A bit more quiet than our usual picks for Tuesday, and quite charming! From one of the comments on YouTube: "The RRVT is a 24 inch gauge private railway located in northern Illinois. It was started in 1951 by a group of traction fans and railway employees and has continued to evolve throughout the years. It has 3,500 feet of track, all under catenary which is energized by 240 volts of alternating current." Thank You, Merle, for the pick!
That's interesting.
ReplyDeleteI checked the YouTube site and this is their blurb.
"The RRVT is a 24" gauge private railway located in northern Illinois. It was started in 1951 by a group of traction fans and railway employees, and has continued to evolve through the years. This line has about 3500' feet of track all under catenary that is energized at 250VAC. There are various pieces of equipment on the line, from streetcars to speeders and numerous freight cars for performing line maintenance. The only goal is to have fun and keep the equipment running while expanding the capabilities of the operation and striving for continuous improvement of the physical plant. We hope this channel will inspire someone to build their own setup and pass the fun of miniature railways on to the next generation. Sit back and enjoy!
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A 250 VAC naked wire at head height might provide way too much excitement if you come into contact with it.
I spent a year and a quarter working as a mechanic for Philly's heavy suburban rail system, and their overhead catenary system use 12 thousand volts.
12KV equals instant crispy critter!!!
DeleteMerle.
ReplyDeleteFrom time to time thieves would climb atop the cars to steal things and they would make contact with the line.
There's a saying that goes, "It won't hurt you. It will kill you, but it probably won't hurt."
I'm not at all sure that is true in this case.
John, I watched a few videos of those electrocutions, and I don't recommend it. I'm not afraid of being dead, but I haven't seen a way of getting there that I would like!
ReplyDelete