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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!tektronix!hplabs!qantel!lll-crg!seismo!rochester!rocksanne!sunybcs!kitty!larry
From: larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman)
Newsgroups: net.railroad
Subject: Railway Communication Lines
Message-ID: <722@kitty.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 18-Jan-86 00:23:00 EST
Article-I.D.: kitty.722
Posted: Sat Jan 18 00:23:00 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 21-Jan-86 01:07:38 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, NY
Lines: 26


	I enjoy taking a train as a pleasant respite from flying, with the vast
majority of my train trips being in New York State between Buffalo and Albany.
I have noticed that a small percentage of this Conrail track has no open-wire
lines for signalling and communication purposes; from the presence of battery
pits and signalling at grade crossings, it is obvious that there is underground
cable buried along the track.
	However, most of the track still contains poles with open-wire lines.
These poles, insulators and lines are in DEPLORABLE condition!  Some poles
are actually at a 45 degree angle.
	Why is this?  Is it because there really is underground cable and the
open-wire lines are no longer used, so no one bothers with maintenance?  Or
is Conrail trying to tempt fate with poor facility maintenance?  I have noticed
a significant program of track replacement between Buffalo and Albany - which
means Conrail has money to spend.  Under these cirumstances, I find it hard to
believe that Conrail would fail to make the comparatively small expenditure to
maintain their open-wire facilities. On the other hand, if there is underground
cable, why doesn't Conrail spend the small amount of money to clean up the
environment and remove the poles?

==>  Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, New York        <==
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