On 16 Nov 2006 15:45:10 -0800, "alex_t"
wrote:


Tramlink recently suffered theft of
parts of its electrical distribution and bonding system

Who the hell would need that?
MetroNet? :-)

When I still lived in Newcastle in the eighties, it was commonplace
(i.e. happened several times a month) for the pikeys of the day to
steal huge lengths of signalling cable from certain sections of the
Metro, by attaching it to a land rover and pulling it all out of the
concrete troughs. I think the overhead lines were pulled down in a
similar way on occasion too.

I presume it got melted down for the copper because I can't imagine
who would want pre-used cable of that specification (it would be damn
obvious where it had come from).

No idea if it still happens as I no longer live there, I presume they
have either fortified the line or buried the cables better, or maybe
it is no longer economic to melt down copper cabling.