In town spacing of telephone poles

Try this thread, lots of input.

https://ogrforum.com/topic/telephone-poles

The Search function can give a wealth of info.

Where's the search funtion? I searched for it but couldn't find it.

The poles across from my house are about 100' apart.  The block is 200' deep and there are three poles.  These poles have electric lines at the top cross arms and phone and cable tv about the feet down from the top.  I live in town.

I placed hundreds of poles for a utility in my younger days.  They are up to maybe 100' apart as the most common max distance in town but may be less depending on the situation.  you sort of have to put them where you can in a city and it is common to have some as close as 40 feet. 

when i was taking driver's ed. in HS i remember the instructor mentioning the 100' standard for telephone pole spacing that we could use as a guide as to when to turn on our blinker to indicate a turn.

Are you really asking about telephone poles, or are these power poles?  What era are you asking about, open lines or cables?  As Lee pointed out, in the city poles are put where they can find a place to put them.  Telegraph/telephone poles with open wire were placed along railroads at a rate typical of 40 poles per mile. On cables the phone company usually puts up a steel messenger wire to support the cable.  This arrangement can usually span what ever the power company spacing is.  

The spacing of the power company poles varies depending on the strength and size of wire.  If the span is too long the wires can slap together with spectacular results.  This can be controlled with crossarm length and intermediare spacers. Power distribution poles could be 300 feet apart.  In city applications the poles have to be spaced to support service drops to each house.  Narrower lot widths may produce closer pole spacing.  In areas with lower voltages using copper conductors, the weight of the wire can get so high that this can control pole spacing.  Some aluminum conductors are wound around a steel core to increase their strength to allow longer spans.  

If the poles once supported simple suspension trolley wire the spacing is probably 100 feet on straight runs and 60 feet on curves.  If it was an interurban railway with catanery construction, the standard span was 150 feet.

I hope some where in all this is the answer you are looking for.  Good luck with your project.

Might also have a little to do with the era being modeled, too.

Your guess is as good as any! If I placed them on my layout  with that standard (100 feet in scale) then I would have to remove about 5 from my existing layout (the town portion). I usually put them in between houses which are spaced about 3 inches apart.

Of course I should point out that when I got my O gauge layout was about 2005 in addition, I had some extra brown plastic poles from my American Flyer layout that I keep in storage from 45 years ago. they also work well. In this way I can blend the old with the new (or relatively new).

Mike Maurice

Are you really asking about telephone poles, or are these power poles?  What era are you asking about, open lines or cables?  As Lee pointed out, in the city poles are put where they can find a place to put them.  Telegraph/telephone poles with open wire were placed along railroads at a rate typical of 40 poles per mile. On cables the phone company usually puts up a steel messenger wire to support the cable.  This arrangement can usually span what ever the power company spacing is.

Yes and yes.  I am modeling the early-mid 1950s.  From photos, I know that these are (at least) power poles (some have 3 transformers).  They are in the downtown area.  I suspect they also carried telephone lines.

George 

I almost answered you.............(blue band at the page top)

George

In an urban/residential setting, a street pole line would generally have pole spacing in the range of 100-120 feet. Pole lines are generally joint use for all utilities with overhead facilities. In the 1950s , this would have been the electric distribution system an telephone. In New York City,outer boroughs, there were Fire alarm and police call boxes as well  so there would be a second set of communication cables. The poles would also be used to mount street lights .  The electric system could have both primary wires and secondary wires on the same pole line. Telephone and communication lines were below and minimum clearance had to provide for street crossings. So your communication lines might be cable at 18-20 feet above ground, electric secondary using cable or tree wire at 23-25 feet above ground and Electric primary with open conductor, single or multiphase at  28-30 feet above ground. Pole height might be in the range of 35 feet but higher if a primary tap was made for a cross street as an example. Pole mounted transformers would generally be placed away from intersections because of increased chance of vehicle hits.

Hope this helps

The responses to this thread have been very helpful and I thank you all!

I now have enough information to be dangerous. 

In fact, as I drive around now I spend a lot of time looking at power lines / telephone poles. 

Thanks again.

George