Duitse hoogspanningsmasten

[Donaumast]

The next tower of the line is still under construction, but it is from special interest, as it is a tubular steel structure and not a lattice structure. When completed, it will be as the previous tower be capable of carrying two 380 kV and two 110 kV-circuits.

In the background, you can see a small 110 kV power line. Looks like a 1930s era Donaumast refurbished for traction power, as it has 4 cables?
https://www.google.com/maps/@48.9147678 ... ?entry=ttu

[Toliman]

The small 110 kV-line in the background had originally two circuits (6 conductors). One circuit was used for the 110 kV-link from Birkenfeld to Pulverdingen substation, the other for the 110 kV-link from Birkenfeld to Pforzheim Cogeneration Plant. In 2003 the 110 kV-line from Birkenfeld to Pulverdingen was shut down and the pylons were dismantled in the section between Pforzheim and Wiernsheim.
Afterwards two conductors of the unused circuit were removed, however one was left, I believe for better stability of the old pylons.

[Toliman]

Although the following two pictures did not show a powerline, but instead the way of an aerial cable car, I do not want to keep them from the forum as they look too nice. The pictures show the Neckar river crossing of Mannheim aerial cable car, which interconnects "Luisenpark" and "Spinellipark". In both parks takes the German Federal Garden Exhibition 2023 place and the aerial cable car allows the visitors to get from "Luisenpark" to "Spinellipark" (and vice versa).
At night the Neckar river crossing of this aerial cable car gots the "largest light chain" in Germany as there are red lamps on the power- and communication cable of this aerial cable car.
I have never seen such things, but I know that the Dutch Gerbrandytoren is transformed at Christmas time in a similiar way into the "tallest X-mas tree in the world" and that on the wires of some French powerlines lamps are installed, which got their power from the line by inductive or capacitive coupling.

[Toliman]

Tower 73 of powerline Kupferzell-Rittershausen northwest of Niederstetten. Originally, the tower carried a garland-like communication cable at its ground conductor, but in 2022 this was replaced by a ground conductor with integrated communication cable

[Toliman]

At the next pylon the 110 kV-branch starts. This branch pylon is remarkable as it is a strainer for the 110 kV-circuits and a suspension tower for the 380 kV-circuit. Until 2022 on this pylon and the next in the line two garland-like communication cables were installed: one on the ground conductor and one on an auxiliary rope on the pinnacle of the tower just below it.

[Toliman]

The same line a few kilometres northwards west of Elpersheim. Until 2022 the 110 kV-circuits on the lowest crossbar ended at the branch pylon in the background and run from there in direction of Bad Mergentheim. In 2022 the lowest crossbar was installed on the pylons in front of the branch tower including two 110 kV-circuits. At the same time the two garland-like communication cables on the pinnacle were replaced by a single one integrated in the ground conductor. It is planned to replace the 110 kV-circuit on the upmost crossbars by a 380 kV-circuit in near future.

[Toliman]

A bit further northward this powerline crosses Tauber valley. Until 2022 the shown pylons, which were built in 1980 had only the two upmost crossbars with a single 380 kV and a single 110 kV circuit. However the pinnacles of these pylons carried until then two garland-like communication cables, one on the ground conductor and one on an auxiliary rope just below it (see pictures https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... 032017.png and https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... 032017.png).
In 2022 both communication cables were replaced by a ground conductor with integrated communication cable and the lowest crossbars with two 110 lV-circuits were installed on these towers.
In near future the 110 kV-circuits on the middle and the top crossbar will be replaced by a 380 kV-circuit.

[Toliman]

A closer look on Tower 84 of the powerline Kupferzell-Rittershausen, where the upper mentioned 110 kV-branch to Bad Mergentheim starts. The branch has still a garland-like communication cable on the ground conductor, which starts also at this tower

[Toliman]

At Tower 123 of powerline Kupferzell-Rittershausen, the 110 kV-circuit leaves this line and runs on a separate line to Lauda. However, this line is looped on the first pylon after the branch in order to connect Stalldorf substation.
Originally the powerline Kupferzell-Rittershausen was equipped until Tower 123 with two garland-like communication cables, one on the ground conductor and one on an auxiliary rope just below it, but these cables were replaced in 2022, when the lowest crossbar with its two circuits was installed by a ground conductor with integrated communication cable. However the 110 kV-branch from Tower 123 to Stalldorf substation has still a garland-like communication cable on the ground conductor, while the line to Lauda has a ground conductor with integrated communication cable,

[Toliman]

The first pylon of the 110 kV-line after its branch from the 380 kV/110 kV-line Kupferzell-Rittershausen. It is the startpoint of a loop branch to Stalldorf substation. The line leaving the picture on the left runs to Lauda substation.
The large pylons belong to the 380 kV-line Kupferzell-Rittershausen and carried until 2022 a garland-like communication cable on the ground conductor.