Wheeled, overhead wire installing apparatus

A wheeled, overhead wire installing apparatus comprising a wire stretching car rotatably supporting a drum around which an overhead wire is wound, at least one work car coupled to the rear of the wire stretching car, and locomotive means for driving the above mentioned cars, each work car having a raisable and lowerable work platform which is provided at the front end thereof and substantially on the longitudinal centerline of the work car with an overhead wire guide roller device adapted to guide the overhead wire drawn out of the drum, said wire guide roller device comprising:

• a cradle;
• a plurality of transverse horizontal guide rollers rotatably supported on the cradle in positions to form in the cradle a curved horizontal guide surface of a large radius of curvature in a vertical plane passing through said centerline such that a bending set will not be imparted to the overhead wire, the horizontal guide surface bearing the wire in rolling contact;
• a plurality of vertical guide rollers rotatably supported on the crade in positions to form two opposed vertical guide surfaces having a large radius of curvature in a horizontal plane such that a bending set will not be imparted to the wire and disposed on opposite lateral sides of the wire thus borne on the horizontal guide rollers;
• and
• support means swingably supporting the cradle on the work platform by means of pivot pins having a common transverse horizontal axis and passing through the cradle at a part thereof higher than the horizontal guide rollers, whereby the cradle is stably supported and automatically adapts to an optimal attitude relative to the wire thereby to prevent bending sets therein.