Re: SVRy . Telegraph Pass

Fellow SV Ry guys,
"I can tell you from what we found out on the line that the construction was definitely NOT typical RR telegraph, but rather looked like local phone circuitry. Looking at the photos I have, it looks just like what we found in the field."
I might have to argue about that. Just because there are even pairs of wires doesn't necessarily mean telephone. Many of the pole lines I worked with as a Wire Chief on a major railroad had four wires .... one Dispatcher's telegraph line, one Western Union/railroad message telegraph line, and a pair for a telephone circuit.
Here's what you can do: if you can't find data (many railroads maintained a book with pole diagrams in it..) check out all the photos you can find. If it was telephone, there will be evidence of transpositions. Phone circuits get very noisy ubless the wires are transposed every so often (basically rotated so that magnetic fields are disrupted.) Normally this calls for a special bracket to hold a pair of insulators as one wire is brought up and over the other wire and their positions are reversed.
I have never seen a photo of the wire line on the SV with transpositions. I'd bet that later on they were there, however. Check out all the real early shots you can find.
Regards,
Skip
Former telegrapher, wire chief, and dispatcher.
SV Ry. Member
Morse Telegraph Club Member