In article , "Phil Kane"
writes:

On 9 Jul 2003 11:55:18 -0700, N2EY wrote:

That amazed me too - but there's only one insulator on the pole pig
and one wire crossing the street to same. Three phase primary is
three wire, so there isn't even a Wye Neutral for return.

I first saw this system along the Trans-Canada highway in Alberta in
1970 and I put it down to the rural-ness of the area. But suburban
Portland in the 21st Century?

Are there NO other wires on the pole?

I checked it out a lot closer - there appears to be a neutral wire
running quite a distance below the primaries but above the cable and
telco stuff. It looked a lot like a messenger or guy wire, but it is
most probably serves as the neutral of a Wye primary.

That's exactly what it is. Most of the return current is in that wire.

The system you describe is in use all over the Northeast.

Earth return will work fine, if the ground is good enough.

The rocks of western Oregon do not fall into that category.....

Agreed - but the system described doesn;t use earth return.

73 de Jim, N2EY