Western Railroad Discussion > Helicopter Tree trimming

Lots of excitement today around Ellsworth, KS. Two Helicopters  with a 40' tree saw hanging at the end of a aluminum 3" dia tube was trimming trees along the KP Line trees.They started about a mile West of Black Wolf and are working there was East to Salina, 32 miles East of Ellsworth. They were working in Minneasota  and were told to come down here as the FRA told UP that you have one week to get these trees trimmed. The farther East they go,the fewer tree there is. I can't find my pics. that I down loaded so type in( Helicopter tree trimming ) in You Tube to see the saws trimming power lines. They said, that is the kind of work that they usually do. Very interesting. upkpfan

Helicopters have been used around here, without incident, to string wire on those big metal towers that carry high-tension lines...
 

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

that would be most interesting to watch....just a bit of skill in the chopter.......

Thinking back seems they did orchars too also the real deal is when they hover next to a tower or power line, a fellow sits on a platform and works off of it to do repairs. Or steps off of it onto a tower like its no big deal lots of uses for them.
 

BAB Wrote:
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> Thinking back seems they did orchars too also the
> real deal is when they hover next to a tower or
> power line, a fellow sits on a platform and works
> off of it to do repairs. Or steps off of it onto a
> tower like its no big deal lots of uses for them.
>  

www.haverfield.com
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/08/20 11:56 by Alco251.

BAB Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thinking back seems they did orchards too also the
> real deal is when they hover next to a tower or
> power line, a fellow sits on a platform and works
> off of it to do repairs. Or steps off of it onto a
> tower like its no big deal lots of uses for them.

There are some very cool videos online that show workers doing repairs, upgrades and inspections of high voltage power lines from a helicopter. Do a Google search for inspecting high tension wires by helicopter and you'll find a bunch of them. Worth a watch. The courage and skill that these folks exhibit (both the people on the outside of the helicopter doing the actual line work, and the superb chopper pilots too) is just amazing. I somehow stumbled across this information and such videos some months back, and I could scarcely believe it then when I first saw it. And I still can't. I can only deeply admire these people and the work they do.

Is there any electrical work done on the railroad by such methods (for example, catenary work on the NEC, or on the high voltage feeder and transmission lines built on the high poles above the catenary wire)?

ironmtn Wrote:
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> Is there any electrical work done on the railroad
> by such methods (for example, catenary work on the
> NEC, or on the high voltage feeder and
> transmission lines built on the high poles above
> the catenary wire)?

Pulling wire with helicopters is something you see with high-voltage transmission lines, and watching them pull the center phase (sock line) on a transmission line, from tower-to-tower, with a side-puller on an MD500 helicopter is really something to watch. I have never heard of this being done in an electrified railroad environment...most of my old associates in that business tend to do things west of the Mississippi, where access to towers and right-of-way is very limited with trucks and ground pullers. In mountain regions, with hot temperatures and thin air, the helicopters are often maxed-out on lift capability...so much so they put a measured, minimal amount of fuel on board, unbolt and remove anything else not critical to the mission. Precision stuff. They are also used in rugged terrain to set poles on distribution lines. A friend in Thaliand says his local power company uses elephants for that kind of work.

Several years ago BNSF employed a big western contractor with an S-64 "Skycrane" helicopter to remove the classic black signal bridges on the Crookton Cutoff in Arizona. I have seen pictures of the operation...wish I'd been there.

I attended the shortline convention a few years ago in Nashville and the big attention-getters on the trade show floor were a contractor pitching his helicopter saw for right-of-way trimming as described above, and another with very advanced drones used for bridge inspection. I think both endeavours have multiple contractors doing the same thing now.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/08/20 17:28 by Alco251.

Came back from Salina this morning and, I only saw one helicopter working and he was 16 miles East of Ellsworth and they  no longer have trucks out here at the airport. It will go faster now as they are out of the most heavy area with the most trees. They have a couple areas that have quite a few trees and then it is mainly one or two here and there. A heavy area about a mile West of Brookville and thru town is the worst now for them.
Had 50 centerbeams cars sitting here in the siding and they could only cut on the North side of the main track. This morning sometime, all 50 centerbeabs are gone. Been here about 4 months, so it looks like business is picking up some. Good. upkpfan

I don't think they use helios to service power lines on or above NE Corridor tracks, too populated for debris and possible other difficulties. However they have trimmed along high tension power lines which has caused much distress to locals who live nearby, always featured on the evening news. It is a very scary looking operation, saws flailing away hanging from the whirlybirds, akin to Viet Nam shenanigans. When I was a kid in junior high there was a new high tension power line being built nearby and as classes were always boring, watching the men splice the wires in mid air, from catwalks built hanging from the power line, from the nearest steel tower was fascinating. Much more so than European or Ancient History! Good God I hate heights! I can't believe what i see people do to maintain infrastructure. A couple years ago, in Iowa, I saw a person hanging from a power generator on a wind generator performing some sort of maintenance on the tip of a blade probably a hundred feet below and 300 feet above ground level. WoW! That's about all I can say. 
Go

I've seen helicopters monitoring the high level PSEG electric lines over the NEC in NJ. Even lowering people to fix things.

Member EdK, who worked on the towers, and I shared a discussion and pictures of the work.

I've never seen helicopters trimming the NEC right of way. Huge boom trucks? Yes.

Posted from Android

A neighbor years back worked the high power lines for BPA in WA state asked him how they worked on those big insulators. He said no problem just wrap your legs around the small part and get to work. Those little platforms they use to work off of were another source of fun for them, ture them loose without using the brake and it was a real fun fast ride.
 

My sister in Florida has seen them use helicopters to lower guys to servcice the power line towers that have their bases in swamps or wooded areas.  Those would defintely be hard to reach places, not to mention keeping an eye out for various critters.