11-02-2014, 12:48 PM
A couple of things should be clarified, especially for non-US modelers. Utility poles and railroad "telegraph" poles are two different things. A utility pole is owned by an electrical utility company and typically carries higher-voltage 3-phase AC power. Here is a typical utility pole, near a California packing shed, in fact:
It is taller than a typical railroad "telegraph" pole, has fewer crossarms, and has insulators in groups of three for three-phase power. Here is a typical railroad "telegraph" pole:
It is shorter than a typical utility pole and has more crossarms and insulators, although this depends on the specific railroad location and use. It carries railroad power, telephone, and signal code lines.
Utility poles often parallel public streets and highways. Railroad code lines are on railroad right of way and parallel the track. (Obviously there are exceptions to every rule here.)
A railroad would not put a milepost marker on a utility pole, since a utility pole is the property of the utility, not the railroad. In addition, while the UP and SP did put milepost markers on their code line poles, the Santa Fe didn't do this. The Santa Fe had separate milepost markers, which you can see in the foreground here:
It is taller than a typical railroad "telegraph" pole, has fewer crossarms, and has insulators in groups of three for three-phase power. Here is a typical railroad "telegraph" pole:
It is shorter than a typical utility pole and has more crossarms and insulators, although this depends on the specific railroad location and use. It carries railroad power, telephone, and signal code lines.
Utility poles often parallel public streets and highways. Railroad code lines are on railroad right of way and parallel the track. (Obviously there are exceptions to every rule here.)
A railroad would not put a milepost marker on a utility pole, since a utility pole is the property of the utility, not the railroad. In addition, while the UP and SP did put milepost markers on their code line poles, the Santa Fe didn't do this. The Santa Fe had separate milepost markers, which you can see in the foreground here: