Crumpled transmission towers due to ice storm - photos

**Altair** · Oct 8, 2022, 09:27 PM

Crumpled transmission towers due to ice storm that swept through Ontario and Quebec in 1998.

Previously:

Transmission tower collapses in on itself - GIF
Power transmission lines showing the curvature of the Earth - GIF
Transmission tower designs and their capacities - GIF
Helicopter airlifting transmission tower - photo
Unusual transmission tower design - photos

**nova_robotics** · Oct 10, 2022, 10:15 PM

Yup, and an unbelievably badass mayor DROVE A LOCOMOTIVE 1000 FEET FROM THE TRAIN TRACKS DOWN THE ****ING ASPHALT ROAD to the town square to use it as a makeshift generator to provide emergency power.

https://gizmodo.com/that-time-a-cana...d-d-1846307148

Ever want to see a locomotive driving under its own power directly on asphalt with no tracks? Here you go:

**Frank S** · Oct 11, 2022, 12:32 AM

He took care of a problem the best way he could, a heck of a lot more than most Politian's do

**nova_robotics** · Oct 11, 2022, 12:58 AM

Originally Posted by Frank S

He took care of a problem the best way he could, a heck of a lot more than most Politian's do

https://boucherville.ca/mairie-conse...ncine-gadbois/

She thought out of the box and made **** happen. 99% of other politicians would have just talked about it for a while, then blamed the left/right.

**mwmkravchenko** · Oct 11, 2022, 09:38 PM

I lived through this in western Quebec near Ottawa. 10 days without power sharing a generator between neighbors to keep our freezers frozen and the furnace running enough to stray warm. I totally missed this innovative lady getting done with what was available. Mt French is rusty but I think I understood 550 kilowatts available from the locomotive. Enough for a few light bulbs.

**nova_robotics** · Oct 12, 2022, 02:58 AM

Originally Posted by mwmkravchenko

Mt French is rusty but I think I understood 550 kilowatts available from the locomotive. Enough for a few light bulbs.

Better than my French, which is non-existent. I read from another article that the rated power of the locomotive was 2000 hp (about 1.5 megawatts) which would probably light up most of the town. The problem with that is the engine would be spinning too fast and the AC frequency would be much too high. So they had to slow the engine down to produce the 60 Hz that we all know and love to prevent things like the compressor in your fridge from self destructing. At the lower RPM the locomotive was only good for 350 kilowatts, which is still quite a lot of power.

**hemmjo** · Oct 12, 2022, 05:53 AM

This is some creative thinking in a pinch.

Trying to think through this process fills my head with questions. Did the cranes that lifted it off the tracks have to follow along so they could steer it? Was the road flat enough to keep most of the wheels on the ground during the trip? Trains to not have much travel in their suspension systems. Even after getting the locomotive in place, it is not just a matter of plugging it into the grid. In addition to the getting the cycles right, the voltage has to match what the transformers are expecting. I don't know enough about locomotives to know the voltage they use. Do they vary cycles or voltage to control speed/power in normal operation? They have to disconnect their little section of grid from the main grid to keep from killing the workers repairing the damaged sections.

They need to have one of these for next time. I bet this would be less expensive than all of the work and repairs needed to the road and the locomotive.

Crumpled transmission towers due to ice storm - photos-screen-shot-2022-10-12-6.48.29-am.png

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**mwmkravchenko** · Oct 12, 2022, 06:14 AM

Originally Posted by hemmjo

This is some creative thinking in a pinch.

Trying to think through this process fills my head with questions. Did the cranes that lifted it off the tracks have to follow along so they could steer it? Was the road flat enough to keep most of the wheels on the ground during the trip? Trains to not have much travel in their suspension systems. Even after getting the locomotive in place, it is not just a matter of plugging it into the grid. In addition to the getting the cycles right, the voltage has to match what the transformers are expecting. I don't know enough about locomotives to know the voltage they use. Do they vary cycles or voltage to control speed/power in normal operation? They have to disconnect their little section of grid from the main grid to keep from killing the workers repairing the damaged sections.

They need to have one of these for next time. I bet this would be less expensive than all of the work and repairs needed to the road and the locomotive.

Click image for larger version.

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After this storm many critical buildings actually have permanent backup generation. Fed by natural gas where possible.

**mwmkravchenko** · Oct 12, 2022, 06:17 AM

Originally Posted by nova_robotics

Better than my French, which is non-existent. I read from another article that the rated power of the locomotive was 2000 hp (about 1.5 megawatts) which would probably light up most of the town. The problem with that is the engine would be spinning too fast and the AC frequency would be much too high. So they had to slow the engine down to produce the 60 Hz that we all know and love to prevent things like the compressor in your fridge from self destructing. At the lower RPM the locomotive was only good for 350 kilowatts, which is still quite a lot of power.

Your numbers add up. And the 2000hp also rings a bell. If I remember correctly the alternator in a locomotive is poly-phase. So a few things to get right. 60 hertz being one of them.