[milwaukee-electric] Re: Extra Wires

[Gary Schnabl]

On 11/21/2010 4:12 AM, Ken and Tracie wrote:
> I believe this is South 16th Street, looking northbound towards the viaduct.
> If you study the trackless trolley overhead, you will notice, on the east
> side of the street, two smaller gauge wires, suspended from the span wires,
> between the streetlight pole and the strain insulator. I wonder what they
> are?
> The feeder cables are strung from insulators mounted to the poles by hook
> shaped bracket pins and the streetlights are the type feed by underground
> circuits. I remember Milwaukee using above ground streetlighting circuits,
> but those were usually used with wooden pole construction, and almost always
> were accompanied by small transformers at each light.  Besides, I do not see
> the wires feeding the streetlight on the right.
>
> I am wondering if this might be a circuit tied in with the contact wires, to
> trip the traffic signals at National Avenue. I know the 60th&  Vliet Street
> loop had some sort of contact on the trackless trolley overhead. Not sure if
> that was for traffic signal control or a dispatching communication device.
> Pittsburgh's 42/38 streetcar line had trolley pole activated traffic signals
> at both the Mount Lebanon loop and the also where the car line left
> Washington Road for private right of way prior to the line being placed into
> a subway under Washington Road.
>
> Any ideas?
>
> K
If that were 16th Street facing north, what would those taller buildings 
west of 16th Street north of the valley be? Were there any such 
buildings west of Marquette University? Might that have been facing 
south instead, by Clyborn or whatever other street that was north of the 
valley?

I do not believe it could have been 27th Street facing south because my 
father had a general-contractor drinking buddy (Art Baer) who (I though) 
had his place of business on the NW corner of the street north of 27th 
Street where that metal coating building would be if it were on 27th.


-- 

Gary Schnabl
Southwest Detroit, two miles NORTH! of Canada--Windsor, that is...