Strange gizmo on the cat tower at Westerly RI

[pumpers]

I'm on Amtrak on my way up to Boston, and we just stopped at the Westerly RI station. Outside my window in front of the station was a fairly new catenary tower, with a strange green and white high-tech looking gizmo about 18 inches tall mounted on a platform at my eye level, perhaps 10 feet off the ground. The gizmo doesn't show up so well in the picture due to the sun & shadows unfortunately. But you can make it out pretty well if you zoom in. There is a ~ 15" x 15" flat aluminum(?) "roof" over it. Solar cells sticking out of both sides (see the pic) and two large storage batteries in cases at the foot of the cat tower with cables running down.

I'm clueless. Any ideas?
Jim from Jersey

Westerly RI station gizmo.jpg (200.8 KiB) Viewed 2844 times

[amtrakhogger]

FWIK, that "gizmo" (some thing like an electronic transit) is put in place by the Engineering Dept. to measure and record any deviations to structures (i.e. bridges, cat poles, track, tunnels, etc.) that might occur during any construction on or near the right of way. They did use them in North River Tunnels during the construction of the "Tunnel Box" to watch for any shifting or settling in the tunnels.

[pumpers]

THanks hogger. That's it for sure. I went on line and the attached pic I found is probably a different manufacturer, but overall similar looking. They call them "total stations"
http://www.johnsonlevel.com/P/456/FiveS ... alTheodoli It's amazing how accurate they are supposed to be. Something like +/- 1/16 inch accuracy over a mile.

electronic transit theodolite.png (430.06 KiB) Viewed 2622 times

[neman2]

Thats a Leica "robotic total station" https://leica-geosystems.com/products/t ... l-stations

As amtrakhogger states apparently being used to monitor structures during a construction project. Set up allows 24
hour monitoring without anybody on site.

[troffey]

They can also be used to layout for any planned work. Upload a CAD file and it gives you the same exacting measurements. Makes coordination between trades significantly easier, and would also allow exact reference for any digging/trenching type work in the ROW to avoid existing utilities.

[Rockingham Racer]

What's the construction project? Railroad related?

[troffey]

I'm not sure its being used for one in this application, someone else mentioned they use them to monitor for movement of set points or infrastructure. But they are capable of monitoring existing point or being used to lay out new points.