An overhead line, or overhead wire, is used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point. It is known variously as
- Overhead contact system (OCS)
- Overhead line equipment (OLE or OHLE)
- Overhead equipment (OHE)
- Overhead wiring (OHW) or overhead lines (OHL)
- Catenary
In this article the generic term overhead line is used. This is also the term used by the International Union of Railways.
Overhead line is designed on the principle of one or more overhead wires or rails (particularly in tunnels) situated over rail tracks, raised to a high electrical potential by connection to feeder stations at regular intervals. The feeder stations are usually fed from a high-voltage electrical grid.
Read more about Overhead Line: Overview, Construction, Tensioning, Crossings, Multiple Overhead Lines, Overhead Catenary, Technical Advances Lower Running Costs, History
Famous quotes containing the words overhead and/or line:
“What a fog! Plane been buzzin’ around overhead for the last half hour. Must be like trying to find your way through the inside of a cow. I never did see such a country. Even the birds are walkin’.”
—Dalton Trumbo (1905–1976)
“A route differs from a road not only because it is solely intended for vehicles, but also because it is merely a line that connects one point with another. A route has no meaning in itself; its meaning derives entirely from the two points that it connects. A road is a tribute to space. Every stretch of road has meaning in itself and invites us to stop. A route is the triumphant devaluation of space, which thanks to it has been reduced to a mere obstacle to human movement and a waste of time.”
—Milan Kundera (b. 1929)