4 ms·

Are the overhead wires copper? If so what gauge? Anyone know how many lbs per linear foot of copper that would yield ? Asking for a friend

chiph 2y ago
Material can vary based on the use. Something like the TGV will use a different alloy than a slower regional line. A quick search shows bronze and hard-drawn copper are frequently used. But I wouldn't rule out stainless steel. BTW - tell your "friend" to wear their insulated gloves. They can be energized up to 25,000 volts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/25_kV_AC_railway_electrification https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/25_kV_AC_railway_electrificati...
- usr1106 2y ago
  More importantly you can get an electric shock, which typically means killed at 25 kV, without being even close to touching any metal. I believe something as far as 100 cms is considered a safe distance. In Europe youngsters get killed when climbing on parked freight trains. A significant part of railway traffic is electric over here, diesel is only for rural low traffic areas. The article is not worth HN. Not even the manufacturer is mentioned.
bluGill 2y ago
Not pure copper, they need to be tight enough for minimal sag between supports, and not wear from abrasion (the phantograph touching the wire). Copper doesn't have good characteristics for that. I don't know what Caltran uses, but it is common to have a steel core and plate it with something else.
- iggldiggl 2y ago
  Quite to the contrary, copper is the usual material used (either pure, or slightly alloyed to improve tensile strength and abrasion behaviour and things like that without compromising too much on copper's superior electrical conductivity, though that extra tensile strength is only really important for high speed railways – conventional railways could perfectly get by on pure copper alone). Sag is solved by tensioning the wire and using a catenary wire for additional support between poles, and eventual abrasion of the wire is just a fact of life for electric railways.

chiph 2y ago

Material can vary based on the use. Something like the TGV will use a different alloy than a slower regional line. A quick search shows bronze and hard-drawn copper are frequently used. But I wouldn't rule out stainless steel. BTW - tell your "friend" to wear their insulated gloves. They can be energized up to 25,000 volts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/25_kV_AC_railway_electrification https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/25_kV_AC_railway_electrificati...

usr1106 2y ago
More importantly you can get an electric shock, which typically means killed at 25 kV, without being even close to touching any metal. I believe something as far as 100 cms is considered a safe distance. In Europe youngsters get killed when climbing on parked freight trains. A significant part of railway traffic is electric over here, diesel is only for rural low traffic areas. The article is not worth HN. Not even the manufacturer is mentioned.

bluGill 2y ago

Not pure copper, they need to be tight enough for minimal sag between supports, and not wear from abrasion (the phantograph touching the wire). Copper doesn't have good characteristics for that. I don't know what Caltran uses, but it is common to have a steel core and plate it with something else.

iggldiggl 2y ago
Quite to the contrary, copper is the usual material used (either pure, or slightly alloyed to improve tensile strength and abrasion behaviour and things like that without compromising too much on copper's superior electrical conductivity, though that extra tensile strength is only really important for high speed railways – conventional railways could perfectly get by on pure copper alone). Sag is solved by tensioning the wire and using a catenary wire for additional support between poles, and eventual abrasion of the wire is just a fact of life for electric railways.