Phone Pole Spacing

[bob]

Ever seen one of those model railroads where the telephone poles are spaced about two inches apart? Looks kind of silly doesn't it?

Well, there's a prototype for everything...

 

[Larry]

Hey, Bob, where you been?

 

[Larry]

Around this town before Hurricane Charley there was very few poles w/any kind of spacing. But, now they have replaced a lot of the wood poles w/concrete. All the concrete poles that were broke off 20ft from the ground have been replaced w/solid concrete posts. Anyway, getting back to Bob's post, what are the spacings supposed to be Mr. Bob?

 

[UP2CSX]

Howdy, Bob. Those are not phone poles but electrical transmission poles. The reason they are so close together is that several phase lines merge and the whole thing is then undergounded, as indicated by the white conduits on the last pole. The lines went though transformers to reduce the voltage first and you can't hang more than one transformer on a pole. I assume that this line serves a residential/commercial area and it's cheaper to reduce the voltage to 240kv on the poles than later with underground transformers.

 

[blownoutcylinder]

Jim You're right about those poles.

I also seen poles close together due to replacements being put up and connections being made while the old poles were left up. After the old poles were disconnected they would be taken down.