What happens if lightening strikes the cantary?

I was just thinking, what would happen if lightening somehow struck the wires on the NEC? What sort of measures do they take to protect the wires and the equipment from a power surge?

All electric locomotives (including mu's) are equipped with lightning
arrestors that ground out any voltage surges from strikes. Arrestors
are also in place at substations and at various points along the
right of way where signal transformers are used step down voltage
for signal power.

Are lightening strikes on the actual wire a problem or do the higher support masts absorb the impacts?

All cat poles are connected at the top with a "static" line or ground
wire in layman's terms. The reasoning is hopefully a lightning strike
will stike the pole itself (or the static line) rather than the energized wires. The cat poles themselves are also grounded which would send any
surge right to the ground.

amtrakhogger wrote:All cat poles are connected at the top with a "static" line or ground
wire in layman's terms. The reasoning is hopefully a lightning strike
will stike the pole itself (or the static line) rather than the energized wires. The cat poles themselves are also grounded which would send any
surge right to the ground.

Use of the static ground wire is standard practice for electric utility transmission lines and works very well.