utility pole question

[NW Mailing List]

Another thing which has been largely forgotten is the significance of white porcelain insulators on pole line.  They were used on every other cross arm to mark the Train Dispatcher's telephone circuit wires.  This was done so that the Section Foreman (or others) needing to talk to the Train Dispatcher could identify the pair of wires which carried his voice circuit, and could clip their portable telephone onto the pair. 

So my question is, who got to climb the pole to clip the portable phone to the line?   Or am I missing an important detail?

Jim Stapleton

On May 5, 2023, at 19:13, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:


Abram, Thank you for sharing those photos.  It seems that here is one of your shared images with the phone wires indicated with white porcelain insulators that you mentioned yesterday.
Mike Rector

<image.png>


On Fri, May 5, 2023 at 4:16 PM NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:
> Herr Rektor -
> 
> Glad you found my little scribblings to be of use.
> 
> If you want photos of the old style and new style pole lines together, go to the link below, which will take you to a directory on my Google Drive.  The directory contains the photos made by John W. Barriger while he was riding the N&W at various times.  The negatives are now in the St Louis Mercantile Library.  I grabbed the negative scans and edited them to my own liking.  Especially see Mr. Barriger's three photos at Glade Spring, probably taken in the 1930s, one of which shows the old engine coal wharf.  If you can use them, that will be my joy.
> 
> https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1PPcKXb-pxM4LilN_2636CHZ3g2mTfgMN?usp=share_link
> 
> -- abram burnett
> Alternative Holistic Convergent Energy Turnips
> ______________________________________
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