[PRCo] Re: Ground currents

[Jim Holland]

Hi Herb!


	This is what I remember of the
discussion.     Someone thought it was to
maintain ground continuity  --  it's in the
archives if we can find it.

	That would then argue against PRCo
({[pat]})  maintaing cabling separate from
the rail system to return ground.


JB




-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [PRCo] Re: Ground currents
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2004 19:49:11 -0500
From: Herbert Brannon <hrbran99 at adelphia.net>
Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
References: <001101c3ed65$18bb1720$da59b13e at boris6>
<40256163.B1E84790 at pacbell.net>

I remember, on several occasions during the
late 1970s, seeing PATransit rail service trucks
welding rails on both Second Avenue and the 10th
Street Bridge. Rather odd, since the tracks had
not been used for years.

HrB

> Jim Holland wrote:

> Good Morning!

>> Boris Cefer wrote:

>> Hello!
>> Did Pittsburgh trolleys use any network of
>> cables to conduit back current from car tracks
>> to substations?     Ground currents cause
>> electrolysis which might result in severe
>> damage to various piping (water and gas) laid
>> under ground.    Cincinnati used double
>> overhead, which was the same, in fact, but easy
>> to maintain. We have been using large network
>> of back current cables laid under groung in
>> this country, because this arrangement is
>> required by our national technical standards.
>> Each transit company has to make an adequate
>> provision to protect others from ground
>> currents from its streetcars. I was told that
>> it is "throwing money away" and that in the US
>> doesn't exist any such requirement. Is it true?

>         Going to hazard a guess.

>         Had a discussion some time back, believe
> Bob Rathke kicked it off, where out of service
> trackage was maintained in  ({[pat]})  era
> just for ground purposes.     Believe it was
> Second Ave which was kept after 53-line
> permanently rerouted thru tunnel  And  Possibly
> even after 53-line discontinued.



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 JB

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