# Railways with multiple overhead wires or multiple conductive rails



## Obelixx (Apr 14, 2005)

Which railways use or used multiple overhead wires or multiple conductive rails?

I know these:

2 overhead wires

Existing:
- Jungfrau Mountain Railway, Switzerland
- Gornergrat Railway, Switzerland

Not-existing any more:
- Railways in Northern Italy

3 overhead wires

Not-existing any more:
- An experimental railway at Teltow near Berlin around 1900
- Railway Zossen-Marienfelde south of Berlin for experimental high-speed trains between 1900 and 1904
- A railway of a brown coal mine near Cologne between 1900 and 1904

2 conductive rails
- London Underground
- Subway Milan

Do you know more?


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## WotaN (Jun 15, 2004)

I'll add Lisbon tram (or was it funicular?) and CFR line in France or Switzerland.


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## spsmiler (Apr 9, 2004)

Some mainline urban railway lines in north and west London also used two conductor rails.

Basically this was the North London Line (Richmond - Broad Street)
Euston - Watford line (local trains only, mostly dedicated tracks) 
and a few other routes also used by these trains.

Since 1970 the mainline trains have used third rail only, although in the 1980's parts of the Richmond - (now) North Woolwich line were converted to overhead wires, so the trains are dual voltage / twin system.

The fourth rails are retained where the mainline trains share the tracks with London Underground trains.

Simon

(btw, shouldnt' this thread be in the "subways and urban transport" section??)


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## spsmiler (Apr 9, 2004)

The Jungfraubahn features a three-phase ac system which requires the trains to collect power from twin overhead wires. This 9km line opened in 1912 and is electrified at 1125v.


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## spsmiler (Apr 9, 2004)

The London Underground uses a 4-rail system where the electrical return is isolated from the the running rails (the rails used by the train's wheels).

Sparks like this are quite normal and occurs when the electric power collection "shoes" of a train that is motoring (ie: drawing power) reach the end of a section of electric power rail.










pics from http://citytransport.info


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## Frungy (Dec 16, 2004)

Mm, I know some systems that use both 3rd rail and pantograph, but I don't think that's what you were asking for.. (Metro North and the Boston Blue Line T).


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## Tubeman (Sep 12, 2002)

spsmiler said:


> The Jungfraubahn features a three-phase ac system which requires the trains to collect power from twin overhead wires. This 9km line opened in 1912 and is electrified at 1125v.


The LBSCR 'South London Line' (London Bridge to Victoria) used the very same system after 1909, and a couple of other suburban South London routes followed (Victoria - Balham - Crystal Palace & Peckham Rye - West Norwood). The overhead electrification was all removed when the Southern Railway decided all its suburban routes should be 3rd Rail DC, from 1926 onwards.


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