Talk:Current collector

Sources Current collector
Re Current collector, give us a break. The "piped links" and the images or files constitute by themselves adequate documentation. Peter Horn User talk 13:54, 26 April 2011 (UTC)
 * Typos etc. Peter Horn User talk 13:59, 26 April 2011 (UTC)

Current collector erosion
OK, I'm not especially knowledgeable about All Things Rail, but I've always wondered about something. Why doesn't a current collector get sawed through really really quickly by friction with the wire? There's definitely a mechanical force between the collector and the wire, and there's movement almost all day long.

Dave (talk) 00:37, 19 June 2011 (UTC)


 * You are right about the mechanical force. To combat this, the overhead contact wire is hanged in a zig-zagged way (sort of swaying left and right between supports) so that it is does saw through the current collector (pantograph or a bow collector). This of course only spreads the wear over the wider area of the contact surface, not eliminates it. Current collectors’ top surfaces have to be surveyed regularly and replaced after certain distance travelled or if they exhibit excessive wear. 118.93.54.160 (talk) 08:33, 6 February 2012 (UTC)


 * Also the contact surface of the pantograph (or bow collector) is of carbon. This has a lower coefficient of friction than a metal surface and will last much longer than an equivalent metal contact.  Many tram and trolley bus systems used a trolley pole to contact the overhead wire.  In these systems the pole was usually equipped with a wheel which rotated against the contact wire.  In these systems, the wire is not zig-zagged. 109.145.22.224 (talk) 16:26, 8 April 2012 (UTC)

What is missing?
OK, references -- this article doesn't have any.

It is also missing at least two current collection methods.

London, and some other systems, used to operate streetcars that didn't collect their power from a third rail, or an overhead wire. Rather, they used a system where the current was collected from a slot buried in the roadway -- something like a model railcar -- except that the slot is deep enough to prevent accidental electrocution. IIRC some of these cities operated vehicles that could switch from overhead to slot power.

Some modern vehicles, including some variants of the Flexity, are also powered from a source in the roadway -- with safety ensured by only powering that source when a vehicle is overhead. Geo Swan (talk) 08:03, 10 October 2013 (UTC)

Similar Article
This article seems to cover similar material to this other one:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantograph_(transport)

EinkomischerKauz (talk) 05:25, 4 April 2021 (UTC)