DP 399 A Sight To Behold

[Refugee]

We are getting fibered.
They cut our internet off for half a day and replaced the wooden pole with a new wooden pole because the old one was leaning towards the road.
They were not prepared to put there new fiber kit on a wobbly pole or even one that had once been wobbly.
I will only post photos of them preparing to pull the old one up.
The new one is in the shadows in the wide angle photo. It is just new so not for posting here.

Here is a place with a photo of one with the little pitched roof on it.
https://www.telegraphpoleappreciatio...intage/page/2/
It is about half way down.

And June 2019 here.
https://www.telegraphpoleappreciatio...-of-the-month/

[G6Tanuki]

I remember quite a few poles that had the little folded galvanised iron sheet 'hats' from my youth.

In later years there was a design of pole which was a fibreglass tapered tube with a sort of trumpet mouthpiece at the top. The cables were fed up the centre, presumably anchored somewhere at the Base.

These days it seems that wooden poles are shared promiscuously between old copper telco circuits, new FTTP installs,and a mix of old 4 or 5 wire three phase power distribution, though the latter is rapidly becoming obsoleted by ABC - Aerial Bunched Conductors - essentially 3 insulated cores spiralling round a steel strainer wire.

[Wellington]

Originally Posted by Refugee

I can remember many years ago seeing one or two poles with a little pitched roof on the top to protect the top end. I think they carried phone wires by a railway.

Originally Posted by G6Tanuki

I remember quite a few poles that had the little folded galvanised iron sheet 'hats' from my youth.

There are a couple near me with tin hats…

[matthewhouse]

Originally Posted by G6Tanuki

A few decades back I remember a trend for poles that were a tapered tube with a sort of trumpet thing at the top. I think they were made of GRP. There was no obvious anchorage of the cables, they just appeared to come out over the flared end of the trumpet piece, presumably they ran down the insides of the tube and were anchored at the bottom??

I believe they are anchored at the bottom to a metal ring with a curly wurly. I seem to remember seeing inside one being worked on where I used to live. I thought it was made of aluminium, but my memory isn't great. I'll have to have a look when I'm next passing.

I assume the design is such that all work can be carried out at ground level?

[Tim]

Tubular steel poles were used after WW2( you couldn’t get the wood you know….) but it was found they corroded from the inside out. I think there were some scary incidents where the steps snapped off! There shouldn’t be any in use these days.
Stainless steel hollow poles are used in places where it it deemed unsafe to climb conventional poles, such as close to spiked railings.
The GRP ones are no longer used as the outer skin degenerates, and if a vehicle catches a wire it can slit the pole down to the ground.

[Tim]

The earth wire down a pole is for testing purposes, such as locating battery( contact with another line) or earth faults( earth contact/water in a joint etc. ) Usually only found at DP’s(distribution points).

[Tim]

Originally Posted by Tim

The earth wire down a pole is for testing purposes, such as locating battery( contact with another line) or earth faults( earth contact/water in a joint etc. ) Usually only found at DP’s(distribution points).

DP399 last tested July 2019. Test cycle suggests the pole was less than 50 years old at time of that test.

[Roger Ramjet]

Originally Posted by Tim

The earth wire down a pole is for testing purposes, such as locating battery( contact with another line) or earth faults( earth contact/water in a joint etc. ) Usually only found at DP’s(distribution points).

I do recall 3 wire (flat) dropwire being available in the late 60's. The centre wire was used to extend the pole earth down to the sub's premise's. Deployed specifically for shared service lines whereby it was impossible to obtain a good earth and / or install an earth spike at the actual premises.

When the pole was "dressed"' prior to installation, the earth wire was spiraled around the bottom end to ensure a plenty of copper made contact with the surrounding soil.

Rog

[Tim]

Hi Rog.
Yes, of course you are right. Originally also an Earth for party lines etc.
We still fit an earth to DP poles at points in the network, even though party lines etc. have long gone.

[rambo1152]

Hi Tim. Could you please comment on the pictures I posted in #13?

Was the finial on top of the pole connected to earth for lightning protection?

[Tim]

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!

[rambo1152]

Interesting,

That's something else I was going to ask, the official name for those steps, are they really called arms? I was thinking (guessing) something like "climbing irons".

All the poles with DPs round here seem to still have them, but I suspect they are only used as a last resort when a cherry-picker can't be positioned close enough.

There seems to be a height limit for the dropwire at the customers premises too, no longer "under the eaves", unless it's a bungalow.

[Tim]

Steps that run up the pole are simply called steps. The pictures in post 13 show arms( with all the insulators on. )
There is a checklist one must run through before climbing. It includes( but is not limited to) verifying the minimum height of any wires across roads, gateways, car parks etc. of 5.5 metres. Below that you don’t climb. Aerial cables this rule applied for 3 spans back too( as any vehicle strike to the cable could pull down several poles. Indeed an engineer was killed like this some years ago, prompting the change). Then check for hazards round the pole such as spiked railings etc. Check pole markings. A red “D” indicates a pole tester has found the pole to be defective or rotten and is not safe to climb. There may be other markings such as “C”( shallow depth but climable), “Z” -safe zone for ladder.
There is a lot more involving test dates and the age of poles etc. Drop me a PM if you want further details.

As above there is a minimum height for wires across roads of 5.5metres( some main roads are designated “ high load routes” so wires must be 6.5 metres.
Wires can be “ as high as practically possible “ over gardens etc.
Must not be attached to chimneys, if the fixing is above roof line. Any new wires must be erected no lower than 5.7 metres. If this can’t be achieved then they can be 5.5, but then an A2024( advice of plant requiring attention) is submitted for a survey.

I hope this helps.

[rambo1152]

My apologies Tim, I meant to reference #18

[Tim]

Hi Graham.
Most finials were/are wooden, although I have seen some metal ones. They tend to be cast Aluminium, and I think, hollow.
As far as I know, the finials are, as you have surmised to protect the end grain at the tip of the pole. The “ tin hats” shown in other posts are a later implementation of the same thinking. All poles are pressure treated anyway, still using good old Creosote ( it’s not a good idea to climb in shorts, particularly on a hot day. Apart from the obvious danger of splinters, oozing creosote can irritate bare legs!). Other methods of preservation were tried, along with different chemicals but Creosote was found to be the best.
The little white label at the base of the pole has the date and employee ID number of the last engineer who tested it.( Unless it’s faded off in the sun, which is quite common). Should be completed before climbing.
A couple of the pictures in post 18 show the spike that mounted the finial. The only reason the earth wire is wrapped round it is to stop it poking the engineer in the eye!

[slidertogrid]

A good selection here. I must have driven down this road many times (admittedly not for a while) only today did I notice all these poles ! I blame this thread!
Rich

[Tim]

Hi Richard.
Ah, a pole forest. Usually found at Openreach training centres.
Interestingly enough at every trading centre there are usually also some rotten/defective poles( well away from the climbing field) to train engineers so they know how a rotten pole behaves when tested. Also Essential for training pole testers!

[Roger Ramjet]

1969 - 70 and GPO Telephones had a training centre at the old Army Barracks in Glen Parva Leicester. At the rear was a grassed paddock full of poles for training use. The poles were only about 6 foot high but were dressed with cross arms & porceline insulators. We [youths in training] spent one afternoon learning how to terminate & tension open wires.

Just the other side of the fence was a young offenders prison & we certainly had the mickey taken when working on these low poles decked out in our a red GPO helmet, goggles & safety belt plus of course Totector's

Rog