Current Gallery: openwire ( piece)
The backbone of U. S. telecommunications between 1880 and the mid-1950s, was openwire communications technology used by nearly all operating companies throughout the nation to link farm to town and town to city. The hayday of the crossarm throughout the countryside prospered for over 50 years and then suddenly disappeared by the late 1960s and early 1970s. Today, very little of that civilian telecom heritage remains, except in very isolated areas. Transportation companies namely: the railroads, are dismantling their communications and signal facilities at a breakneck pace, anticipating that all railway openwire will be linewrecked by 2020. The pole and crossarm icon has always conjured up what we fondly recall as part of the "countryside furniture." Today, the landscape seems more barren; railroads and highways . . . far more isolated and foresaken without their former communications partners in stride with the parallel ribbons of pavement or iron rail. We present some historical photos of this incredible epoch which we recall the grand period which was . . . openwire communications.
"Arizona Open Wire Span Brackets"  (2010) by TheElectricOrphanage
  • Wood Pole Tower Wood Pole Tower
from $ 11
  • Tilford, South Dakota Last Open Wire NWB Line Tilford, South Dakota Last Open Wire NWB Line
from $ 11
  • Former Council Bluffs-Sioux City AT&T Toll Lead Former Council Bluffs-Sioux City AT&T Toll Lead
from $ 11
  • Union Pacific Railroad H-Fixture Near Rossville Union Pacific Railroad H-Fixture Near Rossville
from $ 11
  • Arizona Openwire Span Brackets Arizona Openwire Span Brackets
from $ 11
  • Arizona Open Wire Span Brackets Arizona Open Wire Span Brackets
from $ 11
  • Former MOPAC Lines Double-Dead-End Pole Former MOPAC Lines Double-Dead-End Pole
from $ 11
  • What a Sight! What a Sight!
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  • Graceful Open Arms Beckon Graceful Open Arms Beckon
from $ 11
  • Detail of Tangent Structure on BNSF Open Wire Lead Detail of Tangent Structure on BNSF Open Wire Lead
from $ 11
  • Burlington-Northern Transposition Pole Burlington-Northern Transposition Pole
from $ 11
  • BNSF Signal Wires Near Greenwood, Nebraska, 1979. BNSF Signal Wires Near Greenwood, Nebraska, 1979.
from $ 11
  • AT&T Open Wire Construction Crew, 1924 AT&T Open Wire Construction Crew, 1924
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  • Aerial Wire & Bucket Truck Aerial Wire & Bucket Truck
from $ 11
  • Test Phone Attached To Pairs Test Phone Attached To Pairs
from $ 11
  • Balancing Act Balancing Act
from $ 11
  • Near Lindsborg, Kansas Former UPRR Pole Near Lindsborg, Kansas Former UPRR Pole
from $ 11
  • 1929 Nevada AT&T Transcon Lead 1929 Nevada AT&T Transcon Lead
from $ 11
  • 1929 AT&T Transcontinental Lead 1929 AT&T Transcontinental Lead
from $ 11
  • Detail of AT&T transposition pole of the TC Nevada Detail of AT&T transposition pole of the TC Nevada
from $ 11
  • Mitchell, South Dakota - Tyndall, South Dakota Lin Mitchell, South Dakota - Tyndall, South Dakota Lin
from $ 11
  • Linewrecked Openwire Tied to Fence Post Linewrecked Openwire Tied to Fence Post
from $ 11
  • Tyndall-Wagner, SD Openwire Toll Lead Tyndall-Wagner, SD Openwire Toll Lead
from $ 11
  • Mitchell-Tyndall Transposition Pole Mitchell-Tyndall Transposition Pole
from $ 11
  • End of the Independent Open Wire Era in Kansas End of the Independent Open Wire Era in Kansas
from $ 11
  • Bell System Pole-mounted SAC Terminal Bell System Pole-mounted SAC Terminal
from $ 11
  • Last of UPRR Signal Wire Last of UPRR Signal Wire
from $ 11
  • Bird's Eye View Burlington-Northern Aerial Wire Bird's Eye View Burlington-Northern Aerial Wire
from $ 11
  • I Am a Lineman for the County . . . I Am a Lineman for the County . . .
from $ 11

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