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Old 28th Oct 2022, 11:03 pm   #31
Tim
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 3,301
Default Re: DP 399 A Sight To Behold

Hi Graham.
Er, OK. I love poles with arms on like that. Nice to look at but awkward once one gets to the top, with little room for the safety belt( & fall arrest lanyard). I think I would get a “hoist”( cherry picker) if I had to get up that one. There are still a few poles with arms on left, mostly out in the country, but one or two big ones in Bath I know of.
The ceramic insulators are also a junction point. The top cap unscrews, and there is a hole through the length of the insulator to bring the wires in from the bottom to the cavity under the cap, where they could be joined. In days of yore this was usually crimped, or sometimes simply twisted together with a special tool. The cavity was then sealed with putty or “compound sealing something or other) and the cap replaced.
With current dropwiring techniques, the above method hasn’t been used for some time. I think the arms will soon be a thing of the past, as they occupy valuable space needed for optic fibre equipment.

On the subject of finials, Chris may well be correct. There would also be a slight benefit in the weather protection afforded to the end grain at the pole top. There was a project some years ago to remove all the finials from the tops of poles, as they were going rotten and in danger of falling off. Having seen one up close, I can confirm they are a large lump of wood! We were always told not to catch hold of the finial to pull ourselves up when belting on at the top. I guess someone must have had a nasty experience!
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Last edited by Tim; 28th Oct 2022 at 11:14 pm.
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