How might a group (with an electrical engineer) restore downed power lines post-apocalypse?
In the scenario I'm envisioning, my group is in a city. They've got a source of hydroelectric power, but a few downed power lines/utility poles are making it difficult for them to transmit the electricity. We're far enough post-apocalypse that they don't have any petroleum and can't use a car with a crane attached to it. Would it be feasible for them to design a crane or simple pulley system that could get the pole upright again (using the materials that might be readily available to them in a city, of course)? Is there another way they might get the job done?
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One of the issues with doing this is that righting the pole is not enough. They're likely working with 11kV or even 33kV lines (depending on the country, but it'll be in this ballpark), which are under high tension. They would need not only to put the pole back up, but the re-tension the lines. Without the proper equipment, this going to be difficult. Furthermore, when the poles fell down, some of the lines probably snapped, which means they'd have to repair or replace those lines too.
My suggestion is, that they'd want to have access to the correct equipment, and a working knowledge of how high-tension transmission lines work before attempting this.
That's not to even begin on the issue of replacing and broken insulators, fuses, or switchgear...
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