Big Power at Folsom, CA

This 1895 plant produced 4000 horsepower - ten times more than Willamette Falls, Pomona or Mill Creek. The transmission line ran 21.5 miles to Sacramento and operated at 11,000 Volts (11kV). A special insulator, the U-701, was chosen to support the wires on this line. It is 4.4 in. diameter and 5.5 in. high.

U-701

Original Folsom Pole Line

Paul Greaves supplied this photo of the line (right). The power plant survives to this day. Although it is no longer in service, it has been made into a State Park. A number of rare insulators can be seen on the grounds, but none of the original U-701. The line became the earliest transmission of Pacific Gas & Electric when that company was formed in 1905.
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