Insulators in Action
Newent, Gloucestershire, August 2005
A short of run of 4 poles within the grounds of a large house illustrates what can still be seen, tucked away in remote or hidden areas even within our towns and cities.
Image one is at one end of the run, the power wires terminate and head underground at this point. Attached also to pole in a lower position is a nice GPO pothead in use only as an anchor for the modern telephone line.
Image two shows the continuing power lines supported by P1600 insulators and two spools anchoring a power feed to the nearby church.
Image three is the fourth pole in the sequence and the other end of the run. Tappings are taken of here for nearby buildings and again we see the plain spools and traditional shackles in uses.
Of note is the copper finial still attached to the steel pole.
Image four was taken from underneath the pole to highlight the plain spools on these poles.
A Rover Legacy, August 2005
A recent trip to Longbridge, Birmingham, to see relatives resulted in a road journey which passed the Rover car factory. I happened to spot this lonely example gracing one of the entrances to the site. A quick chat with the gate man granted permission to take these couple of images.
American insulator classification has this down as a U-1671, 3 inches high and 2.675 inches diameter and these dimensions certainly suit the observed item.
It was too high to reach, so its maker and any markings remain unknown.
Idle partners
This brown GPO terminator and pothead sit high above a residential street, on a chimney breast, their job done. The accompanying telephone wire has been refixed to the fascia board when a new pole was erected.
Originally 2 uninsulated wires where used, usually being terminated by 2 potheads prior to entry into the house.
This has at some point be changed to a twin core insulated wire and simply tied off on the top insulator before dropping into the house and an internal junction box.
GelliFelen, June 2005
This slighty overhead shot was taken from the side of the Clydach Gorge at Gelli Felen looking down with aid of zoom to a minor supply line in the valley bottom.
Broken examples found at the base confirm the blue suspensions to have been made by Allied Insulators, a company formed in 1959 by the joining of Bullers and Taylor Tunnicliffe.
Cardiff, Allied Steel & Wire, May 2005
This pole stands alone at the edge of the Cardiff bay end of the vast Allied Steel and Wire complex. A remnant from earlier days when the railways connected with every dock crane, warehouse and other goods handling facilities. A small yard shunters hut is still in residence at the base of the pole but a large modern railing fence prevents a closer look.
A total of 17 insulators and a few fragments remain. The pole contains mixture of standard post office patterns and Terminators all originally in white, (honestly, they are white underneath the grime), some have the earlier, extended inner shed suggesting they are pre 1948.
Close inspection of the original photograph, reveals that out of the potentional 17 insulators, 14 are possibly still complete.
Two closeup shots of the pole in question
The Forest of Dean and a Steel pole route, February 2005
Deep in the heart of the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, a mains voltage pole route cuts through this Royal woodland in a North South alignment.
What makes this pole route unusual other than the fact that there are two separate pole routes running side by side, is the construction of the poles themselves. Constructed entirely of a singular steel tube with bolted steel steps and crossbars.
The main wire insulators are a more modern composite ceramic design with eight sheds and fixing bosses at either end cemented directly to the insulator body.
Standard glass, 11000 volt supsensions are used at wire joins or change in direction.
Close up shots of the Forest of Dean steel pole
Newport - November 2004
This fine array of pothead insulators adorns the side of the old Broad Gauge engine shed at Newport (South Wales) Godfrey Road locomotive stabling point.
The building itself is used by a railway maintenance company and sits divorced from the locomotive stabling sidings by the station car park.
Carlisle Railway Station 25Kv - October 2004
The West Coast main line from Euston (London) to Glasgow Central was electrified with 25000 volts between 1959 and 1974 and the image below demonstrates the overhead line to gantry interface.
The vertical suspension carries the pantograph contact wire at the correct height as it passes under the gantry frame while the twin horizontal suspensions carry the weight of two supply cable ends at a wire join. Each brown suspension disc is rated at 11000 volts thus a string of 3 is rated at 33000 volts.
New Passage (Bristol) - June 2004
A Gaggle of Insulators ?
How many can you count? I believe that I captured all 19 in this shot of a electricity distribution pole, situated in the very small village of New Passage, nr Bristol. New Passage so called when a new link from England to Wales by ferry was introduced in 1863.
All poles are identified in one way or another. The New Passage pole has a nice aluminium plate screwed to it, sadly a little bit to tight and consequently it has split from top to bottom.
For more information on new passage, follow this link to The Bristol Railway Archive
Barmouth - June 2004
This pole, situated on the east end of Barmouth Viaduct, carries three low voltage power lines which head underground at this point.
Shackle insulators barely in use
The righthand shackle bracket is bolted through the wood arm with an upside down insulator spindle. It's not clear if another insulator was situtated here or maybe it was just all that was to hand. The smooth surface and waisted pin are tell tale signs of erosion from the salt water, wind and sand.
This pole, also at Barmouth, has been simply been reused, two side mounted shackles providing the support for two mains electricity cables .
Newport - May 2003
These are GPO, double groove, Bullers No.16 potheads and unlike ceramic potheads used for the railways they seem to keep their ceramic lids longer
A large sectional ring is normally used to support the array of connections, though difficult to see in this shot, it would seem that eight sections are required for a full circle. Small vertical stays brace the ring.
Potheads in a typical urban setting and use