How do American RR's get their power?

JCitron said:

The railroads for the most part utilize electricity from the electric grid just like other companies do except for the equipment that can provide its own electricity such as locomotives running separate generators for passenger equipment or other equipment. In the past, the electric railroads generated their own electricity. The New York, New Haven and Hartford had their own generating plant near Bridgeport, CT. The Coss Cobb generating plant provided electricity for their whole system which ran at 11KV 25 Hz. The Boston and Maine had its own power plant located in Zilonite, MA (Renfrew) to power the 600V DC power for the Hoosac Tunnel electric motors. Today, the New Haven electric lines are powered by the grid and the B&M electrics are long gone. The New Haven system has been updated to 25KV 60 Hz to match what is used on the former Pennsylvania Railroad which it connects to in New York City at Sunnyside Yard and Penn Station to allow through service from Washington DC up to Boston. Before this upgrade, any locomotives or electric-powered trains required dual-power or switching step-up/step-down electrical systems to allow for the transition in power.

The power lines that follow the railroad are owned by a power company and not the railroad. The railroad leases the air space over the ROW to the power company to make some extra cash. In many locations, the railroads also rent out space for other communications lines as well including right on the old telegraph poles that run along the ROW.

When a rail line is abandoned, the ROW is still owned by the railroad and is still leased to the power company for access to their overhead lines. This is the case with the former Boston and Maine Bradford to Georgetown and the Georgetown to Newburyport and Georgetown to Danvers lines. These lines were abandoned between 1942 and 1957 and today National Grid utilizes the old ROW for their power lines. In some locations, the old bridges have been left in place for the utility trucks to use for line maintenance.

These utility lines serve another purpose for those of us who are interested in rail history and abandoned lines. Whenever there's a power line along a path look for telltale signs of a former railroad grade. This could be within a town where the line continues on at an odd angle and there are buildings and streets angled against the power line. Look in other places where the power line crosses roads. In those locations, there are sometimes signs of former rail crossings even if the tracks have been gone for decades such as short stubs of rail still visible, and finally where the lines cross over a river or creek there may be old abutments and bridge piers that are clearly visible even today.

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JonMyrlennBailey said:

I would think if a RR had power lines following it, the RR itself might also be a customer of the power company running those same lines. This is where the barter system could come into effect. The power company trades ROW use for electricity for the RR's own consumption, possibly. My uncle in Georgia had power lines running over his rural private property. The power company gave him outdoor lighting for his yard mounted on the poles. I'm not sure if my uncle also got free electricity for his home as part of the deal.

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