitute my own. (Adam Savage)

Resistance is not futile--it is voltage divided by current.

Moderator
  • Member since
    November 2008
  • From: London ON
  • 10,392 posts
Posted by blownout cylinder on Thursday, April 30, 2009 8:31 PM

Seamonster

Doc in CT

 At some point the power lines and phone lines have to cross the tracks (just like roads, highways etc).

I've noticed phone, low voltage power goes underground at overpasses in urban areas.  don't forget the orange balls on the long cable runs.

If I'm not mistaken, the orange balls on power lines are only near a farm where the farmer owns an aircraft and are there so he doesn't fly into the power lines.

 

That is true. There is also a variant that uses red/white flags on those long runs around grass runways.

Also, if modeling a housemove or large transformer move you can also use Orange flags on lines going over the roads. That was put on to identify location of overhead wires on construction sites for excavators etc.

Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry

I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...

http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!