StLB line Bad Gleichenberg - Feldbach. Curved section with new
skew catenary (prepared for high voltage) north of Gnas. As you
can see, the catenary is tilted by about 60° in curves,
which allows the wire to follow the curve, an elegant way to
reduce the number of poles required in tight curves. This
system is also common for some Swiss narrow gauge railways, but
is not usually found on mainlines as it is not suited for higher
speeds. Only the contact wire is tensioned with weights.
2003-04-27
photo: tobias b köhler