Original General Order 95

Section VII

Detailed Construction Requirements for Trolley and Electric Railway
Contact and Feeder Conductors and Their Supporting Messengers,
Span Wires, Etc. (Class T Circuits)

78.3    Foreign Conductors

The following rules shall apply to decorative lighting fixtures, decorative lighting circuits, decorative garlands, and all other apparatus used for decorative purposes, where supported by and attached to the lines of trolley systems and when special permission for such supports and attachments has been secured from the trolley systems concerned.

Nothing herein contained shall be constructed as requiring utilities to grant permission for such use of their overhead facilities; or permitting any use of joint poles or facilities for such temporary construction without the consent of all parties having any ownership whatever in the poles to which attachments may be made; or granting authority for the use of any pole or facilities without the owner’s or owners’ consent.

A.    Attachment to Span Wires

(1)    Decorative Lighting Fixtures and Circuits: Decorative lighting fixtures and decorative lighting circuits of not more than 300 volts may be attached temporarily to trolley span wires provided that such equipment and appurtenances meet all of the following requirements:

Circuit wires shall be covered,

Wires shall be suitably insulated from (and in no case shall contact the span wire,

Such equipment shall be placed only between the pole (or other support in lieu thereof) and the span wire insulator nearest the suspension of the trolley contact conductor, and

No energized part of such equipment shall be less than 18 feet above the street surface.

It is recommended that no attachment be made to energized portions of feeder span wires.  However, if such attachment is permitted by the utility the insulators and rubber covered wire used shall be capable of withstanding the trolley voltage.

(2)    Decorative Garlands and Other Unenergized Decorations:  Decorative garlands and other decorations which are not energized may be supported by trolley span wires provided that no span wire insulator is made ineffective (shorted out) by such attachment.

B.    Attachment to Poles

Where temporary lighting circuits of not more than 300 volts are attached to poles and used independent of span wire attachments or used to serve those span wire attachments, they shall comply with all of the requirements for supply conductors of 0-750 volts.

No decorative equipment shall be attached in any manner to longitudinal feeder cables (along or across thoroughfares.)

C.    Attachment of Auxiliary Span Wires to Poles Supporting Trolley Contact Conductors

Auxiliary span wires for the support of decorative lighting fixtures, decorative lighting circuits, decorative garlands, and any other apparatus used for temporary decorative purposes are strictly prohibited except when special permission is secured from the Railroad Commission.  Under such permission the auxiliary span wire shall comply with all of the following requirements:

It shall be sectionalized, by means of insulators, in accordance with the rules applicable to overhead guys,

The span wire and conductors and any apparatus attached thereto shall be installed and maintained not less than 4 feet above the level of the trolley contact conductors and not less than 4 feet below any conductor in excess of 750 volts,

The span wire shall provide an ultimate strength of not less than that afforded by 3/8 inch common galvanized steel strand, and

The additional mechanical loads on poles resulting from such installation shall not be such that the requirements of Section IV are not maintained.

No permits issued by Municipal or County Inspection Departments, or any trolley line system or other utility, shall be construed to permit the use of auxiliary span wires attached to poles supporting span wires which shall comply with all conditions set forth above.